Joshua S. Levy On Finding Voice & Plot Simultaneously

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. Always including in the WHAT is one random question to really dig down into the interviewees mind, and probably supply some illumination into my own as well.

Today's guest for the WHAT is Joshua S. Levy, author of Seventh Grade Vs. the Galaxy.

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

Broadly speaking, the origin point for the larger setting of this book—space—is just my own love of similarly set stories. I was raised by Star Wars and Star Trek (movies, TV, and so-very-many books). Firefly. Babylon 5. Battlestar Galactica. Doctor Who. I loved Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy as a kid. Dune, too. And I’m currently halfway through book 7 of The Expanse series.

What I most wanted to do in this book was translate the space setting into a middle grade novel intended first and foremost for kids. It’s one thing for a seventh grader to find and love Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. But the book (series, really) isn’t for them. Not directly, anyway.

I’m a lawyer now. But before law school, I was a middle school teacher. And at one point, I was standing in my classroom, and thought: What about this? Why can’t this—a typical school, with regular kids—be the heart of the story, even one set in space. And so Seventh Grade Vs. the Galaxy was born.

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

I immediately knew a few things: Seventh Grade Vs. the Galaxy would take place mostly onboard a “public school spaceship” (i.e., the “PSS 118”). The ship would have fusion engines and false-gravity generators, sure. But also classrooms and a gym and a cafeteria and a library. And the kids would have to be the ones to save the day.

Once that was set, the framework of the story became clear: The ship would be attacked by aliens. Find itself across the galaxy. And have to find its way home.

I’ll admit, I found the early worldbuilding a bit challenging. Why are kids going to school on old ships in space? Hopefully, Seventh Grade Vs. the Galaxy cracks that question open in a believable, not-too-convoluted way.

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

Oh, absolutely. Before I even knew the terms “pantser” and “plotter,” I instinctively understood that I was the former. I can try to plot. Outline. But I think that my best work happens when I let the story unfold as I write—then double back (and triple back and quadruple back) to smooth it over (and over and over).

Part of that, for me, is because—while I can outline/plan plot—I find it hard to outline/plan voice. Voice molds to the plot, certainly. But also sometimes, plot molds to the voice. (Or, at least, plot can facilitate moments that highlight the best of a character’s voice. And I don’t always know where those moments will live, until I find them.)

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

Ah, story ideas. If books could write themselves, I could fill a library.

Maybe.

I’m constantly coming up with new stories in my head. Now if only I could find the time and mindspace to make them all (or even a fraction of them) happen…Time is absolutely my most acute limiting factor. Of course, whether—if time were no object—I could actually write all those half-stories in my head is another question entirely.

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

Great question, even though I don’t think I have all that satisfactory of an answer. Mostly, it’s practical: What do I have time right now to attend to? What does my agent think makes sense to focus on? It’s not very romantic, but hopefully it’s productive. We shall see. Seventh Grade Vs. the Galaxy is my first published book. Maybe ask me again a couple more books down the line?

*crosses all fingers and toes*

I have lots of cats (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

My most productive writing environment is alone, in a busy coffee shop. There’s something about the combination of solitude and crowds that I find strangely motivating.

Author Leanne Baugh On Letting Characters Lead The Way

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. Always including in the WHAT is one random question to really dig down into the interviewees mind, and probably supply some illumination into my own as well.

Today's guest for the WHAT is Leanne Baugh, author of The Story of My Face, from Second Story Press.

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

For my book, The Story of My Face, inspiration came from a few sources. I was a teenager who struggled with body image and I wanted to find a story thread to explore this theme. Although I didn’t want to write an “issue book”, I knew I wanted to write a story with a female protagonist on her journey of self-acceptance. The other inspiration was a book called, The Bear’s Embrace by Patricia Van Tighem. This memoir is a very moving account of a woman who was severely attacked by a grizzly bear. That book has always stayed with me and became a great source of research for me. So, I put these two things together?

