Wendy Nelson Tokunaga
We had the honor of interviewing Wendy Nelson Tokunaga about her novel now out in paperback, Midori by Moonlight. She discusses her writing process with a focus on plot.
Wendy was born and raised in San Francisco. Her short stories have appeared in The Abiko Literary Quarterly Review, The Plaza, and Yomimono, among others, and she is the author of two children's non-fiction books. She lives in Half Moon Bay with her Osaka-born surfer-dude husband Manabu Tokunaga and is currently in the MFA in Writing Program at University of San Francisco. Her debut novel, Midori by Moonlight, was published by St. Martin's Press in September 2008. The book draws on Tokunaga's extensive experience in studying the Japanese language and culture; living, working and playing in Japan; her cross-cultural marriage, and explores the theme of why some people feel the need to trade in their native culture for a new one.
Blockbuster Plots [BBP]: How do you go about plotting Midori by Moonlight?
Wendy Nelson Tokunaga [WNT]: I started out with my protagonist, Midori Saito, and a general idea of what I wanted to write about her. This included the motivations, psychology and personality traits that would cause her to do particular things and react the way she does, her conflicts, and a general idea of how her character would change over time. This is all in addition to the general events that unfold in the story and its focus of how a young woman from Japan becomes self-actualized by escaping the confines of Japanese society, coming to the United States, learning what is important to her, and searching for and eventually realizing her American dream. I brought in my own experience with Japanese culture along with the points I wanted to make, and also did extensive research in forming this foundation.
BBP: Are you a pre-plotter or after the fact?
WNT: I am definitely a pre-plotter, but I am flexible so that I'm open to plot points changing and various things being added and taken out as I go along and in the revision process.
BBP: What methods did you find particularly useful in plotting out your project?
WNT: I first wrote a very general outline, then got to work on completing a rough draft employing this basic plot. I sometimes revised as I went along if I got an idea, but I did make sure to move forward and finish the rough draft. The plot unfolded as I went along and sometimes points and scenes I'd originally planned ended up changing, or new revelations would come out that surprised me. This was part of the excitement of the process, though when I thought about it, some of these things weren't really surprises; they were lurking subconsciously all along. Ah-ha! I would say to myself, so that's why I had her do this or meet so-and-so or whatever. I continued to learn more about the character's motivations and things started making more sense, which gave me the confidence to keep going, knowing it would all turn out right in the end-hopefully! Next was the revision process, the part I personally find the most fun and satisfying. I feel like I'm molding clay, experimenting with different shapes, points of view, imagery, and language. I revised countless times until I could make the book as complete as I could. I got feedback from trusted readers and added scenes and changed the order of others to best tell the story and give it the optimum pacing that would make the reader want to keep reading.
BBP: Do you consciously develop thematic significance?
WNT: It was both a conscious and subconscious process. In the revision process, themes become more apparent to me and I revise them accordingly and give them more focus.
BBP: Are you a character-driven writer or action-driven?
WNT: I start out with the character, and the story unfolds into a narrative of events, whereby the character changes and comes to some sort of realization. Along the way, of course, there is lots of action as well.
BBP: Plot tips to share?
WNT: Keep writing...and keep that Scene Tracker by your side (or on your wall).