As someone who jumped into the world of fiction after decades of journaling and personal essay writing, I couldn’t agree more.

Before we continue, let me clarify a few terms. Regardless of genre, a novel is always fiction. A memoir is a true story (recent literary scandals aside) the author writes about some aspect or time in his own life. An autobiography is the true story of the author’s entire life history (and generally only works for celebrities or public figures or someone with an equally compelling entire history). A biography is a true story written about someone else’s life history. In this post, we’re discussing the pitfalls of taking a real life story, keeping it real (or only very loosely disguising it) and calling it a novel.

How to Kill the Muse in One Easy Step: Tell the Truth

It took me about fifty pages to figure out why basing a novel too closely on real life is the fastest way to kill off the muse.

Why? When we set out to turn the True Story of Me into fiction, we still feel responsible to tell the truth, almost exactly as it happened (or as closely as we remember it happening). That sense of responsibility can become so overpowering that it prevents writers from fictionalizing any plot point or character trait or event, even if the made-up version would make for a much more compelling story. Too much honesty blocks the creative process. It puts us squarely in the “must tell the truth” offensive so that when the muse comes knocking, we squash her. We’re simply not open to new twists, to characters interacting in unplanned ways and taking their own paths, to themes developing organically, to totally off the wall ideas, because the story is already complete in our mind and needs only to be written down exactly (or close to exactly) as it happened.

I truly believe that every person has a story, and that every life is interesting. That’s why I write contemporary realistic fiction. But can that spark of an interesting life be translated into a full-length novel? Interesting doesn’t mean fascinating or exciting or heart-wrenching. When writers develop books and screenplays, the boring parts are cut (or should be). The “ums” and shoulder shrugs, the trips to the bathroom, the sleeping, the long ho-hum stretches of “nothing happened” that we all experience in real life are cut from novels because, although we can all relate to those things, they don’t advance the plot or add to our understanding of the character and his motivations. They don’t make for a good story.

Some of the best fictional stories, in fact, are wildly different from the author’s original intentions. The author was open to the lies and twists and turns that the creative process naturally inspires. She wasn’t set on one version of the truth. She wasn’t trying to gun down her muse.

What happened to the old “Write what you know!” stuff?

Beginning writers here this advice all the time, but it doesn’t make any sense. As fiction writers, its our job to make stuff up (and write it down). We get to use our imaginations — that’s just part of the gig. We can also research unfamiliar topics and totally twist and exaggerate those we’re more knowledgeable on. So rather than write what you know, I like to say, write what you care about. That might be a theme or an issue, a particular character you’ve envisioned, a setting or place, a life situation, a story or plot line that keeps you up at night, or all of the above.

But where do I start?

Let real life inspire your story rather than dictate it. I “borrow” stuff from my memories and observations all the time. The setting for Twenty Boy Summer was based on beaches and summer resort towns I’ve visited over the years. The relationship between best friends Anna and Frankie had similar dynamics (and drama!) to those of my own teen best friendships. Like main character Anna, I collect sea glass and love Jack Kerouac. In Fixing Delilah, I used bits and pieces from my grandparents’ homes and a few story threads from the family archives. But in no way to either of these books represent actual events or people in my life, past or present. I simply borrowed bits and pieces — a voice here, the view from an old house there, a piece of jewelry, a cool trait from a relative, the smile and laugh of another — and used them as kindling to spark the rest of the story.

Realistic fiction needs truth.

Storytelling isn’t all lies. Real life is an important element of realistic fiction. By infusing fiction with reality rather than forcing reality into fiction, we can create authentic stories and characters that resonate with readers. A bit of real life keeps realistic fiction fresh — when done well, it prevents our characters from becoming cardboard cutouts or caricatures and makes the readers wonder, “did this actually happen? Could this have happened?”

Otherworldly fiction needs it, too.

Borrowing from reality is just as important — if not more so — in fantasy and science fiction genres. Readers will suspend disbelief and follow a story where vampires and werewolves exist in high school because they connect with and believe the core elements of the story — the truths of it to which we can all relate. Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series is not about a vampire and human love affair, but about finding and holding on to love against all odds. At its core, The Lord of The Rings is not about defeating a dark lord, but about friendship and loyalty. Harry Potter isn’t just a boy wizard, but an abandoned and lost kid who finds his inner strength and overcomes life’s most difficult and heartbreaking obstacles. Love, friendship, loyalty, heartbreak, adversity, obstacles. We’ve all experienced (or will experience) these things in life, and so should our favorite fictional characters.

What about memoir?

