When I am stuck in a novel or want to delve deeper into a scene, I often crack open a new direction by imagining what is happening between my sentences.
First, using the computer, I put each existing sentence in a scene or a description on a separate line. Then I add spacing between the sentences. Then I print it out.
After reading a sentence, I imagine what is unsaid, hinted at, left out. I imagine who or what else might be speaking. I use that ancient, old-fashioned tool called a pencil, and start writing. I do that for each sentence--sometimes even between words in a sentence.
This process helps me bypass my over-rational, limited, conscious self and delve deeper into my unconscious. I have no expectations for what "should" happen between the sentences. I don't follow plot or character arcs; nothing is planned.
Often I find one nugget, a bit of description or dialogue for example, that opens up my ideas about the story or character. Sometimes this even leads to a revelation.
Give it a try. What treasure may be lurking between your lines?
Today, we’re joined by Lamar
Giles, author of THE LAST MIRROR ON THE LEFT. I (Holly Schindler, administrator
of Smack Dab) was delighted to get my hands on a copy of MIRROR. I absolutely
loved THE LAST LAST-DAY-OF-SUMMER, and I was anxious to find out where Giles
would take the characters and story. He absolutely did not disappoint:
HS: THE LAST MIRROR ON
THE LEFT is such a fun time travel / alternate dimension read. Please tell us a
bit about Warped World.
LG: The Warped World
is where you go when you step through the interdimensional funhouse mirror
inside of The Rorrim Mirror Emporium. Much like a funhouse mirror distorts your
characteristics in extreme ways, the residents of Warped World exist as extreme
versions of characters you might’ve met in The Last Last-Day-of-Summer. And if
you stay there long enough, you might begin to change in some extreme ways,
too.
HS: Would you consider
this a sequel, or a standalone featuring two characters we were lucky to meet
previously?
LG: Definitely a
sequel. I’m really big on treating the fictional spaces I write about as
snapshots of a living universe. So, decisions made in book 1 can’t be separated
from how the characters think and act in book 2. Could someone pick up Last
Mirror and enjoy it without reading Last Last Day, possibly…but I think they’ll
find the story richer if they’ve been on Otto and Sheed’s previous adventure.
HS: Was it hard to
find the right tone / groove for these characters? How hard was it to return to
the right mindset?
LG: Not at all. It’s
harder for me to get out of the wacky adventure mindset required for an Otto
and Sheed adventure than get into it. I always want to exist in a world of
fantastic magic where you meet new and amazing friends that fight for right
alongside you. Writing Otto and Sheed is often how I wash away some of the
ickiness we deal with in the real world.
HS: What's it been
like working with illustrator Dapo Adeola?
LG: A dream. I mean,
you’ve seen his work, so you know the skill and quality you’re getting. But
Dapo is also a lovely human being that I can spend hours talking to. In fact,
when we do talk, it’s rarely about work because we’re both professionals who respect
what the other brings to the table, that part is more like I do my thing, and
he does his. When we talk it’s about movies, comics, and TV we’re enjoying. And
how I have a guest room ready for him whenever he decides to visit the States
(he’s based in London).
HS: I'm constantly
amazed and your ability to write adventure. When THE LAST LAST-DAY-OF-SUMMER
came out, we talked about writing action scenes. This time around, can you
offer some advice for plot structure and adventure?
LG: I wish I had some
really groundbreaking take on how to adventure, but I keep coming back to
something one of my writing mentors told me years ago…don’t stay in the same
place for too long. That means if you’re in an action scene, end it and give
the reader a break. If you’re in a slow moment, make sure something fast is
around the corner. If the character is thinking, make sure they’re going to
talk soon. If they’re talkative, be sure to eventually describe a significant
sight, sound, taste or smell that they’re experiencing between breaths.
Instinctively learn when and how to switch gears and you’re writing page
turners.
HS: This book has some
great humor as well! How do you approach humor when writing for kids?
LG: I honestly don’t
think of it as writing humor for kids. I’m writing the things I think are funny
and would’ve thought was funny when I was Otto and Sheed’s age. I believe if I
went into thinking I’m going to write this joke/gag that I think a young reader
will find funny but isn’t really funny to me, it would fall flat. So, the first
laugh I’m going for is my own. I just happen to think me and my readers would
find a lot of the same stuff hilarious.
HS: Where'd you get
the idea for Warped World?
