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“You enter the extraordinary by way of the ordinary.” ~Frederick Buechner
Workshop: An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
Some of the joys and heartaches of writing
are the surprises that turn up unexpectedly—especially after the first draft is
completed. We discover a thread we had not intended but does work well, or we
have written ourselves into a corner that doesn’t seem to have an answer.
So I thought I’d share with you a dilemma I
faced after my first few drafts of Invisible
Light that I hadn’t considered. And how setting helped me to solve it. And
it may have mattered to no one but me.
Ashia’s story set in contemporary San
Francisco. The poetry fairy tale story Ashia wrote is set in a loose version of
medieval times. Both stories seemed as far apart as possible and I wanted their
connection to be organic and not orchestrated.
As I read over I realized that the setting and tone in the
fairy tale were often connecting with Ashia’s confusion emotionally and when I
followed that thread I found a connection that helped me with the edit draft.
I don’t know
that it will make sense to anyone else but in this project setting helped me find
a bridge. I’ve posted one excerpt
below.
Share: What have you written recently
that surprised you?
Read deep, marcy
Excerpt Invisible Light Chapter Four
“He chose my childhood play tower for my dungeon
memories of sunlit days
hidden behind layered moss, an ivy-sewn
shroud.
Meeting of sky and water; river falling,
hurrying toward the sea.
Makeshift planks stretch across soggy banks
hesitant boards crackle under foot weight.
Masons quickly finish bricking parapet.
haunted faces refuse to look us in the eye,
melt into air as doorway closes.” …
…“Ashia sighed. She did know. It was the
complete dismissal of anything Ashia told her about the situation at school. Her
mom kept saying give it time—this city is different—or other ridiculous clichés.
Another thing the real Erinn Vaega would never include in her thoughts. The
reason she was so good in her field was the accuracy with which she could
discern insincerity, false motives, and hidden agendas.
Had
they both fallen under some kind of spell when they visited the office? Ashia
felt like she had with the fatigue that clung to her almost every moment at
school.”…
Workshop: An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
“The created fantasy world must have its
own immutable laws.” Jane
Yolen
The key to fantasy
is belief.
Setting is integral to fantasy
and science fiction. Sometimes the setting is a ‘character’ itself. But even
when not used as a character it must become integral to the reality.
Jane Yolen notes that once you set up the
‘laws’ of the land: its premises and its logic—you cannot break it. Science Fiction leans on scientific laws or
inventions. Magic has consequences.
In Charlotte’s
Web, Charlotte could not be magically saved. There is only one ring that enables invisibility in The Lord of the Rings series, by J.R.R.
Tolkien. In Where the Wild Things Are,
by Maurice Sendak, only Max can choose to return away to his bedroom.
Reality is established through place,
character, and voice. Jane Yolen divides created worlds into three categories:
earthbound, faerie, and tourist
Earthbound is action in our world with
possibly fantastic characters such as found in Wind in The Willows, the
Borrowers, or Mary Poppins.
Faerie includes The Hobbit, The Riddle-Master
of Hed. They are in worlds totally apart both in time and space. They
include High Fantasy and usually include a serious tone of good and evil.
Tourist is a traveler who finds his way to
another time, or world, or dimension. Tom’s Midnight Garden, the land of Narnia,
Alice in Wonderland and Hogwart’s School are some examples of this category.
This category can be serious or humorous or both.
Just as an historical setting establishes
place, historical framework, season, time of day, moods, and atmosphere so
integral is the same to fantasy and science fiction. It must be authentic to
its premises.
And, like an historical, decisions need to be made re what are the
key factors that you want to maintain as its influence?
Action Steps:
If
fantasy or science fiction is your interest it is important to be well read.
1.
Choose whichever categories most interests you and set up a reading list of two
different series for two different age groups.
Or,
if you are not sure which draws you the most, choose two books from each
category to read over the next few months.
2.
Keep a personal reading log as you read, watching for gems of brilliance and
pieces that don’t work. Write down why you think it worked or why not.
