Ellen Mulholland: writer, dreamer, explorer
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let's go on a blog hop

7/7/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture
Taking a break from writing tips this week to participate in an invitational Blog Hop via my writing pal north of the border, Natalie Sampson. This feisty mom also writes YA. Please visit her page and check out her books. http://www.nataliecorbettsampson.com/

Here’s a little more than you need to know about me. Stick it through to the end where you will find a few other blog recs for your writing bookmarks.

1. What am I working on?
I am 50,000 words into my third contemporary YA novel.  The story follows high school freshman Kathryn Clark and her obsession to track down Michael J. Fox. She hopes he can do for her what his fictional character did for his folks in the film “Back to the Future”. Reignite their passion. She’s desperate to change her past and right her future. Besides the obvious, there are a few problems with this plan: 1, Kathryn’s never met her dad, 2, her mom seems too distracted hopping in bed with other men to care about any reunions. But those aren’t even Kathryn’s biggest issues. This girl hears voices. Even worse, she talks back to them. The kids at school call her a freak. All of them except for her dyslexic BFF Veronica and one skinny toy clerk Mick Falls. When these three outcasts band together, they discover that the only time worth changing is now.  

2. How is my work different from others of its genre?
If we’re talking the genre of Literary Fiction, I don’t think my work is radically different. I try to write from the adolescent’s point of view, focusing on their angst, anxieties and emotions. My characters are real, ordinary, everyday kids you’d meet in school. I try to portray them pimples and all. Hopefully, in the end, they learn something about life and show it to us.

3. Why do I write what I do?
I am a mom and middle school teacher. I see kids going through such worry over simple daily life. Yet the years go on, they grow up and I see they’ve survived and become these amazing young people. I want to tell their stories.

4. How does my writing process work?
I begin with a story seed. I see something and it sparks an idea. I roll from there. Once a book starts to form, I make a goal to write everyday. Sometimes it’s notes on index cards or post-its. Sometimes it’s a thousand words. I usually create a notebook with sections for things like CHARACTERS, THEMES, SCENE IDEAS, SETTINGS, PLOT. I begin writing my story in a linear format, but sooner or later I am hopping back and forth between chapters, time and characters. I rewrite and delete a lot. A lot.

Currently, I am in search of an editor.

Here are three Twitter folks whose blogs I enjoy perusing for ideas and advice:

@morgenwriteruk MorgEn Bailey - https://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/ lots of good advice!

@FionaQuinnBooks Fiona Quinn - http://thrillwriting.blogspot.com/ fabulous tips for thriller writers and more.

@HeatherJacksonW Heather Jackson - http://heatherjacksonwrites.com/blog/ - Lots of juicy articles here.

4 Comments
Tui Snider link
7/10/2014 05:28:14 am

Your had me at "band of outcasts." Maybe sooner, actually, but I am definitely partial to stories about misfits. Sounds like a good read!

Isn't Twitter great for connecting with inspiring people? I'll definitely hop over to the folks you mentioned to see what they're blogging about. :)

Reply
Ellen Mulholland link
7/10/2014 11:50:49 am

Thanks, Tui! Yes, I am loving meeting new writers on Twitter. I love the diversity in peoples' blogs, too. Lots of fun :)

Reply
Lisa Reiter link
7/13/2014 04:41:47 pm

Always interesting to read your posts but I LOVE this insight into how and why you write - with 4. Do you mean you let the seed take you rather than plot before writing?

Will follow up on those twitterati too.

Reply
Ellen Mulholland link
7/14/2014 01:59:07 am

Hi Lisa,
Thanks for visiting.
Yes, sometimes the seed is the plot. Sometimes it's a sub-theme, a character, or a conversation.
In the story that I'm currently writing, I started with the character. However, within her story was the plot. You see, everything is so dependent on each other. Of course, the plot and all else have changed since I began.
In "Birds on a Wire," I began with the plot - single mom caught sleeping with her son's best friend. That story changed within the first chapter and became a coming out tale. The mother moved into the background, barely even taking up page space.
I think we all start a little differently. That's what makes writing so much fun!
How do you begin your ideas? Do they change along the way?

Reply



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  • Home
  • Blog and More
  • Words by Ellen
  • Words about Ellen
  • Writer in Motion
  • BIRDS ON A WIRE
  • THIS GIRL CLIMBS TREES
  • Book Reviews
  • 10 simple writing tips
  • Great writers for young writers to read
  • Author visits, book signings, more
  • Shop
  • Poetry recordings by Ellen
  • Logos Publishing House
  • Young Minds