Caroline Starr Rose

picture book and middle-grade author

  • home
  • Bio
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Anthologies
    • Blue Birds
    • The Burning Season
    • Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine
    • May B.
    • Miraculous
    • Over in the Wetlands
    • A Race Around the World
    • Ride On, Will Cody!
  • Author Visits
  • Virtual Visits
  • Events
  • Teacher Resources
  • Contact
  • Writing One to One

Five Thoughts on Reading and Writing of Late

Leave a Comment

Welcome to my brain. Recently I…

  • Read through my raven verse novel in an attempt to learn how to finish it. I’m a firm believer in finding answers to later parts of a manuscript in a story’s earlier sections, and I’ve learned some helpful things:
  • The initial encounter with the antagonist “lacks bite,” as my editor would say. (Four books in with Stacey, and I can anticipate some of her direction, which is helpful.) I realized it was because of this ho-hum first encounter that I was having a hard time approaching the key moments to come. Now that first meetup is stronger. I also have put my main character in a more difficult situation based on a poor choice she made in light of that encounter— something that will play into her character growth— nice!
  • I also could see the places I lost the story’s poetry. They were often connected to spots that followed dialogue. Good to know and helpful to be aware of as I move ahead.
  • After seeing Hamilton, I’m convinced musicals and verse novels are one and the same (or at least the way I experience musicals and verse novels).

  • I’ve also been thinking about storytelling techniques I especially enjoy as a reader and writer — ideas and themes that build and change and sometimes are entirely reversed, like Hamilton’s “I’m not giving up my shot” and pretty much every part of a Flannery O’Connor short story. This was a technique I played a lot with while writing Miraculous, by the way.

Thinking about story— how storytelling works, admiring what floats my boat, and discovering how I can make my own work better is pretty much my happy place.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Filed Under: books and reading, the writing life, this and that

Writing and Reading Links

Leave a Comment

Any other five-year journalers out there? I’m on year eight / journal two. The only rule I have for mine is there are no rules. That and be honest. (That would be two rules, wouldn’t it?) Sometimes I write what happened during the day or a quote I want to remember or my thoughts on this or that. It’s so interesting to see the days line up as the years pass, to see things that felt insurmountable somehow work themselves out. Time passes no matter if we make note or not. It’s nice to have a record of days.
One Line a Day Journal Lessons :: Well and Good

A fun interview with fellow New Mexico author Jennifer Bohnhoff, where I reveal an unknown bias I’ve brought to my writing (something I hope I’ve since remedied!).
Miraculous: An Interview with Author Caroline Starr Rose :: Thin Air

“Books should never be a fire exit from the slow burn of a humdrum existence. Rather, they should provide a ‘momentary stay against confusion,’ helping you return to the real world empowered to reimagine your particular place there, seeing with new eyes that particularly crooked neighbour with your own particularly crooked heart.”
Twelve Rules for the Bookish Life :: Comment

I love this idea!
On Preaching to the Choir :: Austin Kleon

“Some people postpone ‘real life’ to distant points in the future, subconsciously telling themselves it’s when they graduate, or get married, or switch jobs, or retire, that the truly meaningful part of life will begin.”
The Imperfectionist: How to Choose Sanity Now :: Oliver Burkeman

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Filed Under: books and reading, the writing life

Straight from the Source: Salma Hussain on Writing Historical Fiction

Leave a Comment

SALMA HUSSAIN grew up in the U.A.E. to parents from Pakistan, and immigrated to Canada when she was thirteen years old. She has a B.A. (Hon.) in English Literature with a concentration in creative writing from the University of Calgary, a law degree from the University of Calgary, and a Masters in Law from McGill University. She writes prose and poetry for both adults and children. Her work has appeared in various Canadian literary magazines, including filling Station, Fiddlehead, The Humber Literary Review, and in the anthology, Homebound: Muslim Women Poetry Collection. She lives in Toronto.

This is your first middle grade novel. What came first for you: the character? The era? The story idea? How did you proceed from there?

To answer this question, I’d like to share the origin story for this novel – when my daughter was five, she turned to me sleepily at bedtime and asked, “Mama, you were born outside Canada, right? Were you a regular kid just like us?” 