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

I just asked myself the question: In a society that is obsessed with beauty, how would a teenage girl with a severe facial disfigurement navigate her way to self-acceptance? And what obstacles would she face along the way? (Many, as it turns out.)

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

I try not to have the plot completely nailed down when I begin to write. I like to set the stage with a rough roadmap and then I just follow my characters around. They know where to take the story better than I do.

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

Sometimes I can’t write new story ideas down fast enough, and other times I’m tapping my pen on my notebook waiting for inspiration. Luckily, when the faucet is open, I usually have more than enough new material to explore. Then it’s a matter of figuring out what story really grabs me – what is the story I’m dying to tell.

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

The story I end up writing is usually the one where there’s the most energy. Characters will start nudging their way to the front of the line, (“Pick me, Pick me”). Sometimes I have vivid dream of certain settings, or scenes or bits of dialogue will just pop into my mind (usually when I’m on a walk or in the shower).

I have a lot of cats and usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

No furry writing buddies to keep me company, I’m afraid. The closest buddy would be my espresso machine! Sad, isn’t it?

London Shah on Finding Inspiration Everywhere

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. Always including in the WHAT is one random question to really dig down into the interviewees mind, and probably supply some illumination into my own as well.

Today's guest is London Shah, author of The Light At The Bottom of the World, a YA Sci-Fi, coming from Disney Hyperion in the fall of 2019.

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

Most definitely! Years ago, I watched the most magical movie—Splash. I absolutely loved it. Ever since, I fantasized about human beings, not mermaids, living underwater, and every underwater image or scene I ever saw made my pulse race. With The Light At the Bottom of the World, it was incredibly important to me that I create a submerged world otherwise as similar to our current one as possible, and not either some clinical, futuristic world we experience through the lens of hard sci-fi, or an underwater utopia experienced from the point of view of fantastical beings. Despite the entire planet being deep underwater, I wanted very much to maintain the aesthetic of life on Earth as we currently know it, avoiding an “anything goes” vibe, and lack of connection to the world—both of which I feel reduce the impact of the fantastical.

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

The plot grew organically once Leyla came to mind. She is, in her own way, a fish out of water so to speak, and also possesses a fear of the unknown. I always knew I wanted her to be forced to travel and explore this underwater world, and so an adventure was on the cards early on.

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

Oh yes—always. You can only plan so much and weaknesses in plausibility, characterizations etc are only revealed once you write that first draft. However, my general outline remains the same. It’s usually smaller detail, and most often scene structure, that I have to change.

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

Oh goodness . . . There are so many, many stories already in my head! Unfortunately, I am a slow writer. But yes, the ideas and possibilities are endless—and ever growing! Any time I step outside of my home, especially if it’s just rained—and even more so if it’s the evening time—all I see are endless fantastical beings everywhere I look, lurking, curious, feeling, living beside us unseen. Other times I see us in fantastical ways. So many characters, so many possibilities—so many, many worlds to create and explore. I feel I have enough ideas to last me a lifetime, truly. Again, sadly, my pace of writing means I’ll never get most of them down.

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

For me, it’s exactly how Victoria Schwab describes her own process, where the ideas are all pots on a stove, simmering away. Sometimes, for me, a new pot might cook faster than one already on the stove, depending on how strong and ready my ideas and the sense of urgency to tell that story are. I always thought a certain contemporary urban fantasy would be my second story, but once the protagonist of my current WIP crashed into my head, her character, and all these ideas for a historical fantasy, were incredibly strong. I put it on the back burner along with my contemporary urban fantasy. As I worked out what I wanted for both, I realized the new idea was not only more developed, but I was suddenly more passionate about it than the urban fantasy. So it’s the Persian historical fantasy that I’ve chosen to write next and am currently drafting—while cursing and eating for England!

I have many cats and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

I need absolute solace and silence when writing, as I’m distracted far too easily unfortunately. The only welcome distractions are regular pots of tea and an assortment of cakes!