“Teen Authors
Share Their Secrets”
Source:
Instructor
Margaret Gelbwasser
May/June 2007
Creating Characters
• What the Pros Say:
“Novels for me always start with
characters and the voice,” says Rachel
Cohn, author of Cupcake and
Gingerbread. “The challenge is staying
true to that voice and not imposing your
own judgments.”
Creating Characters
• Their Best Advice:
“I have a big cabinet in my basement for
projects,” says Kristen Kemp, author of this
summer’s Breakfast at Bloomingdale’s. “I make
folders for the characters and put note cards
with their traits in each folder. Then I go through
magazines and find outfits they would wear and
parties they would go to.”
Plotting a Page-Turner
• What the Pros Say:
“Sometimes it’s challenging to see
where it’s all going,” says David Levithan,
coauthor, with Cohn, of the forthcoming
Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List. “You know
the character’s life has to unfold in a
certain way. It’s up to the writer to
discover what that is.”
Plotting a Page-Turner
• Their Best Advice:
Says Kemp, “The plot has a few basic
elements: a main character who wants to
accomplish something very important to
her and a lot of obstacles standing in the
way of the character reaching her goal.
The easiest way to do this is to create an
antagonist character.”
Organizing a Masterpiece
• What the Pros Say:
“I believe a story has to start in its own
way,” says Levithan, “but there’s a point
when you have to stop and figure out how
exactly you’re going to tell the story. And
that’s where organization comes in.”
Organizing a Masterpiece
• Their Best Advice:
“People get intimidated by outlines, but this
is what works for me,” says Cohn. “After writing
a few chapters, I write a very short outline of one
to three pages. It could be very simple, like how
your character will change from point A to point
Z, figuring out problems along the way, and little
sentences organized chronologically.”
Finding the Best Backdrop
• What the Pros Say:
“Setting is where the story begins. It’s
the scenery of your story. And it gives you
your sense of place, especially in the
beginning,” says Sarah Dessen, author of
Just Listen.
Finding the Best Backdrop
• Their Best Advice:
“Writing about what’s familiar is not a
cop-out,” says Cohn. “Know your basic
universe first, and then let your characters
talk to you within that. When I get stuck, it
helps me to have pictures of the scenery.”
Staying True to Dialogue
• What the Pros Say:
Dessen says, “Dialogue is a great way
to characterize people. If you can write
dialogue that moves a story forward and
sounds realistic, that’s great.”
Staying True to Dialogue
• Their Best Advice:
“One trick is to sit in a coffee place and
write down what people say,” says Kemp.
“Everyone speaks differently, and
characters speak differently too. Another
trick is to watch your favorite TV show and
pay attention to how they handle
dialogue.”
The Bottom Line
“Have faith and the story will follow,” says
Dessen.
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