Suspend Your Disbelief

Posts Tagged ‘debut novel’

Interviews |

Writing is More than Your Word Count: An Interview with Brit Bennett

From the Archives: “I think characters resist being known in the way real people do. When I start to construct a character, I never begin with their deep dark secrets or biggest fears or hidden shame. I usually start with the surface details—physical features, occupation, interests—and over time, I learn the things the character secretly wants or hates or tries to hide.”


Interviews |

Sometimes Taking Things Out Counts as Writing: an Interview with Celeste Ng

From the Archives: “When structure is done well, it should be like architecture: you sense the overall feel of the building—tall, or airy, or strong—but you’re not looking at the buttresses that hold it up or the seams where parts are fastened together.”


Interviews |

You Write Toward the Joy: An Interview with J.T. Bushnell

“I started this novel because I wanted to write about pick-up basketball, because I loved it, and I didn’t understand why it felt almost holy in my memories…I just wrote about the love and the fulfillment of that experience, and it exposed other things—darker things, more painful things.” Walter Moore talks with J.T. Bushnell about his debut novel, The Step Back.