LG: Warped World felt
like a—this may sound funny, but—LOGICAL (as much as anything in Logan County
can be) progression from the concept of a “Mirror Prison” introduced in The
Last Last Day of Summer. Once I went down the path of mirrors being things you
could pass through, it made me think of how different mirrors can be. There are
several in my house that are different shapes and sizes, though those all do
the same thing—reflect what’s in front of them—it seemed reasonable it wouldn’t
work that way in Missus Nedraw’s shop. What if the size and shape and frame of
a mirror indicated the sort of passage it was? Once I went there, I thought,
“Oh…what about a funhouse mirror?”
HS: What bigger
message do you want kids to get from MIRROR?
LG: First of all, fun.
I want my readers to have a good time…while considering how the justice system
works differently for different people, and how there have been instances where
folks who make the rules our society lives by have considered themselves above
the standards they enforce, or worse, they simply punish others for personal
gain. In other words, consider why the rule exists and who made it before you
determine who should or shouldn’t be held accountable for breaking it.
HS: Will we get to
meet up with these characters again?
LG: We
most certainly will. I don’t know exactly how much I’m allowed to say about the
future of our heroes and their friends, but there will definitely be another
Otto and Sheed adventure soon. Stay tuned for the scoop on what’s happening in
and around Logan County next.
~
I
absolutely cannot wait for the next installment. This would make a fantastic “classroom”
book, reglardless of what your classroom looks like this year: kitchen table,
bedroom, under a tree, virtual setting, etc.
HS: Hey, M.L.! We're so delighted to have you at Smack Dab. Please
tell us about Maylie and the Maze, which just released this month. Elevator pitch.
MLT: “Maylie
and the Maze” is middle grade realistic fiction that follows 10-year-old Maylie Montes on an inspirational trip across
Europe filled with the shenanigans of her zany family and the mishaps of her
overactive imagination.
It will appeal to fans of the Middle
School series by James Patterson, The
Tapper Twins series by Geoff Rodkey, and the Melanie Martin series by Carol Weston.
HS: Most
authors have a long and winding publishing journey. What was yours like? Were
you a young author like Maylie?
MLT: Yes,
definitely a long and winding journey for me.
I've
always loved reading and writing, stories and storytelling. I wrote my first
novel when I was 12. It's horribly hilarious. It went on for like 30 or more
chapters, and it never ended.
After I
wrote that very long, ongoing book in junior high, then I went high school and was
busy writing essays and research papers, which I strongly dislike, and then I went
to college and studied journalism. I didn't take any creative writing classes
or anything, but the heart of journalism is asking questions, the right ones, and
so it is as an author. To write a story, you must ask one specific question—what
if?
What if this
happened or this happened? That to me is the spark of a story. That's what I
like to call it. And it's something that Maylie learns.
I didn't start
writing novels until I was out of college, which was a decade ago. I’ve spent
these years learning the craft of writing fiction, attending writer’s conference
and webinars, reading writing books, and writing a lot of bad first drafts.
(Ha.) As with any skill, you have to practice and put in the time. And you have
to learn from the best.
In 2013 I
had the idea for the series. I can't remember what the exact spark was, but I had
traveled to over a dozen countries and those experiences provided the stage for
my novels. I wanted to write a series where kids could travel all over the
world and see the countries like they would as a tourist. That was the heart of
it.
HS: How
did you decide on your publishing method?
In 2017,
while I was pregnant with my son, I looked at that story idea from several
years before and started writing the book. I finished the first draft in 2018,
edited it, sent it out to agents, and got rejections. I worked with a
professional editor who offered great feedback to rewrite parts of the book and
strengthen the storyline. It was at that point that I realized that I really didn't
want to query the book because I had a specific vision for it, including how it
would look with illustrations, and I didn't want to sacrifice the full control
over it.
I didn't
know anything about self-publishing at the time, but I learned and in March
2020 decided to self-publish my novel, so literally, this was a COVID project.
It has
been a huge learning curve this year, but it's been great, and I'm really
pleased with the final product.
HS: You
have a fantastic MG voice. How did you tap into it?
MLT: Thank
you! Whew…I’m so glad you think so.
I still feel like I’m 10 years old
a lot of the time (ha!). It is like ideas for stories geared to kids in middle
grade and younger just pop into my brain. I wouldn’t have it any other way! I
also have a toddler and over a dozen nieces and nephews, so I have plenty of firsthand
experience with kids too.
