YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Let's begin! Hello, everyone! Welcome to the very FIRST chat at the YA Author's Cafe! I'm Mary Pearson, your guest host for tonight's chat. Thanks for coming! You all have our undying gratitude for helping us kick off the first chat--and for helping us work the kinks out! Before I introduce our guest, I would like to explain our format. I will be asking our guest a few questions. Before the last question, I will invite the audience to get ready to participate. If you would like to ask a question, type "?", send, and then type out your question so it is ready to SEND when I call on you. Please do not press SEND until I call on you.
Lara Zeises: ?
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: (hold on Lara--not yet) Violators will be asked to clean up the room at the end of the night--and we all know what a mess writers can leave. I will make every effort to call on you in the order that the "?" are posted. I will type: (Your Name GA) when it is your turn. GA stands for GO AHEAD. Sorry if I didn't make that clear--remember what I said about kinks?--anyway, I will tell you WHEN it is time to type "?"
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Tonight's special guest is Nancy Werlin! (applause!!!)
Nancy Werlin: (blushes)
Annette Klause: Yay! *applause*
MarleneP: whistle
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Nancy is the author of five novels, including the Edgar-award winning THE KILLER'S COUSIN and the recently-published DOUBLE HELIX. You can find more information about her and her books on her web site, www.nancywerlin.com. She lives near Boston, graduated from Yale with a degree in English, and says she writes for teens because she hated being one. The Washington Post recently reviewed her latest book DOUBLE HELIX and called Nancy the "mistress of intelligent and imaginative mystery writing". We agree! Nancy, thank you so much for coming. Are you ready to answer a few questions?
Nancy Werlin: Yes, MaryP, I am!
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Terrific! First we will start with your latest book DOUBLE HELIX! Eli, the main character of DOUBLE HELIX, absolutely comes alive on the pages right from the start. He is unique and real, and wonderfully sensitive. We love him right away. How did Eli come about? Did you model him after anyone, or did he evolve as the story progressed?
Nancy Werlin: You know, I never quite understand how I come up with a character, but I start with one or two characteristics and then build from there. With Eli, I began with his amazing physical condition...and with his brains... and, maybe most important, his family situation. Oh! And his love for his girlfriend. He wasn't modeled after anyone real -- wait, I lie....Okay, he's a little bit like my own sweetiepie.
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: yes, all those things really made him come alive--loved the brains and the braun ; )
Nancy Werlin: But he defniitely evolved as the story progressed. Hm, I'm flailing a bit here, but...I think every character responds to the SITUATION in a book. You put a character under stress...and you see what he does.
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Your sweetie? We'll definitely have to get him on and get his take on it.
Nancy Werlin: I put Eli under enormous stress, maybe the worst stuff I've ever done to a character.... And then I watched him. GA
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Were there ever times you wanted to protect him even though that might not have been great for the story?
Nancy Werlin: No. I've learned over time that you can't protect your characters. You have to throw them into hell. But I cried sometimes. I really did. GA
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: ha! yes, make them squirm! Thanks, Nancy! Next question . . . DOUBLE HELIX is a page turner--one of those books you better have a block of time carved out for because once you pick it up, you can't put it down. You've created a wonderful balance of a character we care for and a plot that is fascinating. When writing this story, did you ever find that a difficult balance to maintain, that is, where character or plot started to take over?
Nancy Werlin: Hm. Good question... I think I decided, back when I chose to write suspense thrillers, that plot needed to be important to me.... Character was already important, and I knew that on my own I might tend to wallow in describing... how a character was feeling, what she or he was thinking... on and on, internal stuff... as a writer, I needed... to protect myself from going off the deep end with character, and writing a mystery/thriller helps rein me in.... So I watch myself! When I write a paragraph or two of internal stuff, I know to STOP soon, have something happen. GA
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: hmm, very interesting. It sounds like a check and balance--you have character nailed so you really pay attention to plot. Thanks! Next question . . .
Nancy Werlin: I feel as if I am teaching myself how to plot. It does not come naturally. And let me add-- plot, character, but there's a third thread to the braid for me, and that's THEME. I usually figure out the theme of a book only after I've written a first draft. But with DOUBLE HELIX... for once, I knew the theme in advance. Now, that was scary. I thought it might ruin my process entirely. GA(Ooops, sorry, Mary, I cut you off.)
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: LOL! Every book seems to follow a new path! The relationship between Eli and Viv is refreshing--a very positive one which you don't often see in YA books. Even though they have their rocky moments, I loved their devotion to each other. Why don't we see more of this in YA books
Nancy Werlin: Yep, curse them all. (Sorry, I was cursing my books, not Eli and Viv.)
grace: Hi Nancy. I like the topic. balancing theme, plot, character. has your process changed with each book or as you.. . ahem. . mature.
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: (yep, we got that ; )
Nancy Werlin: Let's see. Why isn't there more true love in YA books? Excellent question!
