Chapter 5
First sentence (and a half): After winning the Newbery Honor, Bloomsbury made prints of the cover art with a quote from the book to give to the Newbery committee members. The quote was the first sentence and a half of this chapter. I didn’t pick the quote, but I thought it was a nice one. I wonder if every publisher gives gifts to the committee after winning and what their gifts were.
Page 63: I like that phrase “the agitation of his nearness” and “Feeling herself lean to him as she would to warm herself at a fire.” Some phrases come whole and perfect in the first draft (rare). Some I worry over again and again and again every draft until they’re right. Some I steal from myself. The latter I’d written for Enna Burning, cut for some reason, but remembered because I liked it and reused it here.
page 64: Miri makes a decision--scholarship over friendship. Was it the right choice for her? What would you choose?
Tales: Reading for pleasure taught her how to decode words on a page, and soon she found she could read anything with confidence. Smells like a bit of personal philosophy peering through.
Friends: Such a dangerous endeavor! There are still times in my adult life when I feel lost, unsure what to say and what not to say, never knowing if I’m wanted around or simply tolerated. And how much more I felt that way when I was young. What Miri needs, I think, is a true friend she can relax with and trust, who honestly likes her. What a relief that would be. I hope she finds one soon...
Mary and Amy both asked about outlining: When I came up with the idea for this story, I wrote it down. ALWAYS WRITE DOWN IDEAS or they go away. As more ideas came to me--scenes, characters, images--I wrote them down. I did this for a couple of years. When I'd finished Enna Burning and was ready to start a new book, I went to my file of Princess Academy ideas and orgainized them more-or-less chronologically. I then began to write from that loose outline, discovering many un-outlined things as I wrote and sometimes tossing out bits from the outline if they no longer mattered. I don't think there'd be any way for me to outline each chapter and write a book accordingly. I change far too much during rewrites. No chapter is intact from first to final.
Heather asks, "How do you hear the characters names pronounced in your head?" I hear them different ways. I'm not particular. As a reader, I'm visual. I look at the way the name looks more than how it sounds. I'm reading a book right now that has two male characters with four letter "D" names and they are interchangable to me. I honestly pronounce Katar in three different ways.
If I missed your question feel free to reask. We'll be back on Monday with chapter 6!
Wow, this is the first time I've seen a post without any comments yet... Question: Are you going to do a summet book club for Palace of Stone?
Posted by: H.P. | July 06, 2012 at 09:56 AM
Thank you for this generous series, Shannon. We've never met, but your posts make me feel as though I have a good writer-friend beside me while I'm working. Thanks!
Posted by: Susan Hill Long | July 06, 2012 at 10:07 AM
How funny that you hear your own characters' names in different ways. I switched how I pronounce Katar in my head while reading the fifth chapter. I like my new way better lol
I think I would have made the same decision of scholarship over friends that Miri made. Even those she thought were friends have kind of shunned her at the Academy so I know I'd be constantly second guessing and wondering if my friends were really friends. Kind of feeling like I'd been burned so then I'd be extra insecure. On the other hand, focusing on learning has a real potential payoff of being the Academy Princess and perhaps the real princess one day. Plus, education and learning is always a good thing and will be beneficial to her whether she ends up Academy Princess or not.
I loved reading the description of Miri learning to read. My 5 year old has been working on learning to read for several months now and it's been so fun to see him first figure out the letters and then make those into words and then go on from there until now when he can read an easy reader all by himself and understand and enjoy it. I love to read and as each of my kids have learned how (3 out of 4 so far; the fourth is four years old and still in the recognizing just the individual letters stage of reading), I've marveled over how a new world (many worlds!) is really opened up when you know how to read. It's almost like magic.
Posted by: Heather | July 06, 2012 at 10:48 AM
That's interesting about you "seeing" the characters' names more than "hearing"--I'm the opposite; I read slowly (not on purpose) and hear prominent words of every sentence, so names have to have a concrete pronunciation in my head.
Also--while working on other books and gathering ideas for Princess Academy, did you ever feel impatient to get on with things, or just happy to let the story build?
Posted by: Isobel | July 06, 2012 at 04:01 PM
On page one of Austenland, Shannon refers to the "busty English actress" who plays "the Elizabeth Bennet we had imagined" -- wrong. Jennifer Ehle is a Tony award winning Broadway American actress with an American linage in the theatre. American!
Posted by: marti | July 06, 2012 at 05:14 PM
With the name thing, I am exactly the same way. I didn't realize Kreacher, from Harry Potter, was a funny name until my sister said "Isn't it funny that his name is Kreacher?" Then I caught on. Sometimes I like how a name looks, but when I hear it pronounced correctly, I don't like it as much.
Posted by: Hannah B. | July 06, 2012 at 05:23 PM
I also internalize more how a name looks than how it sounds when reading. Sometimes I'll read entire series and, when I get to the end and start to talk to people about the books, have no idea how to pronounce the names of the characters! It kinds of makes me laugh. Peder's name is one I did that with -- and, even now that I have thought about it, I still pronouce it differently from time to time.
I, like Miri, would have picked scholarship over friendship. There have been several instances in my life where I have done so, though to a lesser degrees than Miri.
Also, I didn't actually realize Jennifer Ehle was American until I read the Austenland section of Shannon's website and read what she wrote about the mistakes in Austenland. I honestly had no idea -- it was interesting for me to learn she was American!
Posted by: Allerednic | July 06, 2012 at 05:54 PM
I didn't like Katar at first, so I always pronounced her name like catarrh, because I thought she deserved an unpleasant-sounding name - not so once I read the chapter where she and Miri talk.
Posted by: Hannah | July 07, 2012 at 12:11 AM
If you wrote a series would you outline the text more beforehand?
Posted by: Camile | July 07, 2012 at 10:31 AM
Thank you for these wonderful behind the scenes notes! As an aspiring writer, sometimes when I'm struggling I wonder how I'm ever going to create such a great story as the ones I love to read. It's so nice to know that published authors that I love struggled writing too!
Posted by: Alison | July 07, 2012 at 12:59 PM
A question I just thought of! How long does it usually take you to plan and write? Once you have an idea, does it just flow out, or do you have to sit down and plan out everything that's going to happen in the plot? Or do you just let things happen? These may have been asked before, but I don't remember the answers! :)
Posted by: Alison | July 07, 2012 at 01:05 PM
When you actually start to write, after all the outlining and such, do you start with CHAPTER 1 and divide up the book from there, or just write until your story is told?
By the way, this is the COOLEST thing any author has EVER done!! Thank you so much for taking time to walk us through your book!
Posted by: Kitty | July 08, 2012 at 07:33 PM