A Writer Talks About Writing – School Speech Boston

There was a buzz of anticipation among our students as they awaited the arrival of the speaker.

            “Here he comes!” someone whispered.

            “Awesome!” responded someone else.

            An outsider watching the scene might have thought that a famous athlete was approaching, instead of an author.

            On March 12, our school was privileged to host T. A. Barron, author of The Lost Years of Merlin epic, Heartlight, Tree Girl, and other wonderful books.  He spent the morning with our students, taking them on imaginative adventures and talking about his craft.

            Our students had many questions to ask Mr. Barron about the choices, the struggles, and the joys of writing.  His responses were both respectful and inspiring.

Q:  Did you need permission to write about a character as old as Merlin?

T. A. Barron:  No, no one owns this wonderful character.  But if you’re going to write about someone as deep and richly textured as Merlin, you need to do your homework.  Especially if you’re trying to break new ground¾to weave some new threads into his ancient, marvelous tapestry.  So before I started, I read everything I could about Merlin.

Q:  Do you ever start writing about something and then end up writing about something completely different from what you thought you were going to write about?

T. A. Barron: Yes!  I always pay attention to an idea that emerges unexpectedly from my mind, like a whale that comes from somewhere deep under the waves.  That’s your subconscious mind kicking in, and it’s important to listen to whatever it’s saying.

Q:  How do you think of a good first sentence?

T. A. Barron: I sometimes don’t write the first sentence until the end, when I know what the story’s really about.

Q:  Are any of your characters like anyone you know?  How do you develop them?

T. A. Barron: Oh, yes.  I watch people around me and look at the small things: how they talk, how they walk, how they gesture.  Then I try to go inside them to look at their motivations.

Q:  Which character in your books do you most resemble?

T. A. Barron: I think there is some of me in each character.  Everything you write is somewhat autobiographical.  But if you press me, Merlin is the one I think I most admire and probably identify with.

Q:  How do you introduce your characters in the story?

T. A. Barron: Throw them in¾let their actions introduce them.  Any good character is immersed in relationships, a particular place, and a gripping situation.  So jump right in!  Show the readers¾don’t just tell them¾what the characters are like.

Q:  How do you use dialogue?

T. A. Barron: The way a character speaks is highly important.  It’s a big part of character development.  Variations in tone, cadence, dialect, and grammar can give you a sense of who people are and how they act.  And make them more realistic for the reader.

Q:  How do you create different worlds?

T. A. Barron: Imagination has no limits.  Just make absolutely sure that your imaginary world feels real.  Make it true!  If the places and people you’re writing about don’t feel real to you then they won’t feel believable to the reader.  That’s one of the reasons I include maps with all my books: They make the worlds more detailed and believable.

Q:  Have you ever had a really good idea that didn’t work when you tried to write it down?

T. A. Barron: All the time.  If that doesn’t happen, you’re not doing your job.

Q:  What do you do when you get writer’s block?  What do you do when your story is going nowhere?

T. A. Barron: Stay with it, but get some distance.  Run, read, bake cookies, make spaghetti, listen to music.  Try to remember what was important to you about that story¾what made you feel passionate about it¾and why you wanted to tell it.  But finish it.  The worst thing is to start a story and not finish it.  The story might be the introduction to the story you really want to write.

Q:  Do you ever just start to write without any kind of plan?

T. A. Barron: Just in my journal.  When I’m crafting a story, I usually start with an outline.  But I’m always willing to toss it and let the story just roll.  After a while, if the characters feel true, they will basically get up and walk off the page.  And keep going.

Q:  Do you ever get a character into a really difficult situation and have no idea how you’re going to get him out of it?

T. A. Barron: Yes!  Sometimes I don’t have a clue, but I have to trust that the character will help me find the way out.

Q:  How do you know when it’s time to end a story?

T. A. Barron: The story will tell you.  If you’ve created your characters fully and listen closely to what their motives are, why they’re there, they’ll tell you¾even if it’s time for them to die.

Q:  Do you ever combine two different plot ideas into one story?

T. A. Barron: Sometimes, or I write two separate tales.  In The Fires of Merlin and The Merlin Effect, there are small stories with the main story.

Q:  Which perspective do you like better: first person or third person?

T. A. Barron: Both work for me.  It depends.  Sometimes you just have to decide what would be best for the reader.  I wrote two whole drafts of The Lost Years of Merlin in the third person before I could hear Merlin’s own voice clearly enough to tell the story in the first person.

 

Q:  Do you ever want to skip ahead when you’re writing a story?

T. A. Barron: Yes ¾ do it.  Stay with your passion!  Writing is about passion (something so beautiful you have to share it, or something so horrible or frightening you need to get it out of yourself).  Write about the things you really care about; that’s where your best writing will come from.

Q:  Do you know how the story will end when you start writing?

T. A. Barron: Sometimes I have a good idea of the beginning and the end, but I have no idea of the middle.  And other times it’s the underlying idea, or question, that gets me going.  For example, when I wrote The Ancient One, all I knew was that the great redwood tree was not just a tree or even a time tunnel, but a full-fledged character.  And I also knew, sadly, that it would have to die at the end.  But the rest of the plot was a surprise.  Even so, I was sure all along that the story’s underlying idea, was how every living creature is truly connected to every other creature on Earth.

Q:  Do you ever get something published, and then want to change it?

T. A. Barron: Sure, though by then I usually want to move on to the next project.  And that’s another reason why rewriting is really important.  I write seven or eight complete drafts of every story before I finish.  It’s hard work, but the story gets better, tighter, with every rewrite.

Q:  Is it hard to take criticism?

T. A. Barron: Yes!  Sometimes you don’t want to hear it or get mad¾but it’s still very important.  Criticism is really a gift.  I may choose to reject it, or not.  But I always want to know what I can do better.  One of the best things about writing is that you can always improve.

In a letter to T. A. Barron that night, one of our students expressed her feelings in the following way:

Right after you left, we had writing class.  Because of the answers you had given us to our questions, I knew just what to do with my story…I deleted three pages and “threw my character right into the action” like you said we should.  Your visit really inspired me to write my story the way that I really wanted to…and now it’s more real than it ever was before.  Thank you for everything you’ve taught me, both in your visit and your books.  Thank you for teaching me that there is some reason that I write in my diary every night.