I Second that Emotion

Just over ten years ago, I attended a SCBWI France Retreat at an old  abbey north and east of Paris.  I was living in northern Italy at the time, so it was the closest thing to a local conference even though I had to take a night train there and back.  All writers who attended had a critique session with an author or editor.  Mine was with Lynne Reid Banks, who wrote THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD books and many others.  She gave me a great piece of advice: “Feel what your characters are feeling, Kristin!  Don’t treat them like marionettes.” 

I’ve definitely taken that advice to heart, but last week it hit me again.  I was panicking right along with my main character when she dealt with something frightening.  But as she retraced her steps through the maze of tunnels underneath the opera house, I found myself tucking in some information that the reader needed to know.  I was seeing things through my main character’s eyes, but I wasn’t feeling them with her gut.    

And that brings me forward to another SCBWI France retreat.  It was no longer a comparatively local event to attend, but the three wonderful friends I made back in 1999 were all going to be there. 

 

I brought back words of wisdom from Sharon Darrow, who was then an instructor in Vermont College’s MFA in children’s writing.  In her lecture  Emotion and Revision: How to get to the Emotional Core, she stressed choosing details that the character responds to and sharing emotional and physical responses.   And I do take heart from this advice: “Keep the imagination going.  Don’t expect too much too soon.”

Note: These photos were provided by my friend Sondy Eklund, who blogs about books at Sonderbooks.