Writing lessons learned from HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET

This book wasn't just an amazing read--it was an experience. The main characters and their tangled lives are still simmering in my mind. What a beautiful, enduring love story. *Sigh*

HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET by Jamie Ford spins a tale of a 12-year-old Chinese boy, Henry, who becomes best friends and falls in love with an American-born Japanese girl during WWII, when persons of Japanese ancestry were sent to internment camps.

Of course I learned so many great writing lesson from this book, and here are a few:

1. Choose a captivating title. From the moment I saw this title, I knew this was a book I must read. To me, the title emotes melancholy, conflict, and promise. And it didn't disappoint. For help with titles, agent Rachelle Gardner wrote a great post about how to title your book.
2. Choose a unique point of view from a familiar time period. I'm fascinated by stories from the WWII era, and I've read many. But never had I read about the existing conflict between Chinese and Japanese Americans during that time. And this POV switched between Henry at 12-years-old, and Henry as an older man in 1986. Fascinating.
3. Include a tangible representation of something special. In this case, the symbol was an original recording of a 1942 jazz song. This elusive record appears throughout the book, and represents a special time in the main characters' lives.
4. Readers don't have to be banged over the head with conflict. Instead of a hammer of conflict, the troubles Henry faced were woven into a beautiful tapestry of honor and loyalty.
5. Tap in to common feelings. Affection, longing, regret. Perhaps most people have wondered about the road not taken, and this author tapped into those feelings with soothing words about characters you can't help but love.

We've all read books we wished we'd written, and this was one of those books for me. Sara Guen, author of Water for Elephants, called it "Mesmerizing and evocative, a tale of conflicted loyalties and timeless devotion."

I couldn't have said it better myself. Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Or is this type of book not your style?

And WriteOnCon starts today! Will I see you there?

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Writing lessons learned from THE PULL OF GRAVITY

I just finished THE PULL OF GRAVITY by Gae Polisner, and absolutely loved it. Here's a quick blurb:

When their friend Scooter dies of a rare disease, teenagers Nick Gardner and Jaycee Amato set out on a secret journey to find the father who abandoned "The Scoot" when he was an infant, and give him a signed first edition of "Of Mice and Men."

As with all books I read, I learned a great deal about writing from this one. Here goes:

Add interest by threading in old favorites.

Bits of Steinbeck's OF MICE AND MEN were woven through the narrative. If teens haven't read the classic yet, hopefully they'll grab a copy after reading GRAVITY. And the Scoot was a huge Star Wars fan and quoted Yoda, which was a fun story element.

Send your characters on a worthy quest.

Nick and Jaycee weren't on their journey for selfish reasons. They were fulfilling a dying wish of their best friend. Who can resist that?

Create likable characters.

I know, I know, we hear this all the time. But still. When I read great characters it reminds me to give my own characters memorable quirks, identifiable faults, and admirable qualities.

Don't forget to add interesting, supporting characters.

Nick's dad was obese and set out on his own journey of self discovery, walking hundreds of miles--Forrest Gump style. The Scoot suffered from a terminal disease, and his dying wishes lingered on every page. The supporting cast stayed with me after I finished the book.

Between-chapter goodies can add depth.

I love it when extras are slipped between chapters, like the poetry added to THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE. In GRAVITY it was emails from Nick's dad, chronicling his trek to New York. It added dimension to the story.

Clean YA stories are great.

*puts on mommy hat*

This is a clean, well-told story that I'd be comfortable with my 14-year-old son reading.

What's your opinion of these lessons learned? And have you experienced something similar in the books you've read?

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Writing Lessons Learned from WATER FOR ELEPHANTS

I recently finished reading WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen, and loved it. As with any book, I learned a great deal from this one. Here goes:

• Character development through interaction with animals. We instantly love two of the main characters because of their affection for animals. They sneak food to them. They risk danger in order to protect animals from the bad guys. On the flip side, the bad guys jump off the page with their viciousness. At one point a lit cigarette is flicked into the elephant's open mouth. In another scene, we suffer through the elephant's cries as she's beaten mercilessly.
• First person present tense is not just for YA literature. Obvious, I know. But before reading The Hunger Games, I don't remember having read a book with this POV. YA literature is riddled with first person/present tense, and now I'm used to it. I thought it worked in this book, even though it's not YA.
• Alternating points of view with the same character adds depth. In ELEPHANTS, the author deftly switches between two eras of the main character's life. One is in the 1930's, when the MC was a young man traveling with the circus. The other is when he's an old man, wasting away in a nursing home. It made me think of each person sitting in a nursing home now, and all the stories they must have bottled up inside them.
• Brilliant words that add sound. Clatter, howl, nicker, screech, clackety-clack, clip-clop, snort. These sound words, and many more, added dimension to the story. I felt like I was there, listening to the raucous life of a circus.
• Circus life sounds exciting, but it was a gritty business. I read the author's note at the end of the book, where she explained the depth of her research. Many of the circus scenes and ideas in the book sound outrageous, but they're based on fact. Wow.

Now that I've read the book, I want to see the movie. Have you read this book or seen the movie? What was your opinion?

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Lessons learned from THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE

I just finished THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend this book. Here's a quick summary:

Lennie plays second clarinet in the school orchestra and has always happily been second fiddle to her charismatic older sister, Bailey. Then Bailey dies suddenly, and Lennie is left at sea without her anchor. Overcome by emotion, Lennie soon finds herself torn between two boys: Bailey's boyfriend, Toby, and Joe, the charming and musically gifted new boy in town. While Toby can't see her without seeing Bailey and Joe sees her only for herself, each offers Lennie something she desperately needs. But ultimately, it's up to Lennie to find her own way toward what she really needs—without Bailey.

Here are the lessons I learned from this beautifully written story:

The power of pacing--The author skipped ahead to parts that mattered. When she wanted the reader invested in a scene, holy cow, she slowed it down until each touch, breath, and heartbeat was savored at an agonizingly slow pace. I literally held my breath during some scenes, and felt all tingly. If you've read the book, you know what I mean.

Antagonists can be ambiguous--Craft books suggest that stories must have an antagonist, or an opposition character. I still can't nail down who the antagonist was in this story (if you've read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this). Was it Toby, Lennie's sister's boyfriend? Was it grief? Loneliness? Fear?

An author can find clever ways to reveal character--Lennie's thoughts were not journalized in an ordinary way. Her poetry was written on the backs of candy wrappers, on discarded coffee cups, and carved into trees. We learned her innermost thoughts and fears through her words. At first I thought this was random, but in the end, the author tied these moments together in a beautiful way.

A story's climax doesn't have to be a shoot-em-up chase scene--It can simply be a scene where we wonder, Will he forgive her? Will they come together and accept the past and forge ahead? Can this "companion pony" brave a new world without her "thoroughbred" sister?

I'm in good company with my love for this book. Check out Tahereh's post "Are you there Jandy? It's me, Tahereh."

What's your opinion of these lessons? And what has a great book taught you?

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