Craft Articles
Join us in exploring others’ craft and building our own.
Here you will find explorations of mentor texts – articles that dive into specific craft elements in published books, interviews with authors, and tips on growing and improving as a writer.
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Catching Up with Lindsay Lackey--a debut author's first year
Get to know our September featured author, Lindsay Lackey! Lindsay's debut middle grade novel All the Impossible Things came out on September 3, 2019. Read on to find out about everything from her book launch to school visits to writing the next novel, as well as the biggest surprise moment of her 2019.
Retro Post #8: Significant Detail in Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo
DiCamillo manages to build Louisiana’s emotionally complex and rich world through the use of details that serve a dual purpose: they illuminate as well as foreshadow.
Retro Post #6: Connecting Reader and Character in GHOST by Jason Reynolds
Jen Jobart details how Jason Reynolds puts to use strategies for developing compelling characters that Cheryl Klein outlines in her craft book The Magic Words. More than that, she introduces us Ghost, one the great middle grade characters of the last five years.
FAMILY EVERYWHERE--Mae Respicio’s Novel, Any Day with You
Bottom line, when you read Any Day with You, you feel awash in family love--whether multi-generational, extended, or found.
An Interview with Mae Respicio: Learning Craft Will Always Set Writers Off on the Strongest Foot
Learning craft will always set writers off on the strongest foot.
Day Job Connection: Laura Stegman, actor and publicist
"Like querying, acting is full of rejection. Give up, and you're done. So, armed with an actress' resilience in the face of rejection and a publicist's ability to attract a reader's eye, I have been well trained for an author's career. As Lady Gaga says, 'If you have a dream, fight for it.'"
Give Your Character an Interesting Job, or Use an Ordinary Job Well: Renée Watson’s Ways to Make Sunshine
Unremarkable jobs used in interesting ways can also enhance your character, drive some of the plot of your story, and perhaps provide the skills characters need to succeed at their biggest challenges.
The Power of a Good Turn: The Luck Uglies by Paul Durham
Durham has made his job as a writer easier by having a strong turn near the midpoint of the book. He has something to build toward in the first half of Act 2 and something to move from in the second half.
Retro Post #7: Making Readers Feel: REPETITION IN ORBITING JUPITER BY GARY D. SCHMIDT
Schmidt uses repetition throughout Orbiting Jupiter to evoke emotions in his readers.
The Power of a Teacher: Emmy in the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido
Adult secondary characters need to serve the story and the change and growth necessary for the main character. With teacher characters, as with other adults, you have a wide range of options--from allies to antagonists.
A Novel-In-Verse is a NOVEL first: An Interview with Aimee Lucido
"Craft study has helped me tremendously to make better books, and to hone my ear so that I know when something is working or not. I've become so much better at writing stronger characters with more compelling arcs, I can tell when my language is pitch-perfect and when it's falling flat, I can revise more quickly than ever before, I can look at comp titles when I get stuck, I can pull from a wider range of craft techniques when I'm struggling to convey something . . . the list goes on and on. Learning craft has helped me become a better writer in countless ways."
Reading List: 2020 Books
This blog emerged from a book group that meets monthly in Menlo Park, California, to discuss middle grade books with an eye to craft. We don't always create posts on the books we read, but we do have great discussions! If you're looking to expand your middle grade reading or to start your own discussion group, feel free to read along.
CRAFTING ENGAGING STORIES ABOUT TOUGH SUBJECTS: Learning from Janae Marks and Lisa Moore Ramée
These are compassionate stories that encourage readers to awaken their own inner activist. And they also model ways for kids to engage in deep conversations about topics that can be hard to talk about.
Retro Post #5: Structuring Story with Character Arc in Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (Part 2)
In your story, consider how your character’s Lie and Fear impact the plot. And look to the Midpoint and All is Lost moments to ratchet up the stakes for your character. See how the climax resolves both the plot problem (what the character wants) and the Lie (what the character needs to change).
Letting Your Readers In on Something Your Narrator Doesn’t Know: The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Kate O’Shaughnessy creates secondary character Tommy O'Brien in such a way that, even though the book is in Maybelle’s first person point of view, readers know things about Tommy that Maybelle doesn’t.
Interview with Kate O’Shaughnessy: Writing with Honesty and Heart
Ignore trends entirely, and write the book that truly calls to you.
Retro Post #4: The Magic of a Secret Space: Beetle Boy and Beyond
In a world where adults are constantly telling children what to do, which vegetables to eat, when to go to bed, and sometimes, what to think and feel, the idea of a secret space can be magical and captivating.
Retro Post #3: Characters to Love–and Telling Them Apart–in THE PENDERWICKS
More important than their differences and easily distinguished voices, these sisters work together as a team. And arguably, it’s this aspect of the novel that makes it so appealing. We see their cohesiveness in the initial reminiscence of the opening, but we also see it through their interactions and their family codes and practices.
