wise words from Barbara Kingsolver

The main character of The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver is a writer. He writes histories that also have current political significance, and he's well known and well liked. Here's what he says when asked where to start a book: "You start with "in the beginning," I told her, but it should be as close to the end as possible. There's the trick."

I love it. Wise words.

plotting--advice from a wise friend

I was talking to my friend Alex the other day, and she told me a pearl of wisdom about plotting, especially when writing for children.
Put your character in trouble, make it worse, then make it better.
Other people have put it differently: think about what your character wants, then think about what's keeping them from what they want. Both of those make sense, but there's still the question of pacing.

Writer Nancy Lee taught my friend Hanako that a novel should start with an inciting incident in which the main character's character is revealed. By the middle of the story the character is closest to what he or she wants; it's within grasp, but then they lose it. And at the end of the story, they have their crisis--their dark night of the soul, before there is finally some resolution.

Sounds so easy--but of course it's not. At least these thoughts give some guidelines though.

I've been wondering why people keep telling me that the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a feminist book. What's so feminist about a story that's all about violence against women? It may be a thriller about finding the man who "did it" and punishing him, but isn't that just a platform to write about violence of the grossest kind against women? And what's so feminist about a lead character who is sleeping with a much older man, (who already has a lover), and who buys herself a pair of boobs the first opportunity she gets. There's even a little girl on girl action. Sounds like a certain kind of guy's wet dream to me, and it sure makes me wonder what the word feminist means these days. I get the whole thing about being able to be feminine and feminist. Way to go, I say. But violence against women? Sexual violence? no thanks. Surely that doesn't fit under the name feminist. Argh... Had to rant...