On Writing: Deborah Kerbel

Next up on my guest blogger series, On Writing, is Deborah Kerbel. Deborah has written several children’s and YA books, most notably:

MACKENZIE, LOST AND FOUND (2008)

GIRL ON THE OTHER SIDE (2009)

LURE (2010)

And her most recent offering, UNDER THE MOON (2012)

 

If you haven’t yet read any of Deborah’s books, I’d suggest you start. Like, tonight.

 

And now, here’s Deborah’s wonderful take on writing:

 

Click for Deborah’s website

 

This might sound strange, but I don’t usually give much thought to the mechanics behind my writing until somebody asks me about it. It’s like trying to explain why I breathe. I just do. But that’s not what people want to hear from an author. And, when pressed, I have to admit I can come up with a better answer than that.

So yes, I must confess that there is something that compels me to cloister myself in my office and pound away at my laptop for hours every day. I’m sorry to say that the reason isn’t anything particularly exciting or altruistic…no, I don’t imagine changing the young adult world one book at a time. For me, I guess you might say it’s pretty selfish — I just love creating something out of nothing. I always have. There’s something powerful about starting with a raw idea, breathing life into it, watching it grow and spiral into a story and then, ultimately, releasing it into the world for readers to discover. The whole process is magical…like watching an illusionist conjure up a fluttering dove out of thin air. And it’s what drives me forward in my writing.

It’s no different than that feeling you got when you were a little kid and you sat down to draw a picture. Remember that giddy jolt of excitement you’d get when you’d pull out a blank piece of paper — so full of possibilities — and a fresh box of crayons? And remember the satisfaction you’d get, attacking the emptiness and filling it up with anything you wanted? No rules, no guidelines, no limits beyond the edges of the paper. A small universe waiting for you to define it.

I remember how, as a child, I’d get so caught up in the moment, the world around me would fall away and all that mattered was the story I was trying to tell in my picture. And when I was done, I’d hold the drawing up and revel in the finished product and that delicious rush of joy and pride achieved by making something from nothing. And then I’d run upstairs to show my Mom, bursting with the need to share my newest creation.

I guess a part of me hasn’t fully grown up because that feeling has never left me. I still love making something out of nothing and losing myself in the magic of the process. The thrill of uncovering the small universe hiding inside every blank page remains deliciously undiluted, even after all these years. The only difference is that now I tell my stories with words instead of crayons. And now, I get to share my creations with a much bigger audience.

Although my mom is still my biggest fan.

So in the end, that’s the reason why I write. Selfish? Yeah, maybe. But, just like breathing, it keeps me going.

Let it Ride in the Trunk

Here I am making dinner, but I haven’t been able to get this idea for a blog post out of my head for the last few days so I’ve got the laptop open on the counter and I’m jotting things down as I chop cilantro, mash avocados, and shred cheese. (can you guess what we’re having for dinner?)

I got caught up in a facebook conversation the other day that, when my husband noticed my involvement said, “Uh oh. I see you’re raging again.” Well, I wasn’t raging (really) and I practiced considerable restraint by limiting myself to only two comments when I coulda said a whole lot more. (Which, evidently, I’m going to do here, instead)

The topic that fueled my raging that wasn’t raging? The idea of a “Christian genre” in the arts. Let me just say that I’m not opposed to specifically Christian expressions for the purpose of worship; I totally believe in and respect that. Absolutely. But I am opposed to a label slapped on art forms for the purpose of separating them from “non-Christian” ones. So, since that facebook status forced me to revisit my views on this topic and I couldn’t shake it out of my head, I started thinking about how this issue relates to my own writing, especially being a writer who is a Christian. And also how this issue relates to the arts in general.

So, how did I (not) rage about “Christian genre” the other night? Well, I’ve got a few opinions regarding that topic, but I decided to focus on just one. (See? Restraint) Here’s an excerpt from one of my comments to give it to you in a nutshell:

One of the problems with the ‘Christian genre’ is that because its main goal has been to be ‘set apart’ in the creative arena, it has often sacrificed authentic human expression on the altar of message. When message trumps authentic expression, the art form will appear contrived, (because, essentially, it is) without exception.

Yeah, I’ve seen this in movies, read it in books, experienced it in paintings, heard it in songs: Maybe you have, too. In a desire to share with the world what is most important to them, some artists who are Christians have chosen to make the message they want to share the main focus of their art. And that makes it feel contrived, ultimately resulting in people turning away.

Now, before you go all “Yeah, those *%!@# Christians!” reread and replace the crossed out parts (below) with other things; things that different people are passionate about and want to share with the world. Maybe something that’s important to you.