One of my favorite things to do is
settle in at a coffee shop with a composition notebook and pen and just let my
imagination run free! I love to scribble away while sipping on a latte.
And re-reading
my diaries from when I was a kid helped too. They’re very funny to read and
help me remember what was important to me at that age and what my thought
process was like, etc. Very enlightening!
HS:
Totally agree about those diaries! I read several of the poetry journals I kept
in high school before drafting my first YA. Moving away from the text a bit, I
have to say that the illustrations add so much to the book! What was it like to
work with an illustrator?
MLT: I
think so too! It was really neat to see my book truly come to life through the
illustrations. Artist Monica Bruenjes (www.artistmonica.com) is very talented!
It was a
learning process for me to work with her. She was so great, but I didn’t know
what I was doing! (Ha!) We worked out a system for my notes and merging both of
our visions into crafting each illustration.
HS: I
love the tagline STORIES THAT TAKE YOU PLACES. It seems especially important in
these times, when we’re all spending so much time at home. Do you hope the book
will provide your readers a much-needed escape?
MLT: Yes,
I certainly hope Maylie and the Maze can be a much-needed escape.
Throughout this series, I want kids (and adults
alike) to have a chance to travel the world through fiction and along the way
learn a bit. I’ve tapped into my own first-hand experiences from traveling to
over a dozen countries and filtered them through Maylie’s eyes.
In this instance, the story is set in England, particularly at
Leeds Castle in southern England. The castle is absolutely gorgeous! It’s known
as the “loveliest castle in the world” for a reason. And it’s nearly 1,000
years old. Isn’t that amazing?!
The book had to be set in England because that’s where the
maze is located. Plus, I love England! I love the countryside and manor houses
and castles and the mix of modern-day and history in the city of London. My
favorite place is the city of Bath.
One of my favorite memories in England is staying a few
nights in a 500-year-old thatched cottage in a tiny English village surrounded
by green fields edged with low stone fences and full of sheep. It was idyllic
and quite inspiring for a creative’s mind!
HS: In
many ways, this is a story about the writing process, which I found really
intriguing. What’s your own process like?
MLT: I’m a
total plotter. I have outlines that have outlines that have outlines. Lol
But I LOVE
brainstorming and scribbling away on my ideas in a notebook. It’s a lot of fun!
I first
write down the heart of the story as I know it, and the direction I feel it
should go. I research the country and tourist attractions to see what nuggets
of inspiration will pop up, then I start writing out scene ideas and string
them together in an outline. I write my stories from start to finish and don’t
skip around. I like to follow along with the story as it flows.
After the
first draft is done, I let it sit for a few days before the first edit and then
it goes to my critique partner to read and then more edits and so on.
HS: What’s
one piece of advice you’d give to young authors?
MLT: My
advice to writers of any age is to write, just sit and write and invest the
time. Just like you would if you went to further your education in training, in
college, or on the job. Make sure to read the genre you are writing to get a
feel for how it’s done.
Do writing prompts. Practice. To do
anything well we have to put in the time and effort. Writing is no different.
Maylie and the Maze centers on one of Maylie’s main struggles
being that she longs to become an author, but she can’t finish a story. I feel
like that is a struggle for so many—kids and adults alike, so I decided to
write a companion non-fiction book that I would give to a kid like Maylie.
The
book, “Young Writer’s Kit: A Guide for Young Writers,” teaches kids how to write fiction
and includes a fun genre matching game, writing prompts, and more. It’s
currently available for purchase on Amazon; though a free condensed PDF
version is available for those who sign up for my newsletter, which anyone
interested can do here: www.mltarpleybooks.com
I wish I
would have had someone at that time, who was a writer, who said if you really
want to do this, here's how. And so through this series, even though it's
fiction, I want to teach children how to write their own stories.
HS: What’s
next for you?
MLT: I’ve written the next book in
the series and will start working with the illustrator on it soon. It will
publish in Spring 2021. I am currently writing the third book, which will
release Fall 2021. I am also working on a picture book series and have the idea
for a chapter book series stirring in my mind. Exciting!
Exciting, indeed! Keep up with all things M.L. Tarpley at her author site, and you can snag a copy of Maylie's story here.
This month, we're blogging about National Go on a Field Trip Month OR The question(s) we most often get from kids, fun experiences in the classroom, etc.
Smack Dab in the Imagination
Dia Calhoun is running this exciting new series on the imagination; check out a new post each month on the 23rd!
