A Writer Reads:Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Cycle

I’m reading Dream Thieves right now, book 2 of Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle. It is lush and brilliant and I’m turning the pages as fast as I can. Well, more accurately, pressing next on my Kindle, but let’s not quibble. I love this story; I could hardly wait for the new book to come out once I read Raven Boys last year. It’s my favorite of her books—there is just something about the characters and depth of their relationships and the complexity of the story being woven that gives me great pleasure.

But I’m a writer reading another writer. So I’m also learning. It goes with the territory. I honestly can’t imagine any writers who aren’t in some sense students of other authors’ work. You read, but also observe the underpinnings: how they move the plot; how they develop their characters; their word choice and punctuation choices (or lack thereof); the division between act one and act two and act three; how their dialogue is written and how the narrative is done.  You look at everything, I think, unless you’re reading a genre far removed from yours, which is why sometimes I need to read non-fiction essays or a biography so that I won’t be looking for all of those things—at least not the same way. And in Stiefvater’s case, the vivid and specific sensory description she uses throughout.

In the case of the Raven Cycle, Stiefvater has chosen to tell the series in 3^rd person, past tense. This allows her some writerly turns of phrases that possibly couldn’t exist in 1^st person – particularly 1^st person present tense. I think about that as I read. I’m working on a couple projects right now:  I’m editing The A Word, which is next year’s sequel to my Sweet Dead Life. It is told in 1^st person past tense.  I’m about to begin edits on Finding Paris, told in 1^st person, present tense, a book that will be out in 2015. I ‘m thinking about both of them as I read Dream Thieves.

Here’s some of what I see and  ponder: How Stiefvater uses adverbs, which she judiciously does, often set up either humor or horror. How she sets up her dialogue, particularly when there are multiple characters in a scene, which happens frequently. Her word choice and description and how it is – to me – clearly influenced by the fact that she is by craft and profession also a working artist.  Also it’s freaking amazing.  A character’s smile is ‘sharp and hooked.’  Clothing during a fight doesn’t so much rip as it ‘parts.’  Womens’ mouths ‘twist’ into smiles. Lips are ‘lifted’ from teeth.  A smile is ‘plum and wicked.” And on like that. I’m not that far yet, but let me say that Chapter 14 of Dream Thieves is particularly phenomenal.

I love that the act of reading is a classroom for me. I really do.

How about you? What are you reading? What authors are you learning from? Let me know! I’m genuinely curious.