Exploring the Real World Through Fiction, featuring Nic Stone
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This week’s episode delves into how we’re inspired by the stories we encounter, and how we mine the real world for inspiration and answers in fiction. Author Nic Stone joins Grant and Brooke to talk about her journey to becoming a writer and author, as well as the role her father played in the research of her YA novel, Dear Martin, and what questions she would ask of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today if she could.
ABOUT NIC STONE
Nic Stone is an Atlanta native and a Spelman College graduate. Nic’s debut novel for young adults, Dear Martin, was a New York Times bestseller and a William C. Morris Award finalist. She is also the author of the teen titles Odd One Out, a novel about discovering oneself and who it is okay to love, which was an NPR Best Book of the Year and a Rainbow Book List Top Ten selection, and Jackpot, a love-ish story that takes a searing look at economic inequality. Clean Getaway, Nic’s first middle-grade novel, deals with coming to grips with the pain of the past and facing the humanity of our heroes. Nic lives in Atlanta with her adorable little family.
Takeaway: Reframe a Real-World Situation in Your Writing
Think about something that bothers you, or that upsets you, and then think about what ways you might dramatize that real-world situation on the page. If you’re writing about something that’s upsetting to you, try writing a scene as an argument to see what happens. Or write it as a letter—to a friend or to your favorite author. Or put the argument in a journal, or write it as a poem. Or even have your character yell his or her opinions out the window like a soliloquy. These can all be new ways to frame something you’re searching for the answers to.
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