Teresa LeYung Ryan
Teresa's book, Love Made of Heart, is a story about a daughter's journey to self-forgiveness. A mother's mental illness forces her daughter Ruby Lin to confront her secret past. The book has been archived at the San Francisco History Center. As Teresa says: "The Chinese word for 'love' is made up of many brush strokes. In the center of the word 'love' is the word 'heart.' Love is made of heart…”
Teresa edits women's fiction, mainstream fiction, memoirs, children's and young adults' fiction, and short stories.
Blockbuster Plots [BBP]: How do you go about plotting your books?
Teresa LeYung Ryan [TLR]: Confession. Ten years ago, I thought "plots" were for movies only. So, there I was, in 1998 . . . having won a prize in the novel-category at the Jack London Writers Conference Writing Contest the year before, pitching to agents, and, wondering why they didn't want my manuscript. Then, Martha Alderson came into my life. I asked her to read my first fifty pages and to give me honest criticism. A few days later when she handed back my pages, she said: "Teresa, you have a compelling back-story, but, where's your front-story?" I responded with the most eloquent "Huh?" Front-story? What's that? Well, fast forward...Martha gave me a crash course; I got busy with my newly acquired knowledge; I spent the next year structuring my story. Yes. Structuring. By summer of 1999 my manuscript was truly ready to be pitched to agents. By winter, I landed an ideal agent.
BBP: Are you a pre-plotter or after the fact?
TLR: I'm the kind of person who likes to know where I'm going if someone says to me: "Teresa, let's go on a trip." Knowing what my destination is gives me opportunities to choose the stops along the way and the people I'd like to visit. When I have an idea for a story, I pretty much know what "emotional destination" I want for my protagonist. Then I work backwards to chart all the people and places she would need to visit along the way. Of course this is much harder than it sounds. Every rewrite means replotting my story.
BBP: What methods did you find particularly useful in plotting out your project?
TLR: Martha's scene-tracking method has brought so much depth to my plotlines. You'll have to try it to know what I'm talking about.
BBP: Do you consciously develop thematic significance?
TLR: Yes. I knew what core messages I wanted to weave in, but, deeper messages reveal themselves in the second or third draft.
BBP: Are you a character-driven writer or action-driven?
TLR:I'm not being a "wise guy" when I say that I strive to write protagonist's action-driven stories. My main character's "choices" drive the story forward.
BBP: Plot tips to share?
TLR: Determine the timeline of your story before you invest a huge amount of time writing chapters. This is especially critical when your novel reads like a memoir. Is this a seven-day, a seven-year, or a seven-decade emotional journey for your protagonist? When does the "front-story" begin for your protagonist? Re-read favorite books to study effective use of timelines. As Martha has said to me again and again: "You as the writer must show up to write." That is the golden key. When I show up, consistently, my protagonist shows up too. She might even show me that although the timeline and plotline I created for her is a wonderful "itinerary" for her trip, ultimately, she's the one "doing" the journey. I would feel good about being the one who offers her the original trip (my proposed plotline) and honoring any changes she'll make along the way.