Writers talk a lot about provoking characters to transform by making things worse and worse for them until they’re exhausted, and are left with no choice but to change. That’s what stories are usually about in a nutshell: transformation in the face of adversity. It’s the old “hurt the hero” game. As Star Trek and [Continue Reading]
There’s a lot of conflicting advice out there about characters. Do you make them quirky and unusual (like Amelia Bedelia), or more ordinary (like Charlie Brown)? Do you make them heroic (someone readers might aspire to be, like Atticus Finch), or deeply flawed (like FH in Jesus’s Son)? Do you make them raw and human [Continue Reading]
Here it is, the cover for Backwards (coming out October 8th, from Candlewick Press). Please tell me what you think. How would you judge this book from its cover? And if you have any suggestions on the new website, please let me have them. I’m still making plenty o’ changes. Many thanks for Carolyn Yalin [Continue Reading]
