TYRELL
by Coe Booth
Young Adult
www.CoeBooth.com
5 Signed Copies will be given away on Friday, October 14, 2011!
About the Book:
Tyrell is a young, African American teen who can't get a break. He's living (for now) with his spaced-out mother and little brother in a homeless shelter. His father's in jail. His girlfriend supports him, but he doesn't feel good enough for her - and seems to be always on the verge of doing the wrong thing around her. There's another girl at the homeless shelter who is also after him, although the desires there are complicated. Tyrell feels he needs to score some money to make things better. Will he end up following in his father's footsteps?1) What’s the first thing you do when starting a new book?
The first thing I do is go out and buy a new notebook. I don’t outline, but I like to have some idea of the characters before I jump into writing. I take lots of notes about all the characters and their backstories, and I also record observations and bits of dialogue I overhear. When I think I can hear my main character’s voice, then I’m ready to actually begin writing!
2) When you set out to write a book, are you usually sparked by a story idea or a character?
Definitely a character. When I start writing I have to be excited about the character and the possibility of getting to know him or her better. Plot is something that doesn’t come as easily for me. Actually, I never have any idea about the storyline until I’m already into the novel and I know my characters well enough to know what they would want and how they’ll go about getting it. For me, that’s what drives the plot.
3) What scene or bit of dialogue in the book are you most proud of and why?
In Bronxwood, I liked writing the dialogue between Tyrell and his friend Cal. In the beginning, they’re mostly joking around and talking about “guy” stuff, but then the situation gets more serious and their dialogue reflects the fact that they’re not all about having a good time anymore. They’re growing up and figuring out a way to communicate with each other in a serious way. The last scene between them is probably my favorite scene in the book.
4) Considering a book from the first word you write to the moment you see it on a bookstore shelf, what’s your favorite part of the process? What’s your least favorite?
My favorite part is writing the first draft, just getting the story out of my head and not caring if it actually makes sense or not. It usually doesn’t! But the good thing is I know I’ll write another draft and another, so there’s no need to worry about it now. Also, nobody else has to see that first draft and, trust me, that’s a good thing! My least favorite part is when I’m trying to pull together that final draft. Deadlines make me anxious. I’m always worried that my editor will tell me I have to start all over again. Letting someone else see your book can be very scary.
5) Thinking back to the way beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
I’ve learned not to interfere with the preciousness of that first draft. In the past, I would always write a few chapters and then go back over those chapters again and again until they were perfect — which they never were! I now know that the first draft is not supposed to be perfect or anything close to it. It’s raw and messy and free. It’s not supposed to be revised and polished, not until you have the whole first draft finished!
About the Author:
Coe Booth started writing “novels” in second grade, then digressed, working with teens and families in crisis in the Bronx and as a writing consultant for the New York City Housing Department. After receiving an MFA in creative writing from The New School, she finished Tyrell. She was born in the Bronx and still lives there. Visit the author online at: www.CoeBooth.com.
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1 comments:
Thanks for the giveaway!
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