That one question was the spark behind this entire novel. I knew in that moment that I wanted to write a book in a child’s voice to answer my child’s question. It was also quite clear to me that this needed to be an immigration story so there was my plot! I thought a diary structure would give the reader the closest, most immersive experience so all these separate ideas for the book bloomed open at the moment of her question. Throughout the writing, I returned again and again to her question and it became my reason for writing this book. The one piece of advice I always find useful when it comes to working on a project is to know your WHY. WHY are you writing your story? The “HOW” you will do it usually becomes less foggy when you’ve really sat and simmered in your WHY.

How did you conduct your research?

Structurally, I wanted the novel/’diary’ to cover twelve months in the life of this young character, so I began with gathering and collating as much data about those twelve months as I could. Later I built in some comical moments because as readers in the present-day we see those twelve months more intelligently with foresight.

A lot of my research centered around the first Gulf War. The Iraqi military invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990. However, the main character, Mona’s first diary entry begins on January 1, 1991, so when readers meet this family they have already been dealing with the news of the Gulf War for a few months. This meant I had to insert context and background about the Gulf War quickly but in a way that would not be overwhelming, nor an “info-dump”! It took a few tries to get it right. I looked up the front pages of newspapers in the Middle East (in English, Arabic and Urdu) and compared and contrasted the headlines. I also listened to news coverage from different TV channels (a lot of this is available on Youtube). A lot of it was very sad. News about any war, anywhere, from any time period, is extremely sad. In contrast, I also looked at popular “fashion” magazines from that time and listened to music from the late 80s to 91. This research countered the sad stuff. I found that in order to escape to the reality and horror of war, people determinedly and resolutely sought out joy in fashion and food and music. I’d definitely encourage gathering information about the music and fashion of a time period to get a deeper appreciation of the mood and atmosphere of an era!

What kinds of different questions did you have of the time period? The more specifics here, the better!

What were the big headlines of that time period? In different newspapers and languages?
What was the body language of newscasters reading the leading stories of the time or “breaking news”? And/or what was the tone behind the stories from radio broadcasters (joy/anxiety, etc.)?
What were the popular songs at the time?
What were the popular daytime soaps? Sitcoms? Movies?
What were the big sporting events? I included a bit about a game with the L.A. Lakers because they were so huge at that time.
What were the popular toys? I also included a scene with a Cabbage Patch doll because they were all the rage at the time and I thought it was an important detail that a kid would notice!
Any interesting weather aberrations?

How long do you typically research before beginning to draft?

Research is ongoing for me throughout the writing process, so I go back and forth between writing and reading and researching. I also find it very helpful to read other historical fiction novels set during the same time period I’m writing about, and they can be from anywhere in the world!

Why is historical fiction important?

Historical fiction for kids conjures the past in a way that facts and dates are unable to.
Historical fiction novels are stories about ordinary people living during extraordinary times. The differences in what people ate, wore, danced to – these are fascinating details that remind us that even through the chasms of time and place and culture, humanity shares the same basic hopes and fears for love, belonging, and joy.

I love this.

Can you tell us where we can go to find out more about you and your writing?

Please follow me on Twitter and Insta: @salmahwrites. I post updates about my writing life on these platforms, and I also desperately need more followers! (My mom and her friends aren’t enough! :))
I also have a website (designed by the lovely Hazel of @staybookish): www.salmahwrites.com.

What’s one question you wish readers or interviewers would ask about your story?

What is Mona up to today? 🙂 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Filed Under: authors, books and reading, historical fiction, the writing life

Next Page »
Meet Caroline Starr Rose
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

my books

Subscribe to my newsletter + to receive regular blog posts

categories

  • A Race Around the World
  • authors
  • Blue Birds
  • books and reading
  • classroom connections
  • encouragement
  • faith
  • family
  • historical fiction
  • home
  • Jasper and the Riddle of Riley's Mine
  • May B.
  • Miraculous
  • non-fiction
  • Over in the Wetlands
  • poetry
  • publication
  • Ride On, Will Cody!
  • Song of the Raven
  • teaching
  • The Burning Season
  • The Notebook Series
  • the writing life
  • this and that

Copyright © 2023 · Caroline Starr Rose · Site by Design by Insight

I participate in Amazon Services LLC Associates and Bookshop.org, affiliate programs that allow me to make a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting this site!

Sign up for biweekly blog posts + my quarterly author newsletter and receive a printable quote from my novel, Blue Birds.