Elise Chidley's Blog

This article explores not only how to write a novel or story from different points of view, but also why you should choose a particular point of view, depending on your goals for a given story. The article explains the pros and cons of using omniscient narration, close third person point of view, first person point of view, and second person point of view.

As an editor, I find that many first-time novelists have a hard time getting a handle on point of view (POV).

They launch into a ...

How do you save the world? One reader at a time.

Or so Neal Shusterman told 92 writers at Big Sur on Cape Cod, an annual workshop for children’s book writers and illustrators hosted by the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

Mind you, when Shusterman began his career as a storyteller, all he wanted to do was calm down several cabin-loads of sugar-charged campers. Tell them a story, he thought. No more than a teen himself, he was a camp counselor hoping to head out for a bit of free time once al...

You may have met our eternal puppy, Fergus, before. I chronicled some of his more foolish and embarrassing exploits in this story:

3 Times My Dog Embarrassed Me and 1 Time He Nearly Knocked Me Out | by Elise Chidley | Medium

Fergus is 100 pounds of (mostly) pure muscle, with a keen (though futile) interest in hunting down chipmunks. He chases them daily from drainpipe to tree trunk, always with the same result. Failure.

He is also an eternal optimist when it comes to interacting with o...

Writing Groups, Revision, NaNoWriMo, Plotting vs. Pantsing and more…

Karen Dukess, a former journalist, admits that plotting is not her strongest suit. And indeed for many literary writers, plotting is a secondary consideration after character, voice, and setting.

So how did Karen manage to create a rather well plotted book, in spite of herself?

Karen wrote the first draft of The Last Book Party almost exclusively on Tuesdays.

“My writing group is responsible for the existence of t...

You’re an award-winning writer of fantasy and sci-fi. Can you tell us what drew you to this particular genre?

I have loved magic since I was a child watching Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color and after-school cartoons. I bought lots of magical books from the Scholastic Book Club, and checked others out of the library. Two of my brothers were practicing magicians. I wanted the real thing, so I started writing my own stories about ghosts and magic when I was around twelve.

What drew me ...

You’re an award-winning writer of fantasy and sci-fi. Can you tell us what drew you to this particular genre?

I have loved magic since I was a child watching Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color and after-school cartoons. I bought lots of magical books from the Scholastic Book Club, and checked others out of the library. Two of my brothers were practicing magicians. I wanted the real thing, so I started writing my own stories about ghosts and magic when I was around twelve.

What drew me ...

In this interview with Chandra Prasad, we discuss how she was inspired by ‘the first selfie’ to write her new YA novel, Mercury Boys.

Hi Chandra! Would you mind sharing how you generate story ideas? Do they come to you fully fledged, or do you work from a single spark or scene? Can you talk about how the idea for Mercury Boys came to you specifically?

Generally speaking, it’s the spark that comes first.  Eventually, that spark of an idea either runs out of oxygen or transforms into a fire...

Emily Colin has figured out how to write in two different genres that have little overlap in readership, using the same author name and branding. Recently, I was delighted to have the chance to ask this bestselling author of both women’s fiction and YA novel some questions about the craft of writing. Let’s dig right in!

Your early novels were contemporary women’s fiction. What made you decide to switch to dystopian young adult? (In this way, you’re exactly like me so I’m very eager to hear y...

Tessa Wegert lives in my town, and I had the pleasure of meeting her recently. Over coffee, we talked about the writing life–and when I got home I immediately ordered Death in the Family, the first book in her detective series set in the Thousand Islands, NY. It’s a page-turner; I devoured it in a weekend. So, if you like your mysteries cozy with a twist of darkness, you should treat yourself to this series. The third book launches March 1. Here’s Tessa talking about her writing process:

When...

  

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Wendy Walker lives in the next town over from me. She is a wonderful story-teller, and her persistence in the tough game of writing is inspirational!

1.Your earlier books were ‘women’s fiction’, and   All is Not Forgotten   is much darker, definitely a thriller. What made you change your focus? Were you influenced by novels like   Girl on the Train ?

