tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post4512411885338339900..comments2024-03-17T12:30:03.009-05:00Comments on Teaching Authors--6 Children's Authors Who Also Teach Writing: VCFA Blog Initiative: Decide vs. Discover, by Cynthia Newberry MartinCarmela Martinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15543808551988338496noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-83531431423776126352011-06-17T19:38:23.546-05:002011-06-17T19:38:23.546-05:00Thanks for your comments, Ellen and Andrea. And An...Thanks for your comments, Ellen and Andrea. And Andrea, the words are actually Cynthia's. (Hi there, Cynthia!) I just added the writing workout at the end. :-)Carmela Martinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15543808551988338496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-20176694991666594362011-06-17T19:08:12.912-05:002011-06-17T19:08:12.912-05:00Hey, thanks for all the great comments. And thanks...Hey, thanks for all the great comments. And thanks to Teaching Authors for hosting the VCFA Blog Initiative and to Carmela for posting my piece. Happy Writing!cynthiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17191343885172954990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-12257203141598399512011-06-17T08:42:35.441-05:002011-06-17T08:42:35.441-05:00Carmela, thank you for putting into words what I t...Carmela, thank you for putting into words what I think is my approach to creating characters. I've never spent a lot of time deciding on their traits in advance, instead preferring to learn more about them by discovering what they do in the story. A great post!Andrea Mackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15250681746122381149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-38021678208210237532011-06-16T10:45:04.223-05:002011-06-16T10:45:04.223-05:00I love the distinction made here between deciding ...I love the distinction made here between deciding and discovering. Thinking of a novel as a collaborative effort between an author and her characters is an exciting way to approach the blank page. Thanks for posting!Ellen Reaganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17252411439188776429noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-53767750722416379332011-06-16T08:06:57.213-05:002011-06-16T08:06:57.213-05:00Thanks for sharing the Agatha Christie story, Lia....Thanks for sharing the Agatha Christie story, Lia. I, too, like the idea of a "discovery draft." It sounds so much better than "rough draft" or "first draft." :-)<br />Sheila, I love your statement about discovering being more like "real life." For me, the discovery process is part of what makes writing fun.<br />Sandra, thanks for sharing. Isn't it great to learn and practice alongside your students? That's one of the things I enjoy about teaching.Carmela Martinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15543808551988338496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-57642210304936998162011-06-16T07:54:15.457-05:002011-06-16T07:54:15.457-05:00I taught an after school writing club at my middle...I taught an after school writing club at my middle school this last year. I used the book Spilling Ink with the students. It had them do a similar exercise where they interviewed their characters. I did the same thing with the characters in current WIP. I had put the WIP away as we neared the end of school and testing. When I pulled out my journal, all I had to do was re-read my character interviews and I was ready to begin again.Sandra Stileshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05028361723666419462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-87909824183266708952011-06-15T22:46:43.740-05:002011-06-15T22:46:43.740-05:00Hi!
Thanks for these tips. Discovering is more lik...Hi!<br />Thanks for these tips. Discovering is more like real life than deciding. The real world can change our lives in an instant. How we respond, what we discover about our ability to cope builds character. Maybe when we write, discovering our characters' strengths and weaknesses helps us create "real" people.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02891797060944709216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-63217834937848124292011-06-15T20:05:37.432-05:002011-06-15T20:05:37.432-05:00I love the idea of keeping a casual, handwritten c...I love the idea of keeping a casual, handwritten character's journal as a way to connect with characters.<br /><br />I have wrestled with the "decide versus discover" methods of writing and haven't found the perfect balance (maybe we never do, as each manuscript presents unique challenges). In mysteries, you need to know the backstory so you can unveil information at the right time and place, I thought, but then I read that even Agatha Christie didn't always know before the end of the first draft. It was the second draft in which she cleaned things up. The first draft was a discovery draft. Very freeing! Thanks for the great post.Lia Keyeshttp://liakeyes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-1621851897167485872011-06-15T15:56:57.691-05:002011-06-15T15:56:57.691-05:00Thanks, Pen and Ink. I've heard of the non-dom...Thanks, Pen and Ink. I've heard of the non-dominant hand technique, but I haven't tried it yet myself.Carmela Martinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15543808551988338496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3934041490878801751.post-78197547616304419222011-06-15T13:09:21.130-05:002011-06-15T13:09:21.130-05:00Excellent post. I love venturing where my characte...Excellent post. I love venturing where my characters take me. There is a delicious element of surprise when they take over the direction of the story.<br />I like your exercise Carmela. When truly puzzle, I find it sometimes works to post the question as Cynthia did and then use the pen in your non dominant hand to answer it.The Pen and Ink Blogspothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01709195512534318571noreply@blogger.com