Squeetus summer book club: Princess Academy, chapter 20

Chapter 20

It's hard to talk about this one! I was going through the chapter and got caught up in the story, reading straight through. Ooh, bandits! I remember a review of this book that generally praised but said that the bandits chapters were unnecessary. I disagree. I like them, and if there are no more use than that, that's enough for me. But besides that, I like to allow my characters to experience things, learn and grow, and then put them to a test. Aren't I a cruel god? I stick them in an impossible situation that they never could have survived a few months before and see how they fare now. The bandits chapters do that for me in this book.

Besides, if you ask kids which part is their favorite, guess what most of them choose?

Miri runs: This is the description from the first draft: "Miri didn’t wait to learn more. If Esa said to run, then she would run. But she hadn’t taken five strides toward the village when rough hands seized her." By the final draft I'd focused on making it more tense and exciting. Those sorts of things I have to work for. Nothing comes easily.

Frid: "It's me." *cue hero music* I LOVE Frid. Love her. I get ridiculously fond of my characters, and Frid I'm extremely fond of. Not too bright, our Frid, but what a heart. I've met her kind before. She feels real to me. She's in Palace of Stone, and if I write a third book, I have something in store for her. I feel like I based this moment on something--something real or historical or from another story, but for the life of me I can't remember right now.

Maddie asks, "If they were to make Princess Academy into a movie who would be your personal first pick to play her?" I don't know! I rarely do fantasy movie casting in my head. I'd hope they wouldn't pick some 20+-year-old but an actual teenager, and I'd hope that she was an excellent actress.

Susan asks, "Shannon, knowing the novel is far from finished, I'm curious to know when/how you recognize/define that point when you call a first draft complete?" When I finish the final scene. It may not be the final scene in the final draft, but I always reach an ending point. I like stories that end. I'm not a fan of the modern kind of novel that just cuts off because "that's how real life is." Stories should have beginnings, middles, and ends in my opinion.

Savanna asks, "If you had the chance to jump into one of your books and be a character for a week, who would you choose? And what about a character from a book not written by yourself?" The character I'm writing right now. I would love to be her at a certain point in the story. From what's already pubbed...maybe Rapunzel. Or Enna. Miri's too similar to myself already, I'd like to be someone totally different. From other stories, Wonder Woman for sure. Why not, right? If you have the option, why not the most powerful woman ever? I want to fly and hog-tie baddies and hang out in the Watchtower with Batman and Superman and laugh about inside jokes with the Flash.

Comments

[LadyWrimo]

Hi Shannon! I've been a long follower of your blog (read: lurker), and through your posts I have come to learn a lot about the writing process--especially the importance of writing multiple drafts and cutting, cutting, cutting. My question was (and I'm sorry if it's a repeat!), what do you classify as a draft? Not the first draft, but the subsequent ones. Do you go through the first draft and, once you finish going through the last scene, call it a second one? Or do you rewrite your novel from scratch? Or...what? I'd really love to know, and maybe learn from your definition.

Thank you!

[Heather]

I think the bandit chapters are great and, really, a bit necessary. If the girls just continued learning the same things they had been learning before as they stayed at the Academy through the winter, it would have just been boring and repetitive. Especially since they were so sure that bandits would never come again to Mt. Eskel, I just really like the bandits showing up like they do. I love how they all claim to have been told they'd be princess. Frid's courage is amazing.

[Julie]

I agree that it is necessary to show character growth and the way the girls have banded together. What would they have done in the same situation a year ago? Probably something very different. And I love this chapter...it reminds me of the teenage girl version of "I'm Spartacus!" :D

[Danielle]

I think that (for me) the bandit chapters are indispensible. They abruptly change the story and make me get worried sick about the characters. I finished rereading PA yesterday and I was still worried about the girls even though I knew the outcome. I needed the action at that point of the story because it had looked like that winter would almost parallel the previous one. It also made it possible for me to see more of the girls, and how much they’ve grown. I also noticed that Katar is now siding with Miri. After Miri and Britta, Katar is the character I connect the most with and I was happy to see her change, not all minor characters are flat. Though tense parts of stories make me freak out (I really will shut a book and pace for an hour and worry about characters sometimes), I need them to stay invested in the story. I don’t think I would have like PA as much if these chapters weren’t in there.

[Rin Isilee]

LOVE Frid. And Esa. And every single one of the girls for saying "You liar! He picked ME!" It's my favorite part in the book.

[Amanda]

I just couldn't do it, I broke. After reading your last post I finished the book, it's just too good to only read one chapter a day.

[Katie]

Oh, Frid. She reminds me so much of my best friend, who is coincidentally named Miriam.

[Ashley R.]

What time is the book launch on August 21?