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Tag: protagonist

Salivation and Satisfaction

February 29, 2016 A. B. Westrick 5 Comments

When I was a student in the MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts, I heard Jane Kurtz, the…

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Filed under: character, craft, fiction, Jane Kurtz, literature, manuscript, MFA, plot, process, protagonist, revision, salivation, satisfaction, scenes, story, structure, VCFA, writing

Structuring a Story

November 23, 2015 A. B. Westrick 4 Comments

For months I’ve been trying to find the right opening for the novel I started in 2013, and I think…

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Filed under: arc, Austin Film Festival, back-story, backstory, beginnings, character, craft, hook, inciting incident, Kristin Swenson, manuscript, Michael Arndt, pace, pacing, plot, process, protagonist, revision, scenes, screenwriting, story, structure, Toy Story, writing

So This is Voice

August 11, 2015 A. B. Westrick 2 Comments

    I’m big on beginning novels in media res (in the middle of things), meaning jumping into a scene…

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Filed under: #weneeddiversebooks, Access All Areas, author interview, books, C.S. Ling, character, craft, Endangered, Fake ID, Lamar Giles, Ling photography, manuscript, process, protagonist, research, revision, scenes, Southern fiction, story, voice, We Need Diverse Books, writing, YA

Storytelling and Mythic Structure

February 12, 2015 A. B. Westrick 10 Comments

Today’s post is for every fiction writer with a manuscript (like mine) that isn’t quite working. I’ve hit the two-year…

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Filed under: Carl Jung, Christopher Vogler, craft, fiction, Hero with a Thousand Faces, James River Writers, joseph campbell, manuscript, plot, process, protagonist, revision, story, structure, The Writer's Journey, The Writing Show, writing

Revision Is The Best Part

December 19, 2014 A. B. Westrick 10 Comments

The worst part of the writing process is the blank screen, the white paper, the emptiness, the limitless possibilities. The best…

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Filed under: Brotherhood, character, craft, kathi appelt, manuscript, MFA, process, protagonist, revision, story, VCFA, Vermont College of Fine Arts, writing

Interviewing Characters

July 30, 2013 A. B. Westrick 4 Comments

I learn a ton when I interview my characters. Over the years, I’ve compiled a set of questions for them,…

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Filed under: character, craft, Dizzy Gillespie, emotional truth, Gigi Amateau, interviews, plot, process, protagonist, scenes, story, writing

In Service to the Story

June 24, 2013 A. B. Westrick 8 Comments

This past February while writing a new scene, a character showed up, whispered to my protagonist, “We have safe houses…

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Filed under: back-story, character, craft, pace, process, protagonist, revision, scenes, story, writing

The desire for a glass of water

February 23, 2013 A. B. Westrick Leave a comment

Last month, a friend entrusted me with the privilege of skimming and commenting on her draft of a novel. Her…

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Filed under: character, craft, desire, Kurt Vonnegut, motivation, plot, protagonist, revision, structure, The Paris Review, writing

Getting into character

September 10, 2012 A. B. Westrick Leave a comment

During one of JRW’s twitter-chats (#jrwc12) with upcoming conference speakers, we were posing questions for Kristen-Paige Madonia, author of Fingerprints…

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Filed under: Brandilyn Collins, character, conference, dialogue, Kristen-Paige Madonia, process, protagonist, revision, twitter, VCFA, writing

Organic writing

May 23, 2011 A. B. Westrick Leave a comment

Last week I popped Katherine Applegate‘s middle-grade novel in verse, Home of the Brave, into my car’s CD player, and…

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Filed under: metaphor, middle-grade, protagonist, verse, writing

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  • Her grandparents’ barn: an interview with Linda Oatman High January 12, 2021
  • Science is Mystery: interview and book giveaway December 4, 2020
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  • COO: a delightful MG debut: author interview & giveaway October 16, 2020
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ABWestrick@ABWestrick·
19 Jan

#BookGiveaway Last day to signup. AS FAR AS BIRDS CAN FLY by @lindaoatmanhigh Author-interview full of insights into Linda's process & career #writing more than 20 books for young readers. #mglit #kidlit #fiction @koehlerbooks https://abwestrick.com/2021/01/her-grandparents-barn-an-interview-with-linda-oatman-high/ Thanks for the interview!

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ABWestrick@ABWestrick·
18 Jan

Hey #mgbookchat, I love that you're talking about Youth Media Awards tonight! 9 PM is too late for me, so I'm chiming in early to say I'm doing another #MG #fiction #giveaway. Signup ends tomorrow: AS FAR AS BIRDS CAN FLY by @lindaoatmanhigh https://abwestrick.com/2021/01/her-grandparents-barn-an-interview-with-linda-oatman-high/ #kidlit

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Maggie Brown@MrsBrownRRMS·
15 Jan

@what_a_story @ABWestrick I LOVE this book!!! @RRMSLibrary recommended it to me several years ago and I reference it (and recommend it) every year when I teach Reconstruction. Such a great read!

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Articles, Interviews, & Podcasts:

Podcast: Working Title on the 85K Writing Challenge, where I confess that I’ve stopped beating myself up over my process. It is what it is. March 20, 2019

Podcast: Working Title on the 85K Writing Challenge, where I talk about setting priorities in my writing life. February 20, 2019

Podcast: Working Title on the 85K Writing Challenge, where I ramble about my writing process, including how I conquer writer’s block. January 23, 2019

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