Taeler Kallmerten
asked
Jennifer Egan:
This book jumps around in time, in characters, and in story. How did your head not get jumbled with this many character POVs? Did you focus on one at a time or did you bounce around?
Jennifer Egan
Hi Taeler, thanks for the question. I worked very much on one at a time--in fact when I was working in one point of view, I would almost forget that the others existed. Only in the last phase of the process did I put all of it together and concentrate hard on the flow of the larger story the chapters were telling. The one way in which I needed to ground myself was in characters' birthdates and ages. But other than that, I really just let the process work organically. I cut about fifty percent of what I originally wrote, which speaks to the fact that there are a lot of "wrong" moves when I work in this way, but hopefully enough good ones to make a book. Thanks so much for reading, and all best, Jenny
More Answered Questions
Sycobabel
asked
Jennifer Egan:
I read years ago that Peter Weir was planning on directing The Keep. He's such incredible filmmaker, but I must say I was surprised and curious how he would adapt your book cinematically. Were you also curious and/or excited by the possibility of seeing your book turned into a film? In general are you a visual thinker? How do you capture ideas when writing over long periods of time?
Angela L.
asked
Jennifer Egan:
Hi Jennifer, looking forward to reading Manhattan Beach! I'm a debut writer currently dividing my MS into 2 - 3 novels. I'm re-writing in the Romantic Suspense genre. The feedback I received from a professional editor was that she couldn't connect with the main character. How do you develop your characters to make them resonate with readers? Thanks so much! Angela
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