One of the problems with the ‘Christian genre’ is that because its main goal has been to be ‘set apart’ in the creative arena, it has often sacrificed authentic human expression on the altar of message. When message trumps authentic expression, the art form will appear contrived, (because, essentially, it is) without exception.

Yeah, I’ve seen this in movies, read it in books, experienced it in paintings, heard it in songs: Maybe you have, too. In a desire to share with the world what is most important to them, some artists who are _________________ have chosen to make the message they want to share the main focus of their art. And that makes it feel contrived, ultimately resulting in people turning away.

See what I’m saying? This is a universal pitfall and no one is completely immune to it. We all have things we strongly believe in, things we wish other people would believe, too. Message is a part of who we are and we can’t get rid of it. Nor should we try to. But as artists, part of our responsibility in creating meaningful art with integrity and honoring our craft is by knowing when we are being tripped up by message. And this is why:

When a message (any message) or point (any point) is the main focus in art, authentic expression takes a back seat; the raw beauty of humanness that is crucial to creating vital, meaningful art is weakened. It’s limited. Overshadowed. Sometimes it’s lost completely. When we become absorbed with making sure we always include this, this, and this into our art from our repertoire of personal belief, our art is going to suffer. Why? Because we are more concerned about telling the things we believe to be true than we are about showing the things in our heart.

Human minds tend not to see eye-to-eye on very many things. But human hearts relate on numerous things. Tons of things. Things like love, loneliness, sorrow, joy, pain, anger, relief, frustration, confusion, fear, hope, shame, disappointment, desire, longing for peace. The best art identifies with those most basic instincts of our human hearts and puts them in the driver’s seat. The best art honors humanity as a whole and identifies with more than just a select group of people. The best art serves to expand and enhance viewpoints; to add beauty and value to the world, to our lives; to entertain and increase joy; to create a sense of solidarity among the human race.

Art deserves more respect than to be taken hostage, beaten into submission, and forced to deliver a message.

No question that I struggle with resisting the urge to take my writing hostage from time to time, myself, in my desire to share what’s important to me and what I value and believe with the world. I think it’s safe to say we all want to be true through our art; to have it express who we are as individuals, as creative beings, as intelligent thinking people. The good news is I think art most definitely lends itself to that, without being told how to do it. Since creativity is born in the soul and given wings in the mind, whatever lives within the artist will be evident in their art by default. No contriving required.

So, for the sake of your art; for the sake of all that is valuable, authentic, and meaningful; for the sake of your readers, watchers, and listeners: don’t let message take the driver’s seat. Confine it to the back. Better yet: take it hostage and let it ride in the trunk. That way it won’t be jostling up against anyone or up in anyone’s face. Some people, however, may choose to investigate what that quiet thump, thumping is that’s going on in the background. And once they dig around and discover what it is, they’ll decide what to do with it for themselves.

On Writing: Megan Crewe

Next up on my quasi-random blog series, “On Writing”, is Megan Crewe, YA author of GIVE UP THE GHOST and the newly released Contagionesque thriller, THE WAY WE FALL.

Click for Megan's website

Writing, for Love or Money

If I’ve learned one thing about the publishing industry over the years, it’s that you can’t take anything for granted. When I got my first agent, I assumed that meant a book deal was soon to come. It ended up taking a year. When I sold my first book, I thought that meant smooth-sailing from there on. It took two and a half more years and four more novels (one shopped and shelved, the others deemed unready) before I sold a second.

The book that was shopped without selling was one I’d written specifically to be bigger and more commercial, one my agent at the time was incredibly excited about and was sure would get snatched up quickly. The books I have sold are a little odd, a little difficult to categorize: a paranormal YA that doesn’t have a romance, an apocalyptic YA without the usual dystopian trappings of oppressive authority figures or flashy action sequences.

I’ve seen authors claim that if you write what you’re passionate about, then others will feel passionately about it too. I can’t say if that’s true. One of the novels I wrote that I loved the most received the most criticism from my critique partners, and I haven’t yet figured out how to fix it. But what I do think is true is the vast majority of us can’t predict what will sell and what won’t. We don’t know whether the book we’re writing right now will be one that sells in three weeks or three years or never.

Once I realized that, I could no longer see the point in writing anything I *wasn’t* passionate about. If I can’t tell whether others will love a book before I’m finished it, the least I can do is make sure I’m writing something *I* love. It certainly makes the writing process more enjoyable! And when I’m writing something that’s important to me, it never feels like time wasted, even if I’m not able to send it out into the hands of readers right away. I know that story will always be there waiting for the right time, and since I care so much about it, I don’t mind the wait.