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: (Grace I will open the floor to the audience in one second--thanks! ; )
Nancy Werlin: I think because true love is for the mature, mostly. In adolescence, our hormones rage, we're impatient, impressed with surfaces.... and real, true love -- well, you need experience to even know what you've got! And yet, yet.... Romeo and Juliet... my best friend from high school, who married her high school sweetie 20 years ago... it happens, sometimes, rarely.... And I like the idea of modelling a good relationship in a novel. Well, that's one reason I did this... but the second one was....
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: But it is nice to see on occasion in a YA book, because as you said, it does happen!
Nancy Werlin: related to what I said earlier about Eli. He's in such a desperate strait... I wanted to GIVE him something real to hold on to. So I gave him a true love. GA
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: I see. That makes so much sense! And it was refreshing to have that true love relationship. Thanks, Nancy! (All right gang, I am going to ask our guest one more question and then it will be time for you to ask your questions. Type your "?" at any time, and then get your questions ready to send and for me to call on you.) Nancy, as writers we are all always searching for new sources of inspiration and motivation. Can you share the best writing advice you have ever received?
Nancy Werlin: Yes, I can. Is everyone ready? (OK, I have two.) 1: Butt in Chair. 2: Trust the process. These are both more serious than they appear at first. Butt in chair... is simply about grimly sitting down and working, even when you despair. Showing up. Meeting the work halfway. And trust the process is about believing that if you do that, if you show up, you will somehow put a book together, in the end. Simple, and horrendously difficult. GA
Annette Klause: ?
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Yes, BIC is so hard sometimes, but so true. I like your description "showing up." We have to do that no matter what job we have don't we?
Amanda: ?
Lara Zeises: ?
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Thank you Nancy! Now it is time for the audience questions. Lara, GA
JudyG: ?
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Lara?
Lara Zeises: My feed is slow .... sorry! Nancy, you're very strong in both male and female voices. Do you have a preference for one over the other? Or do you let the story dictate the gender of your protagonist?
Nancy Werlin: Good question.... I think I use a male voice when I need a bit of distance from the character, and female when I need to get closer.... but also, the story determines the gender, yes. I don't think I have a preference for either. I like both. GA
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Annette, GA
Annette Klause: If you do a lot of Butt in Chair, do you have to get a bigger chair eventually? (heh! heh!)
Nancy Werlin: I am just off the treadmill, I tell you! (It's a terrible problem.) I think Hemingway used to write standing up.
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: (ROFL)
Nancy Werlin: But I am lazy. GA
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Does that sufficiently answer your question, Annette?
Annette Klause: It's just as I suspected--*inspects bum with sorry look on face*
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Great. BIC + treadmill! Got it. Amanda, GA
Amanda: Two part question: Which of your books has taught you the most about writing...
Nancy Werlin: (If you can inspect your own bum, you're more limber than I am!)
Amanda: ..and which has taught you the most about yourself?
Annette Klause: LOL
Nancy Werlin: Oooooo, good questions. 1: The book that's taught me the most about writing was Black Mirror, because I did not know what I was doing as I wrote it. LITERALLY NO CLUE. It was "trust the process" to the maximum, and that meant starting again in the second draft... very little salvageable from Draft 1. With other books, I always thought I knew what I was doing, even if I later realized I didn't. But with Mirror, I knew I didn't know. 2: The book that taught me most about myself... LOCKED INSIDE. This is a book... about loneliness - that was the theme I discovered as I wrote, and when I had finished it... then I understood that I had deep loneliness in me. I could access that information no other way... because I did not want to know. But it was essential that I know... my writing self helped me find a great truth... I was humbled by the experience... and it changed my life. GA
Amanda: Thanks, Nancy.
Nancy Werlin: Thanks for asking, Amanda.
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: wow, great questions, Amanda. It really makes all of us who write think. Thanks for the terrific answers, Nancy! Judy, GA
sarah: How are you applying what you learned to any current projects?
JudyG: Inbetween books, before you start a new one, how do you deal with the waiting to get an idea, trying out new stuff, picking a story. I find that utterly frustrating and wonder how other writers deal with it.
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: (sarah, we'll get right back to your followup)
Nancy Werlin: I hate the time between books, Judy... I feel I ought to get right to the next project, but... I seem to need "fallow" time, empty non-writing time. Sometimes I need more than a year of it.... And during that time I do think about the next book, toss ideas around in my head, but not extensively.... I wait. I wait, and wait, and wait, and I trust that one day I'll sit down and work again. It's TERRIFYING. I forced things last year, and wrote 50 pages that I tossed. GA
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Sarah, does that answer your question as well?
irish eyes: it's a relief to hear you talk about "fallow" time - feels like limbo to me - not even sure what conferences to attend - done revising, but nothing new to work on and it is terrifying. Makes it less so to know others experience the same thing.
Nancy Werlin: Yes. Some people get right to work on something new, but I am empty at the end of a book. I need to refill.
sarah: Maybe I'm not asking the question well...do you think about what you've learned from past projects when you're writing something new?