Oh! That’s different… sort of. A memoir is not fiction. In a memoir, you’re intentionally telling the True Story of Some Event or Situation in Your Life, presumably because it’s a unique, amazing story that must be shared with the reading world. The best memoirs have something more than just a good story, though. Lots of people have experienced an illness, lost a loved one, had a bad childhood, but great memoirs capture something even more unique and compelling about these kinds of experiences. I’m not going to say too much about the craft of writing memoir, since I have no experience in this form, but I will tell you that even with an intentionally true story, you need to do so much more than simply tell the events as they happened. The memoir must be crafted like a novel, cutting out the boring parts and characters that don’t advance the story, organizing the writing so that the plot unfolds organically and has the biggest impact on readers, all while staying true to reality. If you’re interested in writing memoir, check out agent Kristin Nelson’s blog, pubrants. She’s got some interesting posts on memoir in her June 2007 archives (scroll down to the mid-month entries).

Just remember: a memoir is not fiction. A novel is not the truth. All great stories have elements of truth and lies, of reality and fantasy. The most important thing we can do as writers is be open to the creative process, and when the muse comes knocking, put down the guns and put on the coffee. Welcome her in and listen to what she has to say, especially when she’s making up lies. Your story will be better for it!

Your turn!

Writers, have you tried to turn real life into fiction? Did it work for you? Do you have any tips for finding story inspiration in real life without letting the truth get in the way of the tale?

Good morning (er… make that afternoon), readers! Like many of you who stayed up all night to finish one of the most anticipated YA trilogy conclusions in history, I am just waking up to face a new day. A day where the Hunger Games no longer exist, and where the bright Colorado sun seems completely unreal after so many hours in the dark dystopia of Panem. Coffee? Yeah. Today’s gonna be a 3-cup kinda day!

Here’s what I have to say about Mockingjay. And there are tons of spoilers here, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know what happens!

Let’s start with the good:

Collins did an incredible job conveying the post traumatic stress of the characters who’d endured not only the brutality of the Games, but the brutality of war and revolution — primarily, Katniss and Peeta. The nightmares, the anguish, the never quite finding their place or fitting in with their friends and family again. The sometimes inconsistent behavior and feelings. The self-doubt and suicidal thoughts. If Haymitch from the earlier books was any indication of how victors live post-games, I knew they’d be in for a rocky ride, regardless of the outcome of the story.

I also liked how each of the characters dealt with the justifications of war in different ways. Katniss was always conflicted. Gale was vengeful, but still retained his love for Katniss, which was to me one of the only things preventing him from becoming a total killing machine. Peeta was so far gone from the torture he’d endured at the hands of Snow that I doubted he’d ever come back. Prim found her footing as she matured far beyond her years, taking on the trade of heeler with energy, compassion, and skill. Haymitch and Katniss learned to really respect and care for one another, and their relationship was one of the most interesting in the trilogy.

The parallels between district 13 and the Capitol — that was another great element. As Coin’s motivations became more clear, as the rules in district 13 tightened, I was turning the pages with anticipation as to how this would play out. This part of the storyline had more potential than almost any other subplot… until it just didn’t. And here’s where the momentum of the story started to break down for me.

All the whispers, the hints at conspiracy, the foreshadowing and potential plot twists… it fizzled out, as if “the girl who was on fire” just kinda laid down in the rain. Instead of playing out these awesome political and mind-bendy plot lines, Collins overcompensated with shock value. She over-described some of the violence and gore and spent a lot of time telling us through Katniss about what war does to the mind, but she underdeveloped other parts of the story — important parts. Parts that held the series together and drove the action forward.

Katniss never fully came into her own in Mockingjay. In Hunger Games, she was a floundering yet passionate girl desperate to protect her family and stay alive. While she made a lot of mistakes, we loved her even more for them, because we saw her struggle, we believed her desperation and her motives, and we wanted her to succeed. We saw her near-double-suicide not as the easy way out, but the final spit in the face of the Capitol that had pulled the strings for so long.

In Catching Fire, the story was fast-paced and intense, Katniss still struggling but really maturing as a fighter and a person. She really could be the spark of the revolution, the girl from District 12 who could save the country from final, utter ruin. Like the rebels in Panem, I believed in her. I wanted her to take charge and lead. I get that she was damaged and confused. Grieving and afraid. Unsure of the role forced on her and how to move forward. But still, she seemed poised to fight the fight, in any way that she could. When she sent that message to Snow — YOU WILL BURN WITH US! — I thought, here we go. It’s on!

