The Lasagna was Dry, but the Conversation was Great

So I promised I'd report back on my evening with children's writer Marsha Skrypuch, who was in Montreal for the launch of her latest book, Prisoners in the Promised Land: The Ukrainian Internment Diary of Anya Soloniuk (Scholastic). As I've already told you in the title of today's entry, my salmon lasagna didn't turn out that great. On the bright side, though, I learned a lot fromMarsha. We talked about how she got started as a writer, and how she goes about writing her books. There was one thing she told me that I thought would be especially useful for aspiring writers out there. Marsha explained how before she actually starts to write a book, she needs to know her main character inside out. Here are Marsha's exact words: "Before I can write a story, I have to have my character wake up in the morning and I have to be able to take him or her through the whole day." Marsha writes all that up, and eventually that material finds a place in her novel. I agree that it's really important to know as much as possible about your character before you begin to write. That way, figuring out your plot also becomes easier because your character does what he (or she) HAS to do. For instance, if your character is impulsive, she might not ponder long (if at all) over an important decision, and that might get her into trouble -- and provide you with an interesting story!!