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- “How long does it take to write a novel?”
- It depends on the writer, the book, the amount of time in a day, discipline, focus, and any number of other variables. Break On Through probably took about a year and a half with all the edits and writing around day jobs some of the time. My “practice novel” took a lot longer than that– say 2 years. Some people write books in 3-6 months. Others write much shorter books over a few weeks. I always wonder why people ask this question? Is it because they want to write a book? Are they taking bets? Is there a writer race on I don’t know about? There’s no really good answer. You write your novel until you and your editor(s) agree that it’s done.
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- “What inspired you to write Break On Through?”
- Several years ago, while I was writing my “practice novel” I also happened to sign up for some b-girl (breakdance) classes. It was the shebang! crew that taught those classes and initially got me interested. I loved it from the first moment I tried it, and I decided I wanted to give something back to breaking. But I’m a bit clumsy, and I realized my contribution to breaking would not be through dancing itself. Hence the book. I was also very intrigued as to how you can keep a crew of 4+ people together, when you have many different strong personalities all together in one group.
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- “How did you go about researching Break On Through? Do you know any b-girls or b-boys (breakdancers)?”
- I never intentionally researched breaking. It was just something I was lucky enough to try out and practice. I met a lot of great friends this way, many of them b-girls and b-boys. With a head full of breaking, it was a natural thing to want to write about.
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- “How much of Break On Through is autobiographical?”
- None of it. That’s the fun thing about fiction: you get to invent characters that aren’t like you, and imagine what different experiences might feel like to people who are nothing like you. Its an exercise in empathy. That said, there are a few moments in Break On Through that I did experience in real life, such as being told “maybe you should learn to bring your own school supplies” or feeling that breakers are like superheroes. Some things are too funny or vivid to let go, so I’ve just got to put them down on paper.
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- “How do you develop characters?”
- I am a nosy person. I listen to how people speak, and check out what they wear, and where they live, and how they walk, and what they eat, and who their friends are, and where they work or go to school, and countless other superficially insignificant details that all add up to a complete person once I figure out how they fit together. Developing characters is a similar process, just in reverse. But I never force details together for the sake of a story. A lot of it is intuitive.
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- “What does the nickname “2-Left” mean?”
- B-boys and B-girls (those are the “official” terms for a male or female breakdancer) usually try to choose a b-girl or b-boy name that describes them in some way, and makes them sound and feel like fierce competitors. A b-girl or b-boy name is supposed to pump you up and alert the crowd to the funk that is soon to overcome them. But I’m more clumsy than anything, and I’m not a real b-girl, so I thought it would be funny to adopt a nickname that would reflect that. Ergo: 2-left, as in “two left feet” as in the number of feet I feel like I dance with sometimes.
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- “What message do you want teens to take away from Break On Through?”
- I’d like to emphasize first and foremost that novels are FUN. They are ENTERTAINMENT. They are not a clever way to thinly veil a message that I want teens to swallow, like a giant pill hidden in a spoonful of ice cream or peanut butter. (This is how we trick our dog, Frances into taking her medicine.) Therefore, I want people, not just teens, to enjoy themselves when they read. If, after enjoying themselves, they want to go out and dance or make new friends or volunteer for something or brood in a quiet corner of the library, or try out for the school play, or start a skydiving team or just bum around the house watching Entourage on DVD, I want them to feel good about themselves while they do it. I trust that readers will find their own messages within stories and take away whatever lessons or ideas they need. I can’t tell people what to think, nor do I really want to.
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- “Break On Through should be a major motion picture / stage musical / tv show!”
- Thanks! You are so smart and attractive. Let’s be friends.
Frequently Asked Questions
February 18th, 2008
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