The McGillicuddy Book of Personal Records
Page 15
Rhonda is a feisty, complicated character. While this is primarily Lee’s story, Ron is almost as interesting as he is. What is her place in the story?
Rhonda never started out having a specific agenda or “place” in the story. She simply appeared as I started writing and I couldn’t deny her a depth of character. She is secondary, but she came to me alive and breathing and I didn’t want to stifle her verve. I really like Rhonda.
In your story, you give the adult characters more than a one-dimensional role in the story. Why did you choose to do that?
Again, I didn’t “choose” consciously to bring dimension to the roles of the adults in the book. But I find colorful characters more interesting to read and write about. Also, as I’m writing, I can’t help listening to how the characters wish to be presented. Writing has a lot to do with a certain kind of intuitive “listening.” I know this sounds a bit goofy but it delights me when I start “hearing” their voices and hence their roles instead of forcing them to life.
What about Santiago’s role?
It seemed natural to me that since Santiago is such a big part of Lee’s life, he also needed a “voice.” I’ve never owned a dog but I imagine that dogs, cats, any kind of living being that’s important to someone else, must have the same tinges of compassion, joy, and empathy that we as humans experience. I know this is a little anthropomorphic, but that’s the fun and poetic freedom of being an author. I say what goes—unless my editor suggests I rethink. In this case, I know my editor is a dog lover and perhaps that’s what saved Santi’s unusual depiction in this book!
One reader of this book compares the story to those written by Mark Twain. Whether that’s true or not, both Lee and Rhonda are given the freedom to discover their world so that they can have independent adventures that help to strengthen and enlarge their characters. Do you think we need to give young people more independence so that they can realize their potential?
Absolutely! It seems we often hear the old sentence that begins: “Back when I was a kid …”—words that usually tell stories of kids free to adventure together, not needing or particularly desiring the presence of adults in their neighborhood networks. Within reason, I think it’s healthy for kids to be intensely with other kids to the extent that they forget they have parents and care-givers. Being lost in “play” and discovering independently and unabashedly has to be a good thing, I think.
You’ve used some of the conventions of film and TV scene-setting as the story develops. Why?
Just as I “hear” what my characters wish to say, I often “see” scenes unfolding like a movie being played just for me. With this book, I completely gave in to the idea of fast-moving movie scenes and I used a director’s voice to allow the reader to also “see” the scenes unfolding. Usually a book is written from the point of view of only one character, but this technique allowed me to achieve multiple perspectives and even have some of the various scenes happening simultaneously. The director’s voice helped make the transition between perspectives clear and obvious. I also felt that this would appeal to the young readers of today who are used to, and delighted by, fast-paced media of all sorts.
In this story you have been able to skillfully blend the comic and the dramatic. How does that mix reflect your own view of the world?
When I go to a movie, for example, I am particularly drawn to scenes where something intended to be funny makes me feel sad, or something sad can make me laugh. I think this has something to do with willingness (on both the viewer and the character’s part) to be vulnerable—to remember that sometimes our underwear is showing and it’s okay.
What advice would you give to young writers?
Love lots, fear nadda, and WRITE!!
Colleen Sydor was born and raised in Winnipeg, where she lives with her husband and three children. She brings quick wit and a lively sense of language to her books for young readers. Four of her books have won the McNally Robinson Book For Young People award. Sydor’s children have always been grist for her writer’s mill. She finds that as they grow in feet and inches, so her stories are lengthening as well. The McGillicuddy Book of Personal Records is her second novel for young adults.