But after that brief spark, the fire in her seemed to die out. She spent most of the story hiding or running away, or simply following orders (despite her reminding us on several occasions about her inability to follow orders). She talked about some of the parallels between 13 and the Capitol, but this never went anywhere until near the end when Coin — who inexplicably had Prim killed but left Katniss alive, despite having tried to assassinate her with Peeta earlier — asked them to vote on whether to have another Hunger Games. And Katniss, despite the utter defeat of “things will never change,” her ongoing terrible struggles with the aftermath of killing humans for her own survival, and her sympathy for even armed members of the Capitol’s goon squad, votes yes? YES?! I was outraged, but then I thought she must have something up her sleeve.

But when she finally killed Coin, leaving Snow to die on his own, I was utterly let down. Not because of her choice, but because it wasn’t really a choice at all. It seemed random, because Coin happened to be in the line of fire (which also made no sense. If Coin was so afraid of Katniss, why would she arm the girl and then stand in the line of execution?), and Snow coughed and it reminded her of what he said about Coin manipulating them for her own gain, so she raised her bow and let the arrow fly. Yes, Coin had to die, and all the more awesome that it happen at Katniss’ hand, but… how much more powerful could this scene have been if Katniss actually made a choice? Instead, she kills Coin kind of on a whim, then tries for days to kill herself in the aftermath. Coin is dead, Snow is dead, someone else becomes president, and then — just like with the storm on the president’s mansion — Katniss is told about it after the fact. The storm on the mansion was supposed to be one of the most powerful parts of the book, but again, we’re told about it with Katniss after a bizarre dream/near-death sequence. I felt so disconnected from Katniss in this book.

In this kind of a story, a happy ending would seem a mockery. Even a sad ending with too much hope wouldn’t have worked. Children murdering children? Fighting an evil government for the survival of the human race? Not much room for bluebirds and rainbows after that. I liked that she went back to 12, that Haymitch was with her, that they made the book of the dead, that the districts were slowly rebuilding. But overall, I felt the ending was really weak. Yes, Katniss realized that Gale wasn’t right for her, but again, she didn’t have to make any choices. All of the struggles we’d predicted after the intensity and twists in the first two books simply fell apart in Mockingjay. Gale left with little fanfare — in fact, she seemed relieved that he was out of her life so that she didn’t have to chose, and she wasn’t the least upset by the fact that her best and oldest friend (and more) left without a goodbye (or even another word for the rest of her life). Peeta just showed up and kind of waited around until she finally took him in. Her mother basically vanished from her life. Katniss didn’t really grow or change. She just… fizzled. That’s the best word I can think of.

Have you read it? What do you think? Am I being to hard on Katniss? Too hard on Collins? Are you Team Peeta fans happy with the outcome?

I love your books. I need your books. Teens need your books. And the kinds of teens who most desperately need your books are the kind that don’t have the “luxury” of “concerned parents” deciding what they should and shouldn’t read.

And here’s what I think of the situation in Humble, Texas:

*applause applause applause*

From our online home at www.thecontemps.com, we’ll host regular blog features Tuesdays through Thursdays (including but not limited to embarrassing stories and photos from our own frightening teen years), contests and giveaways (check out the Contemps Challenge!), author interviews, and spotlights on new contemporary young adult fiction. We’ll also be doing library and bookstore outreach and in-person events early next year.

Participating authors include: Brent Crawford, Hannah Harrington, April Henry, Kirsten Hubbard, Denise Jaden, Kody Keplinger, Jo Knowles, Lindsey Leavitt, Sarah Darer Littman, Michael Northrop, Sarah Ockler (hi!), Micol Ostow, Lisa Schroeder, Elizabeth Scott, Mindi Scott, Emily Wing Smith, Courtney Summers, Kristen Tracy, Melissa Walker, Sara Bennett Wealer, and Daisy Whitney.

If you love contemp YA and want to see more of it, visit The Contemps for a welcome message from Lisa Schroeder, author of CHASING BROOKLYN, FAR FROM YOU, and I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, and find out how you can get involved in sharing the contemp love.

Out of 127+ entries (book blogger = rock star), the universe (with the help of random.org) has selected the winners of the Fixing Delilah cover reveal contest!

The winner of a signed hardcover of Fixing Delilah is…

Jordyn at Ten Cent Notes

And the grand prize winner, the host of Fixing Delilah’s first ever public cover appearance (who also wins a signed hardcover), is…

Linna at 21 Pages

Congrats to the winners, and thanks to all the book bloggers for participating and tweeting and generally being awesome and amazing!

Now there’s only one thing left to do: head over to 21 Pages and check out that cover! And don’t forget to follow Jordyn and Linna’s blogs for lots more great book talk!

UPDATE: This contest is now closed. To see the winners and the official cover, check out Fixing Delilah Cover Revealed!

The story of FIXING DELILAH almost has a face!

