Comments on: Writing Girls and Writing Emotional Truth: SCBWI Highlights

By: Kourtney Heintz

Kourtney Heintz — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:05:29 +0000

Thanks! Glad I gave you a couple good takeaways. It was a great book on writing.

By: Zen and Genki

Zen and Genki — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:23:18 +0000

So well written, as always…and some valuable points to boot!

By: Elliot

Elliot — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 02:41:02 +0000

Good advice I think.

By: Kourtney Heintz

Kourtney Heintz — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 22:41:13 +0000

Fascinating woman, phenomenal speaker, thought-provoking keynote. Her idea of telling your emotional truth resonated through the conference and was something I really took to heart. : )

By: August McLaughlin

August McLaughlin — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:41:22 +0000

She sounds like a fascinating woman. Thanks for sharing her inspiring tips.

By: Kourtney Heintz

Kourtney Heintz — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:17:57 +0000

I think it depends on how you want your book to be perceived. If it is something that references a Justin Bieber song or a Britney Spears song, that will tie it to a certain time. If you want that, it’s cool, but if you wanted a book that could take place at any time, that will date it. If you read Pretty Little Liars, you’ll have a good example of how to date a book. The book is not set in a specific year or time, but she described characters by what brand they bought in clothes and accessories, but a few years later it sound dated. Because what was cool in 2006 was not cool in 2008 so people are left with lots of references that aren’t doing their original intention–signalling how cool and in style the characters are.

I’ve gotten this advice from agents as well about not using pop culture references unless I am setting the book in a definitive time or era.

By: Kourtney Heintz

Kourtney Heintz — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:10:22 +0000

I think of Twilight–no pop culture references. It could happen at any time. It could take place 15 years ago or today. It does sound like a hard book to read, but I think it’s worth reading. We are so lucky to not have lived through something like that. I want to read it and feel for the people who had to endure such treatment.

By: Ottabelle

Ottabelle — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 12:25:12 +0000

Shades of Gray sounds very hard to read. I’ve been really careful about dating my book. i want it to be something that can be read for a long time and understood.

By: Elliot

Elliot — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 04:44:45 +0000

Interesting advice. I can understand removing references that are too much “in the moment”, unless you are wanting it to be a specific time. Some other references, e.g. song titles etc could stay in most instances, I reckon. The reader having to look the odd thing up (if they want to) is no big deal so long as it is only a few times.

By: Kourtney Heintz

Kourtney Heintz — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 23:55:00 +0000

Jay Asher did it a lot in his The Future of Us book because it was set in the 1990s. The references work when you want something grounded in a specific time and that period is locked away and always associated with those things, but there is a danger when trying to write something set in “the current time” because that will shift with each year. Great example, with The Time Traveler’s Wife!

It’s going to be a hard read, but I think how lucky am I not to have lived through it. We each have a story that is at the root of us. Some are more earth shattering that others. But all valid.