Well, How DO You?
We’ve all played around with the notion of writing fiction, haven’t we? I know I have. And so it was with great pleasure that I read the Chrononautic Log’s recent post Ten Things I Don’t Know About Writing. Because frankly, I don’t know a lot of these things either. If any authors would like to solve the mystery, feel free.
My favorite thing this writer didn’t know how to do was #3:
How to have your protagonist learn something without having another character talk about it for six pages. (Failing that: How to get characters talking without sitting them down at a table and serving drinks.)
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Particularly difficult when your characters aren’t even teenagers yet.
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About Betsy Bird
Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Kirkus, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on BlueSky at: @fuse8.bsky.social
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That’s an interesting list. I’m particularly in awe of people who have a firm grasp on #1. One of my big goals is to learn how to describe tastes and smells in inventive ways. You know, without constantly calling them “acrid” or “earthy.”
Adam, I’ve discovered that young children are particularly good at descriptions of sights, sounds, smells, etc., because they haven’t had all of the cliches pounded into their heads yet. They reach for analogies and language from their own (seemingly unrelated) experiences, and the result is often pretty danged poetic. When I need description I try to discard adjectives or adverbs and emulate that fresh-slate mindset.
Great link, thanks.
So, did you find the Checz Embassy? The bus driver on my route (driving us from hotel to ALA at the convention center) spent most of the time telling someone else how to get to that Embassy — and I thought of you. Will you be blogging about it?
We will look for you and your red dress at the banquet tomorrow night. (sez me in my red, not as nice as yours, dress.)
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to touch #10. But I’ll keep trying.
Great meeting you, Fuse. Hope you get to the Spy Museum gift shop. How can you leave DC without a “You Don’t Know Me” t-shirt?