Share: What is your favorite fantasy
novel? Why?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop: An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
Tone overlaps with voice as we discussed
earlier. To be a background influence that impacts setting, the word choices
need to be precise giving a clear visual. Strong verbs that can stand on their
own without punctuation, such as exclamation marks, help give a solid
atmosphere.
Another way that tone can have an insightful
influence is when what one character is saying or acting outwardly while at the
same time is internally having an opposite or other emotional reaction. It
turns the setting upside down.
Take into consideration the age you’re
writing for as well. Five year-olds and under can rarely hide their feelings
from family members or even want to try. Unless? Perhaps they are in on a
surprise for a family member. And trying to keep a secret. There are
opportunities for all kinds of humorous misunderstandings all around.
The older the character, and the more intense
a situation, though the tone can become a shadow for a mystery, or a personal
grief, or a difficult moral decision. The tone needs to be authentic to the
character’s perception of the situation even if he is in error.
If the reader is in the dark as well they
will connect to the character’s struggle. If the reader knows the facts are
different they will still empathize with the heroine’s dilemma and be rooting
for her.
Action Steps:
1.
Do an internal dialogue of
feelings with a character who is interacting the opposite way externally.
2.
Now do the same with the person
to whom they are speaking.
Share: Who would be able to tell what
either character is really thinking based on her body language?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop: An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
Language choices can strengthen settings by
giving a flavor of time, whether between generations or geographically. Even
within a small local setting there may be different dialects or inflections
that indicate both historical and personal history.
In the mystery TV series, Death in Paradise, the island population
is a mix of British and French on the fictional Caribbean island of
Saint-Marie. Their words, phrases, and accents clearly introduce viewers to
their background without giving a detailed explanation.
Within families the language can also mirror
cultural decades and/or education. In The
Adventures of Pearley Monroe, by Marci Seither, the fictional adaptation of
a real pioneer family, the language shows the difference between the uneducated
adults and the present school opportunities for the children. What do you
notice about the language in the following two excerpts?
“I hate those miners,” Pearley blurted out with anger. “I hate Mr.
Yates and Gold Bug Mine. It wasn’t Rose’s fault she came into the world too
early, it is theirs. No one can bring her back.”
“Pearley,” said Pa. “We have to let this thing go into God’s
hands, cuz our hands is jist too small for this load of grief. You hear what
I’m sayin’?”
Jack Hodgins suggests when listening in on
conversations take notice of the rhythms, favorite expressions, and sentence
lengths. This is important for us as writers for the younger age group because
their style and vocabulary is different from what we grew up with.
He also suggests when listening study:
“
a) level, type, and breadth of the person’s vocabulary (education)
b) diction level (slang? colloquial?
precisely scientific?)
c) implied emotional states; present
circumstances.”
Regional, ethnic, educational, and socioeconomic
will be a factor in what kind of vocabulary you use. And also for speech patterns such as: you know, eh, bien, por favor.
Action Steps:
1.
Write a dialogue between two or
three different characters of different ages without saying their age
difference.
2.
Make a list of sayings or slang
phrases that are familiar to you. Can you match the decade they came from and
why?
Share: Which saying is the funniest?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop: An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
“Attention to language is essential in making scenes vibrant.” Laurie Alberts
Language is a quiet tool in setting that can
have impact whether used subtly or overtly. Think of a recurring family
gathering for example. You’re late arriving and as you come in the hallway you
can hear the voices in the next room. One by one you can identify who’s
speaking by their word choices, speech patterns, and sound of their voice. If
you hear someone you don’t recognize, you hesitate and try to think who it
might be.
Do you smile because you recognize the words
from family stories being retold or cringe because you hear a subject that
means someone is getting grilled. And you might be next.
Regardless of subject matter, each person has
a “tell” to their style. Does Uncle Frank have a raspy voice from years of
smoking, or from a job where he needs to shout? Does he use short, fast words?
What about Aunt Fiona? Does she use long words in slow motion? Does this contrast between them invite
humor, or a deep sigh knowing extreme patience is now necessary?
