Squeetus summer book club: The Goose Girl, chapter 6
On to week two of our Goose Girl discussion!
pg 106, the charcoal
I remember originally I had Ani pick up the charcoal there but not say why yet. But by the time she used it my early readers had forgotten when she'd picked it up. Another important reason to have early readers/a solid editor. The story is so firm in my own mind, I need to be told when it's not in a reader's.
pg 108
Ani reveals her plan. It's a pretty good one. But with 2/3 of the book left, the reader must know that this plan won't be working out. As a writer, I want the reader to hope it will work out and yet worry it won't. That creates tension, and the right balance of tension can keep a reader turning pages. Tension=hope+worry.
pg 110 - food!
As a reader I like to be pulled into a story, to feel what the character is feeling. One of the most evocative kinds of writing is food descriptions. I love knowing what a character is eating--or wants to eat. We've all experienced the hunger and delights of food.
Annaasks, "When you are writing, do you ever mentally cast actors ascertain characters?" No, I don't do this while I'm writing. I do so muchrewriting that I don't want to set in stone any character in process.Some writers create characters at the first draft that never change, butmy characters change through the process of writing. Afterward Isometimes see an actor and think, he/she would make a perfect ____. Theonly exception to this is I saw Jennifer Cooldige in Best in Show when Iwas still writing Austenland and forever after thought of her as MissCharming.
Leilani asks, "How do you take an idea and make it into a good story that all comes together? Do you first plan out the plot, characters, setting, etc., or do you just write with the idea and see where it takes you? Or is there a different process you go through?" I do both. The process changes with each book. In this case, I based it on the fairy tale structure, did lots of research, wrote a long but loose outline, and made changes as I wrote. And rewrote. And rewrote.
Malvolio asks, "I've read all of the books of Bayern published so far, and I've noticed that although none are narrated by the main character, the voice and tone seems to be in accordance to the character's personality... Is this done on purpose?" Yes and thanks for noticing! It's honestly lovely to know there are such careful readers. You're the reason why I go through so many drafts. I'd guess 90% of readers only read the book once and read so quickly for the story they don't notice the nuances. In fact an English teacher friend of mine recently told me that another English teacher friend said something like "Shannon is such a lyrical writer and makes lovely phrases and similes." And my friend, who has read my books and is an English teacher (If I hadn't mentioned) who is trained to look for such things, said she'd never noticed and just read my books for the adventure. And that's okay. That's my goal. To have a story be entertaining and go down smooth on the first read, but also have enough craftmanship and layer on closer inspection. Nice to know that there are careful readers to make the extra labor worthwhile.
Jaya asks, "You've mentioned rewriting The Goose Girl several times before it finally got accepted. How did you find Ideal Readers for the first few drafts, and how did you keep them?" Circumstance really. I had a husband, who is a smart reader and brilliant writer. A writer friend I met in my MFA program, Tiffany Trent. A close friend who volunteered.
Julia asks, "Could you elaborate a little about Ani's parents' ascension to the thrown?" I'd have to look at my early drafts to remember all the particulars, but this is essentially the story. There was a long and terrible civil war in Kildenree. A lot of people died, including many royal relatives. When the elderly and childless king was faced with no successor, he chose Ani's young parents, who were of minor noble families. This was in no small part due to Ani's mother's gift of people-speaking, talking herself into the king's graces. Her parents jointly held the throne and their children offered Kildenree a clear heir and promise of stability.