My first two published novels were called Four Wives (2008) and Social Lives (2009). These books were in the genre of women’s fiction and involved stories of women in wealthy suburbs struggling with their identities, marriages, children, and former lives. I have lived in suburban Connecticut most of my life, both as a child and a grown woman, and I find it fascinating! But those books didn’t “break through” so I went back to practicing law. It was hard to give up the dream of being a writer, so I also managed to keep writing! I signed with a new agent and she loved my concept of a psychological thriller based on memory science. Gone Girl and Girl on a Train had created this new genre and editors were hungry for more. I was a bit nervous about switching genres, but I had always enjoyed suspense and thrillers and I was very interested in this story concept, so I dusted it off and wrote All Is Not Forgotten. It was great advice!

2.   I know you’re the mother of teenage sons. Was it hard to write about rape in that context?

 I am asked this frequently and honestly, it was not difficult in the way people suspect. I get very emotionally detached from my own life when I’m writing. I try to be in the head of my characters. In this book, Dr. Forrester is telling the story and he is at times detached and at times emotional so I tried to follow that path. Focusing on the words he would use at various points in the story kept my mind off of the events and on the choice of those words. What was hard was trying to write the violent scenes in a way that would stay true to the language and descriptions of both survivors and professionals who work with them. I did a lot research to see what that language was – how they want us to hear about what happened to them – and I worked very hard to walk that fine line.

3. Do you still write wherever you happen to be ( I remember you used to write in a minivan!) or do you have a more settled schedule and writing venue now?

Ha! That’s true. Those days are long gone, but I still consider myself a time scavenger. Every day, I map out how many hours I have until my kids are home, and then I squeeze everything into those hours. I keep waiting for it to get easier, but it just doesn’t. When the kids were younger, they were home most afternoons and evenings without much to do. I could often get household chores done then. Now, every minute from 4 until 10 is packed with driving and help with homework, so my daytime hours are always shrinking! The good news is that I can write at a desk.

4. What books are on your bedside table right now?

A pile of psychological thrillers which haven’t been released yet! I get asked to blurb books by other authors, which is quite an honor. I have read some really good ones. Look for The Twilight Wife and The Clairvoyants – both are out now.

5. Are you working on your next book, and will it be a thriller?

My next book is called Emma In The Night and it will be out August 8, 2017! I’m so excited about this book because it delves into narcissistic personality disorder – not the one we talk about casually, or even the one often used in books and movies. This new novel dissects the complex pathology of the psychological illness, which is actually quite rare. Here is a little teaser!

Three years ago, two sisters disappeared from their home in Southern Connecticut. Now, one has returned to tell the dark story of her time spent on an island off the coast of Maine. As the FBI searches for the island and the sister who did not make it out, we learn about the twisted past the girls endured in their own home before they left – and the truth about where they have been comes under scrutiny. Through the voice of our narrator, the sister who has returned, and the investigation by the FBI’s forensic psychologist, the stories of past and present converge in an unexpected ending.

6. Are you one of those writers who likes to plan every detail of the story before you start, or do you create on the fly? Does this change from book to book?

 Because of the way my novels are structured, I have to plot everything from the very beginning to make sure the pieces all fit together. I write the different story lines onto colored index cards and then layer them into the chapters when they seemed to fit organically into the narrative. I am a meticulous plotter! Of course, things do change and grow as a character comes to life, and sometimes I will go back and make adjustments for that. In All Is Not Forgotten, the character Charlotte evolved quite a bit and as I decided to give her more depth, I adjusted the plot to accommodate this new angle.   

7. When you’re not writing, what are your favorite things to do?

I love spending one on one time with a good friend or my fiancé, or having people to our home to cook dinner (I usually watch!). I also love skiing with my kids, yoga, and watching a really good TV series after a long day of work.

 8.  What is your idea of a perfect day?

Kids off to school, a quick run, 6 hours of writing with no interruptions, kids home, dinner, no driving, no drama, then a glass of wine and catch-up with my fiancé. A girl can dream!