Well, not a literal face, but… you’ll see! The cover is receiving its final touches this week, and I can’t wait to share it with everyone. But rather than hogging all the fun, I’m handing over the job of Big Official Cover Reveal to one random book blogger. The selected blogger will get the exclusive scoop, posting the new cover on his or her blog before anyone else — including me! The winner will also receive a signed hardcover of FIXING DELILAH. If we get more than 50 entries, I’ll send a signed book to a second winner, so it pays to re-tweet!

If you’re a book blogger and you’d like to enter for a chance to host the cover reveal and win a signed hardcover, just leave a comment here with the link to your blog, and then… keep your fingers crossed! Winners will be selected soon!

(Note: some comments aren’t showing up immediately when you enter them, but they will, I promise!)

The fine print…

• This contest is open to book bloggers only (including teens, librarians, teachers, and anyone who blogs primarily about books, regardless of age of blog or number of followers).
• Enter only one comment per blog. If you have more than one book blog, you can enter each blog separately.
• Entries without a link to a book blog will be disqualified, so don’t forget to include your link!

(And don’t you especially love how YouTube always manages to find the single most goofy-looking frame to use for the still image?)

It’s been a while since I’ve updated the Q&A section of the site, so I thought I’d take some time today to answer the most common reader questions here, then I’ll post them permanently on the Q&A page. In the mean time, if there’s anything else you want to know, just ask in the comments below (no Twenty Boy Summer spoilers, please!).

Now, on to the questions…

About Twenty Boy Summer:

1. Are you writing a sequel to Twenty Boy Summer?
This is by far the #1 question I hear from readers. I’m thrilled that so many of you loved TBS enough to want to follow the characters into a new adventure! When I wrote TBS, I never intended the story to continue into a second book. I tried to tell the story of Anna, Frankie, and Matt at the most important point of their shared story, and leave the rest to the imagination of the reader. I don’t currently have plans for a sequel, but I may revisit those characters again in the future — you never know! In the mean time, I hope that readers who enjoyed TBS will check out my new novel, Fixing Delilah, which comes out in November. While it’s not connected to TBS, I think you’ll enjoy the following the new characters as they deal with some pretty heavy secrets, family issues, and new love on a summer away from home.

2. Is Zanzibar Bay, California (the setting of TBS) a real place?
Zanzibar Bay is not a real place on the map, but it’s based on memories of real places like it, including Myrtle Beach, SC, Ocean Beach, CA, Santa Cruz, CA, Martha’s Vineyard, MA, Long Beach, Canada, and other ocean beaches and seaside towns on the coasts. I really just wanted to capture the essence of a beach town, with a mix of tourists and locals, and the feeling of being with the ocean. I took the best parts of places I’ve visited throughout my life, stirred them up, and developed the setting for Twenty Boy Summer.

3. Are you going to make Twenty Boy Summer into a movie?
The process of turning a book into a movie is not something many authors are involved in, funny enough! When Little, Brown bought Twenty Boy Summer, they actually bought the rights to it — meaning they can print and distribute it in English in the US and other countries. They also bought what’s called subsidiary rights — foreign translation, audio book, e-book, film and television, etc. So to make TBS into a movie, a film or entertainment company would need to negotiate with Little, Brown to buy the film option (meaning they are buying the option to make a film, but that doesn’t even mean that they will), and once that happens, there are many more steps involved, including but not limited to finding producers, directors, acting talent, a script writer, funding, and all sorts of legal negotiations. This is a really short explanation of a very long and complicated process with lots of lawyers and paperwork involved, but the bottom line is that as much as I would love to see Anna and Frankie on the big screen, it’s not something I can control. But if it does happen, I promise I’ll blog about it here, probably for like an entire year straight.

4. Where can I listen to music by Helicopter Pilot, the girls’ favorite band in Twenty Boy Summer?
Helicopter Pilot was a real band based in Buffalo, NY, for which my brother Scott was the drummer. Scott and each of his former band members — Joe, Jay, and Brandon — have cameo appearances as themselves in TBS. They were together for many years until about a month before TBS released, when they decided to go their separate ways musically. So, there isn’t a place for you to see or hear them perform, but I’ll let you know if they ever get back together!

About Writing:

1. Can you read my novel / story / query letter?
No, I’m not able to read unsolicited materials. But it’s a good idea to have someone read your work, particularly if your goal is to become a published author. One of the best things you can do for your writing is to invite feedback from other readers and writers outside your circle of family and friends. Consider joining an in-person or online critique group so that you can get an outsider’s honest perspective on your work. Something that’s obvious to you in the plot might confuse someone who’s never read your story. A character that’s fully developed in your head might not be translating on to the page. You may have pored over the lines of your story so many times that you’ve lost all perspective. So by all means, find a few trusted readers to check it out before you start querying agents.