Or you arrive at a gathering as a newcomer.
How do you recognize possible ages of the characters from the dialogue you
overhear? Young children, teenagers, elderly? Slang or polished speech—and the
reason why?
Whatever combination of subject, word
choices, and delivery you choose influences the scene and its purpose. And as
the author you should be able to recognize each character’s language style
without even saying their name.
Action Steps:
1.
Take 4-6 characters. Have a conversation
with minimal description. For example, one girl is chewing on her ponytail.
2.
Write out a few words for each of
the characters without identifying who they are. For example: Give to each five words or
phrases that only they would use. Ex. rad i cal, oh dear.
3.
Can you tell them apart? How?
Share: Which character was the most
difficult to identify without saying their name?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop: An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
Cultural observations provide a third strong category when appropriate to
your overall story. Meals, holidays, dress, attitudes and language can
highlight themes and communication, interactions and confusion, and build
bridges of understanding.
Many years ago an associate and I decided to
make our weekly lunch meetings an adventure by trying out a different ethnic
restaurant each week. We took turns choosing and we focused on local small
family run establishments. One time we tried a place that served buffet style.
Unfortunately their words for each dish were in their own language, and the dishes
were such that they were almost impossible to identify. And there was no one to
translate. We started out with tiny tablespoons of several options and then,
when we thought we had some identification we went back for a regular serving.
The food was delicious and it became one of
our favorite spots.
Sharing stories across cultures helps to
strengthen empathy and expand our horizons.
Reading and studying stories across cultures
also help develop solid foundations for historical settings and characters as
well. Remember too that each culture has socio-economic diversity as well that
needs to be recognized, and also regional and geographic diversity.
Another way to incorporate culture honestly
is to follow a particular theme. “what
have you lost?” by Naomi Shihab Nye is a compilation of YA poems written
about losses. It is a wonderful introduction to different voices across
cultures and ages that all begin with a common thread.
Action Steps:
1.
Character. Take a teen-ager from
one ethnic background and send her to dinner at a friend’s of a different
ethnic background for a holiday celebration.
2.
Describe everything in detail.
Overwrite specifics.
3.
Which concepts can be applied to
your story?
Share: Which parts were the most fun?
Which were difficult?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop: An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
A second strong category to influence your
setting with authenticity is the Interior. Even when your interior
details are backdrop only, they can be used to boost your main atmosphere in
your settings. The set-up can be used to affect different characters as well.
Is the location spacious or crowded? Is it a
private room or public? How could that impact your character if she is an
introvert or an extravert? Or possibly create a stress for a character short on
time that has to navigate a busy grocery store or post-office?
What does the floor plan look like and how
will that affect your characters’ actions? Is she facing a long flight of
stairs, or a crisscross of corridors in a hospital?
How does the color of walls or the lighting
affect moods? Are they dull or bright? Could something in the room be a silent
symbol? One author I know discovered at the end of her first draft that an
ordinary flower plant had become a symbol for her heroine’s story. It only
showed up a few times—at the beginning as part of the décor, in the middle with
leaves falling, a little later when she watered it while doing chores, and at
the epilogue when it fully bloomed again.
In a more intense situation an interior
setting can take on a heavier weight as in a normal school bus that has been
hijacked and buried. Now a normally spacious space has become claustrophobic.
After a first draft take a close look at all
your physical settings and see where a small detail here or there can enhance
one of your story threads.
Action Steps:
1.
Choose
one room that has an emotional attachment to your character and draw a rough
outline of it re space. Make a few copies.
2.
In
one copy make the contents few and in another make it a very cluttered room.
3.
Have
one version be light colors and another dark.
4.
Now
right a brief scene where your character goes into that room emotionally
distraught.
Share: How did she emotionally deal
with her situation in relationship to the atmosphere of that room?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop: An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
Setting is either used as a backdrop and almost
invisible, or as a character itself. For example, the Hobbit’s landscape includes
a man versus nature conflict. Then as we discussed in Moon Over Tennessee,
setting can confirm a genre such as an Historical: establishes place,
historical framework, season, time of day, moods, atmosphere.
