Chapter 11
Oh Chapter 11, I love chapter 11. From the opening song on. It's a long one. Let me see what little nuggets I can find to share with you.
The empty barrel dance: Kind of sad and brave that their largest celebration, spring holiday, celebrates not harvest or times of feast but the end of supplies, the empty barrels. They survived the winter, and that's cause enough to celebrate.
"tattered red strips of cloth": We live in such abundance. I was often reminded, while writing this book, how precious something like a red ribbon would be in a place like Mount Eskel.
"the girl with no hair": The story shouts came out of my own memories of camping with my family. There were songs like "No you can't get to heaven" where each verse was different and you could make up your own rhyming verses on the fly. I remember being quite young and making up a verse that made others laugh, and how good that made me feel.
Miri & Peder's conversation: When I first published this book, someone asked me what my favorite part was, and I remember saying the action in chapters 20-23. But when I listened to this book on audio, this conversation between Miri & Peder became my favorite.
"A smile tugged at one corner of her mouth like a brook trout on a fishing line." and "Jans trailed Britta around like a thistleweed stuck to her bootlace." and "Being near him made her insides feel like twisted vines, choking and blooming at the same time": I love similies. I always overwrite and then delete the extras, keeping the best. If you don't like similies, you may not like my books. I tend to celebrate them.
Tiffany L asks, "Without the help of an editor or agent, how do you know when a book is DONE, and ready to send off." I think it's really hard to know, and impossible for me to tell someone else because every writer's process is different. I will say that every agent or editor I've talked to says 90% of the manuscripts they receive aren't done yet, were sent off too hastily, were a first or too early of a draft. I personally suffer from chronic Fourth Draftitis. The first draft is okay, the second I realize how much work needs to happen. The third I try to fix it. THe fourth I "polish" the third draft. And then I have this rush of completion, this amazing high, and I immediately want to share it! See! Look! Admire what I've made! And I rush off to show it to someone--often another writer friend or a reader who I think will have some good feedback. Every time, when I'm back into rewriting, I realize how crappy that 4th draft really was and am so ashamed I showed it to anyone. You'd think after 12 books I'd learn, but I did it YET AGAIN early this spring with my current book's 4th draft. Everyone's different, but I'd suggest rewriting a book a few times, let it sit for a month or two, go back again, get some feedback, rewrite again, more feedback, rewrite...about twenty times. And then let it sit again, read it again and see what you think. One of the most valuable skills a writer owns is understanding his/her own process, and that just comes through experience.
I'll get to the other questions tomorrow, and feel free to ask more!
I just love the conversation between Peder and Miri. It's a pretty serious conversation but there's Miri trying to practice the rules of Conversation and Peder isn't quite sure what to think of how she's talking to him. It's certainly not how they've talked all their lives. I love it when they both get over the initial formality and get back to the old comfort they had before the Princess Academy thing came up in the first place.
I really like all the similes. I think it gives your books a rather poetic quality.
Posted by: Heather | July 16, 2012 at 09:05 AM
That conversation is definitely my favorite too. :)
Posted by: Alyshkalia | July 16, 2012 at 10:10 AM
After I first read Princess Acadamy, I came back and read this chapter over and over. I love it too! Also, my favorite part of your writing is your similes, so keep on writing them!
Posted by: Camile | July 16, 2012 at 10:53 AM
I love these posts! Here's my question: When you decided that you wanted to be a writer, was it solely because you loved writing, or did multiple things help you decide that? For example, you had a goal of uplifting others, you wanted others to read what you had written, etc. How much of your desire to write should come from the love of writing, and how much should come from other reasons? I struggle with this. Sometimes I think I love to write. Other times I think I hate it. It's so hard! There's so much involved! Any words of wisdom?
Posted by: Dr. Sallie N. Cheinsteen | July 16, 2012 at 11:30 AM
Peder and Miri's conversation is my favorite part of the book too! When I first read this book, I was like:
"YES! YES! YES! YES!"
When Peder kissed her on the cheek. It made me so happy =D.
I was wondering if you used an atcual relationship that you knew about as a frame for Peder's and Miri's relationship.
And I'm not sure if someone already asked this question,but how much research do you do on the country your story setting is based on? Like, do you just research on the Internet and kind of make up the rest or do you like read a lot of real books on the country?
Sorry if I reasked that question.
I hope I get to see more of Peder in "Palace of Stone"! I wish it was out already. I feel like I can't wait!
Posted by: K.M.B | July 16, 2012 at 11:47 AM
"Miri hesitated, but his attention was irresistible, and she had a thousand stories trembling on her tongue." <--This might be my favorite line. So, so beautiful.
Also I love the similes too. It's fantastic to read works by authors who truly love language, especially language that heightens the images or senses within the story. While some people may not like similes, I devour them like cake. :P
Posted by: Julie | July 16, 2012 at 11:51 AM
I just want to say thank you for hosting this book club. It's been something for me to look forward to every day. I wish more authors would do this--and am so glad you'll be doing The Goose Girl next year!!
Posted by: Rebecca | July 16, 2012 at 06:28 PM
This is such a great idea, Shannon! I love hearing about your writing process and the story behind the story. You must be so disciplined to be able to even finish a first draft! And I love your similes, so never stop!
It is amazing how easy it is to relate to Peder and Miri's conversations, they are so perfect together. Was there ever a time when you were writing PA that you thought Peder and Miri might not work?
Posted by: Asha | July 16, 2012 at 11:23 PM
I'm not sure if this has been asked already. If it has, please ignore it. How long does it take you to write a first draft? And are you given a choice about the cover of your book?
Posted by: H.P. | July 17, 2012 at 08:37 AM
I'm afraid I'm guilty of stealing some of these similes: I really love how you use them so naturally. My Q is: How much insperation do you take from other writers, if any? Do you take a character, or chapter, and then make it your own? Because I know I do...
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