Morning Round-up May 20, 2013
J.K. Rowling’s spreadsheet plan for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
The morning round-up is a daily collection (posted M-F) of must-read links for writers. Regular readers will earn riches beyond the dreams of Croesus.
Famous Authors’ Handwritten Outlines for Great Works of Literature
Writing a novel (or a story, for that matter) is confusing work. There are just so many characters running all over the place, dropping hints and having revelations. So it’s no surprise that many authors plan out their works beforehand, in chart or list or scribble form, in order to keep everything straight. After the jump, you’ll find a mini collection of those planning papers, so you can take a peek into the process of some of your favorite authors, from James Salter to J.K. Rowling.
Why I Write: George Orwell’s Four Motives for Creation
Orwell begins with some details about his less than idyllic childhood — complete with absentee father, school mockery and bullying, and a profound sense of loneliness — and traces how those experiences steered him towards writing, proposing that such early micro-traumas are essential for any writer’s drive. He then lays out what he believes to be the four main motives for writing, most of which extrapolate to just about any domain of creative output.
10 Creative Block Breakers That Actually Work
Doesn’t matter what you call it: writer’s block or creative block or simply “Where is my inspiration when I need it?!” All creative individuals find their work coming less easily at some times than others. That’s when you need strategies, and plenty of them.
Novels for young adults are reaching more (adult) readers
You don’t have to look far to find someone lamenting either a) the future of publishing or b) kids these days, too busy zoning out in front of video games to read a book.
Let me suggest the rise of young adult fiction, then, as a counterpoint to both those complaints.
Three Great Young-Adult Novels That Should Become Films
Love it or hate it, the Ender’s Game movie is coming. I first encountered Orson Scott Card’s celebrated sci-fi novel as an adult, but many of my peers read it in school, or found it in the library at age 12 or 13. Young-adult novels have become a treasure trove for studios hungry for summer blockbusters. Books like The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief feature vibrant characters, stunning scenery and a good shot of adrenaline. Teen heroes (like regular teens) tend to embrace danger in a way that perhaps only Tony Stark would understand (and really, isn’t he just a 15-year-old at heart?).
