Monday, April 18, 2016

Writing from the Inside Out. . . A BOOK BIRTHDAY & GIVEAWAY

Dear Readers,

One of the great things about blogging is getting to introduce good friends and good books to all of you. In this post my friend, Kathy Cannon Wiechman, shares about some of the different ways she researches books.

Author, Kathy Cannon Wiechman is a former teacher of beginner French and Creative Writing and a Language Arts tutor. She is also a lifelong writer. Her 2015 novel, LIKE A RIVER, won the Grateful American Book Prize and was nominated for the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award. It is on Bank Street College Best Book list, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and earned a starred review in Kirkus. Her second novel, EMPTY PLACES, launched in April, 2016 with good reviews. (Kathy is generously donating an autographed copy of one of her books. For a chance to win, please leave a comment below. More details at the end of the post.)

Writing from the Inside Out. . .     Kathy Cannon Wiechman shares

Clara’s theme of Writing from the Inside Out is a perfect description of the way I go about creating a story. I always write from inside my main character. The whole story is seen through that character’s eyes, even if I tell it in third person.
   
Since I write mostly historical fiction, I travel to a lot of historical sites to get the proper perspective of the places my character sees. Those places have changed over the years, so I also look at old photos and read descriptions from folks from the past.
   
If my character lives in a home that is totally made up, I draw a floor plan, so I can picture it clearly in my mind. For a character who lives on a farm, I draw a map of that farm. I know where the pig pen is, the cornfield, and the tallest oak tree on the place. If I want a story to feel real to a reader, it must first feel real for me.
   
I also try to replicate sounds from the time period: the jangle of a mule’s harness, the crack of a rifle shot, the blast of a steamboat whistle. I want to be able to see what the character sees, hear what he hears, smell what he smells, and feel what he feels. When I wrote Like a River, my search for the smell of black powder led me to a lesson on how to load and fire a muzzleloader.

When I worked on Empty Places, I was introduced to a 1928 Model A Ford. I eventually had a chance to drive the vehicle. What fun! Here’s the excerpt from the book, Empty Places:
http://amzn.to/1SmLxZJ
"I don't know about this, Corky." The gas pedal was small and round. And near out'a reach of my foot.
     

"Just try. I'll tell ya when."
 

He disappeared behind the car, and I readied my foot on the clutch.
 

He yelled, “Now!"
 
I pressed the button on the parking brake, and moved the gear shift like Corky done showed me. I stretched out my leg to push on the gas. The engine made almost as much noise as Corky, who swore like the devil.

  
The writing begins when I can feel the character breathing inside me, when I can look down at that person’s hands and feet, feel what’s in the person’s pocket, and know that person’s fears, angers, and heartbreaks.
   
In Like a River, my character, Leander, has his arm amputated, so I talked to amputees. I learned about phantom pain from them. But I needed to know for myself how well Leander could swim when he had only one arm. My husband tied one of my arms behind my back and timed me while I swam that way. Surprisingly, I could swim almost as well with one arm as with two.
   
The biggest compliment I receive from readers of Like a River is, “I felt I was there with Leander and Polly.” That makes it worth going the extra steps to get inside those characters’ heads. And here’s hoping readers will feel the same way about Adabel Cutler in Empty Places.

http://amzn.to/1TeBqGH
LIKE A RIVER: A Civil War Novel
Author: Kathy Cannon Wiechman
Publisher:Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills
Kirkus *Starred* Review: The stories of three teens intersect in the later years of the Civil War in this debut novel. Fifteen-year-old Leander Jordan runs off to war from Ohio to prove he's a man. "Working in the foundry wasn't something to admire, not like being a soldier in uniform, a soldier who'd risk his life facing enemy guns. Pa had to see he was doing a manly thing." But he lands in a Southern hospital, where he befriends Paul Settles, another young Union soldier, who tends to his wounds. When they're separated, Paul ends up in hellish Andersonville Prison, where smallpox, scurvy and hunger plague the prisoners. There, Paul's friendship with Given McGlade, a fellow prisoner and Leander's neighbor from back home, helps keep them both alive. Though the prose is a bit florid early on, the stories are effectively related in twinned third-person narrative, and Wiechman's abundant research is unobtrusively folded into the tale. An excellent author's note provides further information about the times. Though the horrors of Andersonville and various Civil War-era events such as the Battle of Atlanta, Lincoln's assassination and the explosion of the steamboat Sultana provide wartime context, it's the secrets woven into the well-paced tale that will pull readers eagerly to the tearful conclusion. A superb Civil War tale of friendship, loyalty and what it means to be a man. (bibliography) (Historical fiction. 9-14)

Learn more about Kathy and her books by visiting her website: http://kathycannonwiechman.com

Leave a comment for us about the post for a chance to win a copy of Kathy's new book, Empty Places; or her first book, Like a River. That's all you have to do! Easy, right?

