Susan Taylor Brown
Whatever kind of writer you are, you may find a kindred spirit in Children's & Teen author Susan Taylor Brown. As she writes: "Plot and I are not the best of friends."
Back in 1999, Susan lighted up our critique group with the publication of her picture book -- Can I Pray with my Eyes Open. I'm no longer in the group, but we've stayed in touch. Her latest book is a dramatic departure from her numerous children's book.
School Library Journal writes of Hugging the Rock for grades 5 - 8: "As in Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn-Dixie, father and daughter gradually grow closer together out of necessity and begin to pull together as a family."
What is so amazing about Susan's book is that it's presented in free-verse.
We asked Susan about her writing process, with an emphasis on plot.
Blockbuster Plots [BBP]: How do you go about plotting your books?
Susan Taylor Brown [STB]: Plot. Argh. I know I need it. I get mad when other stories don't have enough of it. But how do I go about plotting? I usually start with kicking and screaming and whining about how I don't know what I am doing. Truly. Plot is a four-letter word and every leafy green vegetable I'm supposed to eat but don't. Every single time I start a new book I have moments of total freak-out when I think about plot. It's the stuff of which my nightmares are made. Can you tell that plot and I are not the best of friends?
So I don't start with plot because it scares me. I start by thinking about what the main character wants and why he can't have it. And that kind of thinking usually starts me down the path of wondering about the flaws in my character. I think it is the character flaw (and his attempt to hide that flaw) that drives a lot of my stories, even if my character doesn't realize it at the time.
I tend to write a lot of scenes first, not worrying about how to connect them to one another and often not in any particular order. Perhaps this is because I work a full-time job and have to squeeze writing into small pockets of time. But now I think it really helps me think "micro story" which will, eventually, become a "macro story". In each scene I try to have a complete rise and fall of action. The character wants something, even if it is just an answer to a question. If I let him get what he wants I try to paint another question somewhere into the scene. This way the reader gets a moment of satisfaction followed by the need to turn the page to see what happens next. By the time I've done that for a while I find out that I am suddenly plotting and didn't really realize it and I'm not so scared anymore.
BBP: Are you a pre-plotter or after the fact?
STB: My early books were pre-plotted. I started out writing novels for the sweet teen romances that were popular in the 80s. They were fairly formula-driven. Twelve chapters each. Each chapter approx twelve pages long. I mapped out 3 scenes in each chapter. Then I wrote the scenes and linked them together. They weren't awarding pieces but they did have a plot.
Now I have to say that it depends. I usually have an idea of where I want to end up, and by that I mean I know what I want the main character to have learned by the end of the book. It might be as vague but I know what I want to have as the takeaway. But what I think I'm going to do and how the book finally ends up are often very different.
BBP: What methods did you find particularly useful in plotting out your project?
STB: In the early stages I really like to have a good friend for a few brainstorming sessions. I like to talk it out, what he did this and then this because when the other person asks me questions, it often sets my mind down a different path.
I don't outline but lately I've become enamoured of index cards. I write one sentence or two, no more, on a card, of potential scenes. When I sit down to write I can either go on from the work the day before or pull out one of the cards and write from there.
BBP: Do you consciously develop thematic significance?
STB: I didn't use to think about theme very much and I think it shows in my old and unpublished manuscripts. I've become much more conscious of it now. I also find that I don't always recognize what my theme is even though I am busily adding layers to the story that support and enhance the theme. I try to be open to things the Universe might put in my path as I am writing because often embracing that unexpectedness can lead to a thematic connection.
BBP: Are you a character-driven writer or action-driven?
STB: Character driven, totally. I have to constantly remind myself to get out my character's head. They usually think too much and brood and ponder and I have to remind them to go out and actually DO something else there will be no book for people to read.
While I want my characters to DO things, interesting things that will make the reader follow them around for a few hundred pages, my biggest drive is the why behind it all. Someone who jumps into the water to save a dog is interesting. Someone who is afraid of dogs but jumps in to save the dog anyway fascinates me even more.