2. I’ve heard the agent search can take a long time, so I’d like to get a head start. Do you have to finish writing a book before querying agents?
Yes. For debut fiction authors, you should complete your manuscript before trying to pitch it to agents. When you send a query letter to an agent, you’re basically presenting a short summary of the book in an attempt to interest the agent in representing you. If the agent likes the sound of your story and writing based on your query, he will ask you for either a partial (anywhere from 20 to 100 pages) or the full (the complete manuscript). Even if he asks for the partial, if he likes that, he’ll want to see the full next. So if you’re not done yet, and an agent is excited about your work and wants to see it, you’ve just wasted his time, because you don’t have anything to show him yet. Now you’re rushing to finish it, or backpedaling, and probably missing your chance at working with that agent. Yes, sometimes it does take a while to find the right agent for you and your work. But sometimes it only takes a few days. Be prepared and professional! Finish your work and make it the best you can make it before you start your search. It will be worth the effort!

3. Are you writing another book?
Yes, I’m always writing another book. I can’t help it! My next book is another contemporary YA story called Fixing Delilah, which hits the shelves in November 2010. You can learn more about the book and read the first two chapters here. I’m currently working on a third contemporary YA novel, but I’m not ready to share too many details yet. Stay tuned!

I think that covers most of the questions you’ve asked. If there’s anything else you want to know, just leave a comment here and I’ll do another update soon!

1. We moved back to Colorado! After 2 years back east, we realized how much we love the mountains and sunshine of the Centennial State. Yes, it really is sunny here. Mad sunny. The whole snowstorm thing is kind of an urban legend perpetuated by native Coloradans to keep people from moving here, but we’re totally onto those tricksters now. I mean, it’s so sunny here that even when it rains, we get rainbows.

2. Speaking of rainbows, did you see the Double Rainbow Guy video? If you have a few minutes, watch the whole thing.

I seriously got choked up watching this. How many people (especially adult people) do you see getting so emotional over anything, let alone a rainbow? Whenever I see a rainbow or some other really cool natural phenomena, I think about how fortunate I am to be able to witness such things, and “Bear” reminded me of that. Plus, I have a special affection for double rainbows, because they seem to appear in my life an special occasions, marking big and wonderful changes. The first was on our wedding day here:

The next was 2 years later on the day I accepted my first book deal, just after I left work for the day, wondering where this new path would take me. And three years after that, on the day we moved back to Colorado, we had a flash rainstorm followed by… yep, another double rainbow — the perfect welcome home sign. I didn’t even take a picture because I knew I’d always remember it.

3. FIXING DELILAH HANNAFORD news: The book is now called FIXING DELILAH, and the new cover is coming soon. Those of you who’ve scored ARCs have seen one cover, but it’s changing, so hold on! FIXING DELILAH officially hits the shelves, new title and new cover and all, on November 2.

4. Facebook freedom rocks! Hi. My name is Sarah. And I’ve been Facebook free for many blissful days. By “free” I mean “profile-less.” I still have a fan page for book updates and contests, but I don’t have the whole ball of big brotherly wax following me around to different web sites and collecting my personal information for some yet-to-be-revealed plot of global domination. Or something. Wait, I think my tinfoil hat is getting hot under all this sun…

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer filled with happy sunshine, double rainbows, and lots of great books!

Happy Book Birthday, SEA!

SEA hits the shelves across the country today, and people are already chatting it up all over the Intertubes. It’s a beautiful, heartbreaking story about an American teen named Sienna (aka “Sea”) who reluctantly travels to tsunami-ravaged Indonesia with her father to help orphans cope with post traumatic stress. Sea, whose own mother died in a plane crash on a similar trip, has already experienced her share of tragedy and struggle. Visiting the makeshift orphanage in Indonesia forces her to face some of her most personal and guarded demons. Through her eyes, with the help of a smokin’ hot boy named Deni, we get a glimpse of the immeasurable grief and trauma the families in Indonesia have endured, but we also learn a lot about their culture, their relationships, and their determination to rebuild. Sea’s own personal struggle parallels the larger tragedy, and through facing both, she just might find the strength to rebuild herself.

Check out the book trailer:

Romantic and heartfelt, lyrical and deep, SEA should be at the top of your summer reading list! Besides, Hedi is just an all-around sweetheart. So I hope you’ll join me in wishing her all the best on her debut… and when you see this gorgeous cover on the shelves at your favorite bookstore, pick it up!

Congratulations, Heidi!