The discarded things became an element of the physical descriptions I wrote for her: the shadows on her skin like whorls on a snail shell or the wind tossing her hair like a leaf ripped from the tree. Why? I don’t know-it started out just as a thing she did. She collects things like empty snail shells, dropped moth wings, desiccated leaves, and abandoned chrysalises. One of the characters from my work in progress is an eight year old girl named Pilar. I’ll give you an example of what I’m talking about. Anything particularly visual standing out to you? If not, add a few more details until you find something you like. I don’t mean actual drawings brief descriptions will do. (What they look like, their hobbies, their habits, their flaws, their nervous tells.) To get started, if you haven’t already, draw up some sketches for a few of the characters in your story. Her mini-lesson today is all about image systems… Melanie holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Colorado with her family. Her third novel, A Nearer Moon, releases September 8 from Atheneum Books / S&S. Her second book, Audacity, has received three starred reviews and is an Editor’s Choice at BookBrowse and a Top Pick from BookPage. Today, we welcome guest author Melanie Crowder. Melanie’s debut novel, Parched was one of Bank Street’s Best Books of the Year and a Junior Library Guild selection.

This summer, we have so many amazing guest authors with so many great lessons that we’re also going to have lessons along with our regular Q and A sessions on Wednesdays. Traditionally, Wednesdays are Q and A days at Teachers Write – a chance to ask published authors questions about the writing process, from brainstorming to outlining to revision.

A Nearer Moon by Melanie Crowder