Want to increase your chances to win a book? Hop over to: www.carolbaldwinblog.blogspot.com and leave a comment there. 

Thanks for dropping by for the BOOK BIRTHDAY for EMPTY PLACES!!! And thank you so much, dear friends, for sharing a few words of your own.  The winner will be announced on Saturday, April 23rd.
















22 comments:

  1. Such a great post, thanks Kathy and Clara! I've scribbled drawings of various places within my book, but never made complete maps like Kathy described. Will have to try! No need to enter my name since I've read both books. Thanks for linking to my blog, Clara. Off to incorporate this link into mine.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by to leave a comment, Carol! You'll really love making a map of places in your book. Enjoy! How fun to link our blogs. :-)

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  2. Great post and I can't wait to read both! The research it takes to write historical fiction is what I love the most! It's like time traveling!

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    1. Thanks for joining the Book Birthday, Leslie. I agree that researching to write historical fiction is like time travel. I love it, too! Your name is entered for a chance to win EMPTY PLACES or LIKE A RIVER.

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  3. I am glad I did not have a character who swims with one arm as I can barely do it with Two! I did love reading about Kathy's research process and am so eager to read Empty Places. I have it with me on a mini beach vacation! Yay!I have a copy so you can give my chance to win it to someone else. :)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Joyce! I, too, loved reading about Kathy's writing and research process. Enjoy your mini beach vacation and reading Empty Places!

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  4. Great advice on writing historical fiction! I have read Like a River, but I would love to have the chance to win Empty Places.

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  5. Thanks for dropping by, Janet! Your name is entered for a chance to win an autographed copy of EMPTY PLACES.

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  6. Congratulations to Kathy! She is living proof that persistence pays off. She has honed her craft, been faithful to her inspirations, studied her characters, settings, and background, and is now gaining the accolades and recognition she so rightly deserves. Her works reflect her uncanny ability to bring to life historical people, places, and ideas. Well done, my friend!

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    1. Jan, Thanks so much for that glowing tribute to Kathy. Everything you wrote is true and so greatly deserved. Kathy continues to be an inspiration for me.

      Your name is entered for a chance to win an autographed copy of Empty Places.

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  7. It's great to see persistence+talent pay off! Congratulations, Kathy, on adding another wonderful novel to your list.

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  8. Thanks for stopping by to congratulate Kathy, Marileta. We can't help but cheer for such unflagging persistence.

    Your name is entered for a chance to win an autographed copy of EMPTY PLACES or Like a River.

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  9. Love the line "the writing begins when you can feel the character breathing inside you." Eager to check out your work, Kathy. You're an inspiration! Lots of good wishes!

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    1. That is a great line, Natalie. I'm sure it's one we've both experienced in our writing.

      Your name is entered for a chance to win an autographed copy of one of Kathy's titles. Thanks for stopping by.

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  10. Thanks, Clara, for featuring my process on your blog, and thanks to your readers for all the supportive comments. I wish I had enough copies to give everyone a book.

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    1. Thank you, Kathy, for sharing your writing wisdom with us!

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  11. Thanks, Kathy and Clara! My wife and I loved reading LIKE A RIVER and we can't wait to read EMPTY PLACES. Thanks for your insight into the writing process... it gave me some ideas for my own writing. Best of luck with the new book and your next project!

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    1. Dave, Thanks for sharing that you were inspired by Kathy's post, and that you and your wife loved her first book!

      Your name is entered for a chance to win Empty Places.

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  12. I'm late to the book birthday party, but I was fascinated by Kathy's writing process and her complete immersion into the character if it is in third person.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Kim! Sorry you missed the drawing by a parsec. Be sure to visit again for the next giveaway!

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  13. Wonderful article! Kathy, I love your tips for developing characters and places. Your point about knowing one's character (all the way down to feeling what they carry in their pockets), even when writing in third person, underscores the need to invest in knowing one's characters. Historical fiction can be especially challenging to write, but I think that it is one of the most rewarding genres, since the process of research can be so educationally rewarding. Thanks Kathy and Clara!

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  14. I am glad if my process helps others. I think we all have the same goal: giving young readers good books

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