Again, when the reader is able to visualize
it that makes it authentic. The common place becomes memorable as in the
Borrowers. The setting needs to be authentic whether real or imaginary.
Three main categories help to establish
authenticity. First is Landscape: which includes climate, weather,
topography, land-marks, amount of daylight.
Once you’ve set the setting you don’t need to
repeat every time. You add touches throughout to keep the focus or can repeat
an important part often if it’s going to matter. For example if a tapestry on
wall hides the clues to a mystery, then it should be seen often.
To brainstorm some ways to choose your basic
setting here’s part one of an exercise I sometimes give my workshop students.
Write a brief few sentences about a character hanging laundry on an outside
line.
Seems pretty ordinary—perhaps even dull. At
the moment it is only a beginning point of a possible reality, giving perhaps
character and place, but not yet a voice; and perhaps curiosity, but not yet an
authentic emotional connection.
However, I have yet to have any sentence even
come close to matching another as each writer chooses the unique aspects that
interest them and apply to their story world.
The character:
boy, girl, man, woman, human or alien—what kind? Are they bored or anxious?
Normal chore or forced labor?
Hangs laundry: how?—By old-fashioned
string and clothes pegs, or by magic, or electronically? Is it a difficult chore
or easy?
Outside line:
where?—Isolated mountaintop, crowded slum, spaceship balcony, or cookie-cutter
suburb? Is it dark outside or light? Windy or not?
The chosen detail for each key focus brings
up several shapes to a simple sentence. By knowing a geographic habitat and
adjusting it to reflect our character’s story, we can take common territory and
transform it into new ground—even if it’s the familiar chain store on the
corner.
Action Steps:
1.
Do
a sentence for each of the characters listed.
2.
Which
details for each did you like best.
3.
Combine
all your favorite choices into one sentence structure.
Share: What is your sentence?
Read deep, marcy
Workshop: An Introduction to Writing for Children and Young Adults
“The strongest writers have always been the ones with a
well-defined sense of place……Or a knowing of landscape, as something alive with
personality, breathing.” Joy Harjo
Setting grounds a story in place, in time,
and in perspective. The reader has an immediate center of expectation, whether
or not the writer intends to change it. Are we in a jungle, or on a ship? Are
we on an immigrant ship in the 1880’s, or are we on a deluxe cruise ship a
century later? To place a large swimming pool on center deck would be
considered ludicrous for the immigrant ship, unless now the immigrants are
space-bound to another galaxy. Ship denotes a voyage, but the details of the
setting will influence what kind of experience our characters are living
through.
Either we begin from the inside out by
imagining the location of our setting visually and finding the right pieces to
fit, or begin from a natural habitat and focus on the specifics that define the
unique atmosphere and story questions that impact the characters.
One way to achieve this perspective is to
construct a place—“real or invented”—rather than describe it. Choosing specific
details enables us to impress the landscape on readers and connect them to the
meaning of our world. And to the age of your readers. Ages 4 and up can relate
to the space ship in Wall-E. The spaceship to Avatar requires an YA audience
and up to fully identify the nuances of its atmosphere.
There is such a variety of possibilities that
we can easily get lost in the world-building details and neglect the emotional
connections. Or the details can drown out the story unless we focus the view.
Some Setting Functions:
Clarifies conflict: Charlotte’s Web,
Witch of Blackbird Pond
Antagonist: Incredible Journey, Julie of the Wolves, Island of the Blue
Dolphins
Illuminates Character: Anne Frank
Mood: Bewoulf
Symbol: Must be repeated throughout the
story—Listening Silence
Action Steps:
1.
For
the age category of your audience identify some books that match the above
categories.
2.
Look
over the books you read the most for your proposed age group. Do one of the
above categories show up multiple times?
Share: What setting habitats draw your
interest.
Read deep, marcy
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