Nancy Werlin: Yes, Sarah.... I learn technical things from every book, new things, like... writing Locked Inside taught me to write a tight narrative, scene immediatley following scene. And with each new book, I learn to "trust the process" more... Each book has little technical gifts... a scene with eight people in it (hard to write!)... an action sequence... an extended interior monologue... difficult scientific information to integrate... each story has unique demands and I must learn how to meet them. GA
sarah: Thanks!
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Our "official" time for tonight is up--some of us need to go--but the rest of you are welcome to stay and chat as long as you like. Nancy, thank you SO much! Great insights! And congrats on your latest, DOUBLE HELIX!
Nancy Werlin: Thanks for having me here, Mary P. Great questions, everyone. Thank you.
Kate Tuthill: Whistle, Hoot, Clap!
Annette Klause: Yay!!!!! Brava!
Nancy Werlin: Thank you to the YA Authors Cafe -- here's to many more chats!
Andrea Rice: clapclapclap Thanks!
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: applause! Cheers! Thanks, Nancy!
Melissa Wyatt: Yay!!! Thanks Nancy!
JudyG: <clap, clap>
Lara Zeises: Thanks, Nancy! Great to hear more about your process!
MarleneP: Nancy, thanks so much for being here tonight!
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Don't forget next week! Drumroll . . We will have a Panel Chat: YA Fiction: What's the deal? Who's reading it, who's writing it and why, with special guests, YA authors A.M. Jenkins, Gail Giles, and YA advocate and author, Patrick Jones.
Nancy Werlin: Ooo, great lineup!
Andrea Rice: I can;'t wait for that one!
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Thanks, again, Nancy! Hang around if you have a few more minutes!
Nancy Werlin: Yep, I can hang a bit.
Kate Tuthill: I say ... break out the ice cream. Bye Annette!
Nancy Werlin: (I actually do have some ice cream in the freezer. Hmm.)
MarleneP: Nancy, I've been dying to know who your fav authors are. I know you are widely read.
Nancy Werlin: Bye, Annette! Thanks for coming.
Annette Klause: Byeeeeee!!!! *Grabs ice cream and runs*
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Good night to those who must go! Great chat! Thank you all for coming! See you next week!
LindaJoy: thanks Nancy -- great job
Nancy Werlin: My favorite authors are Lois McMaster Bujold and Dorothy Dunnett.
Amanda: If you want to read Lois MB, which book should you start with? There are so many.
Nancy Werlin: Talk about integrating plot and character. Wowee. (Start with The Warrior's Apprentice for Bujold.) (I am so in love with Miles Vorkosigan from that book.) It's also wonderful YA, as well as SF. As to Dorothy Dunnett, one would be in love with Frances Crawford, if only one dared.
Amanda: What genre is DD? Also SF/YA?
Nancy Werlin: Oops. FranCIS. He's male. (But not above wearing dresses.) DD is historical fiction. Not really YA, though I first read her as a teenager.
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Nancy, I had another question that I didn't have time for--can I send it now or do you have to go?
Nancy Werlin: Sure, ask away.
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: THE KILLER'S COUSIN has one of my all time favorite endings, with an unexpected second payoff that is so satisfying. Do you know your endings when you begin your story or is it revealed to you as you write? Or perhaps it is different with each story? Tell us how you "get there!"
Nancy Werlin: I didn't know the end of TKC as I wrote it... at least.... I don't think I did, but I went through five drafts on that thing and I hardly know what I knew when! Generally, I do not know the ending of a story.
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: so as you went was it just one of those wonderful writerly moments when the light bulb went on?
Kate Tuthill: I often think I do (I'
Nancy Werlin: I have a vague goal in mind, though ... I know where I want the character to end EMOTIONALLY.
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: I loved the store cards--an unexpected surprise!
Nancy Werlin: I figure out how to get there, somehow. SOmehow. GA The bit with the store cards at the VERY end of TKC was my editor's idea. Yep. "Can't he get his own card back?" Wow. I don't think I'd have thought of that.
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Emotionally. That is a good thing to consider. Directly related to growth, I imagine? I will have to remember that as I trudge through my wip.
Nancy Werlin: Yes, growth... a sense of self? Same thing, maybe? GA
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: ha! Aren't editors wonderful! ; )
Kate Tuthill: I liked that, too, Mary. Rather than having the ACTION planned, need to know the impact on the MC>
Nancy Werlin: (Kate, did you start to say something?) (Oh, good, there you are.)
Kate Tuthill: NAh, just stuttered.
Nancy Werlin: Well, shall we all retire? With thanks to the organizers and host!
Amanda: Great, chat, y'all--see you around!
MarleneP: Thanks, Nancy! Thanks, Mary! Good night all.
JudyG: bye, amanda.
Kate Tuthill: Good night, thanks to all, and great interview, Nancy. Thanks.
Melissa Wyatt: Thanks again, to everyone. Goodnight!
YA Cafe HOST Mary P: Yes, I have to shove off. Last person out, turn off the coffee and lights. Night all.
Nancy Werlin: Good night!