What’s in a Writer’s Toolbox? A guest post by Michael P. Spradlin
So it turns out that even teen librarians use toolboxes!
So do writers!
What is in a writer’s toolbox, you ask?
That’s a good question! And the answer is tools!
What kind of tools you ask!
Boy! You ask good questions!
The answer is, um tools? I mean it is a toolbox!
I’m kidding! I kid! It’s what I do.
When I think of a writer’s toolbox, I get a picture of Batman’s utility belt. No matter what situation Batman is facing at the time he has exactly what he needs in his utility belt. If the Riddler blasts him with a cloud of Riddler gas, no worries! There’s a gas mask in his utility belt.
One of the biggest tools in my toolbox is a handy thing I call ‘Retconning the passage of time in your story.’ It’s one of my most useful tools. I like my books to move quickly with fast paced action and characters that are always moving toward a goal, even if they are physically standing still. As such, I tend to be a little ‘fluid’ with how long it takes for some action to take place in the story.
To solve this problem, I just write right over it! In Rise of the Spider book one, if Rolf has to be somewhere, I make sure he always has the proper amount of time. I just have to make that happen later when I’ve finished most of the book. It also helps to have an editor that watches for these things, which I do! But seriously, I find it much easier to go back and correct those parts. Trying to lay it all out as I’m writing the scene just slows me down. This way, I never have to worry about one of my characters missing a train, or a bus BECAUSE I CAN CHANGE IT SO THEY DON’T!
The second tool in my toolbox is my Fiction Outline Eraser. I use detailed outlines for non-fiction. But not for fiction. It freaks me out. I’m the type of person is I created a detailed outline, I would be forced to stick with it. But wait! What if I create a detailed outline that’s crappy? Then I end up with a lot of work and a bad book.
Nope. I prefer to let my characters tell the story. They are way smarter than me anyway. So most of my outlines for fiction look like this one that I’m working on called:
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‘Steve Does Something!”
His name is Steve.
Steve is in a place.
Steve goes somewhere and comes across a thing.
The thing is valuable/dangerous.
There are some bad guys who also want the thing.
Snack break
There might be a sidekick for Steve.
I don’t know.
I don’t know.
Steve tries to keep the thing away from the bad guys and sprains his ankle.
Action. Action. Action.
Something explodes.
I like cheese.
More action and explosions.
Steve is starting to get mad that everything is exploding, and bad guys are chasing him.
Look at all the pretty colors!
The end.
Yes that is about as detailed as my fiction outlines get. But I’m flexible. However, I will strictly follow an outline if someone else creates it and pays me to.
The third tool in my writer’s toolbox is a Sonic Infusion, Laser Guided Jetpack with Air to Air missiles and Invisibility function.
That last tool is something I made up and isn’t really there BUT OMG!! WOULDN’T THAT BE AWESOME!
So I would love to know, teen librarians!
What do you have in your toolbox?
More importantly, how can I help you make sure your toolbox is chock full of THE RISE OF THE SPIDER when it goes on sale September 24, 2024?
You can find me all over the place to let me know. I’m very findable. I have a website michaelspradlin.com. I’m on the Xtwitter and Instagram thing. And I also hang out on FaceMeta! So hit me up! Let me tell you about Rise of the Spider and the plan for the series.
Meet the author
Michael P. Spradlin is the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author of the Spy Goddess series, The Youngest Templar series, and the Web of the Spider series, as well as several works of historical fiction, including the Western Heritage Award–winning Off Like the Wind: The Story of the Pony Express. He currently resides in Lapeer, Michigan, with his wife, daughter, and his schnoodle, Sequoia. Learn more at MichaelSpradlin.com.
About Rise of the Spider
Witness the chilling rise of Hitler’s Germanythrough the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy in this first book in the action-packed middle grade series Web of the Spider for fans of I Survived and A Night Divided.
1929, Heroldsberg, Germany. Rolf might only be twelve years old, but he’s old enough to know that things have not been good in his country since the end of the Great War. Half of Germany is out of work, and a new political movement is taking hold that scares him. Every night, Rolf’s father and older brother, Romer, have increasingly heated arguments about politics at the dinner table. And when two members of the new Nazi Party, Hans and Nils, move to town as part of the Hitler Youth, Rolf is uneasy to see how enamored Romer is by their promises of bringing Germany to glory.
Rolf doesn’t trust Hans and Nils for a moment. For all their talk of greatness, they act more like bullies, antagonizing shop owners who are Rolf’s friends and neighbors. Yet Romer becomes increasingly obsessed with their message of division, and Rolf watches in horror as his family fractures even further.
When there is an act of vandalism against a Jewish-owned business in town, Rolf fears Romer might have had something to do with it. Can Rolf find a way to intervene before things get any worse?
ISBN-13: 9781665947206
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication date: 09/24/2024
Series: The Web of the Spider #1
Age Range: 8 – 12 Years
Filed under: Guest Post
About Amanda MacGregor
Amanda MacGregor works in an elementary library, loves dogs, and can be found on Twitter @CiteSomething.
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