In Pax, I’ve dressed the character of Vola, the hermit who comes to Peter’s aid, with puppetry. But it wouldn’t have had the same sense of authenticity, because those aren’t my enthusiasms. Peter could have been obsessed with skating or baking cupcakes, and the novel would still have been the story of two friends separated by war. In my novel Pax(Harper 2016), for instance, I costumed Peter with a love of baseball, because I’ve loved everything about the game since I was a kid. In addition, embellishing a story in this way makes it uniquely yours. Decorate it with the things that you’re passionate about, and the work of writing becomes fun.

Luckily, there’s a great way to narrow the possibilities-explore what fascinates you.

But sometimes, the number of options can feel overwhelming. The choices for outfitting a story are endless, which is a good thing. My characters’ physical features, pastimes, and personality traits the specific obstacles they run into the setting’s particulars-all comprise the unique attire my novel wears. Then there is the final element: the costume, the embellishment, the details I use to personalize my book. And the novel’s characters are the creature’s senses, through which readers experience what happens. Its skeleton is the narrative structure the plot, its muscles, which must be strong enough to pull readers along. Its blood, coursing life through every page, is its language, or voice. (I’m a writer-everything is a metaphor!) The heart of my novel is its theme the steady beat of life at its core. It’s helpful for me to think of a novel as a living creature. Enjoy!ĭressing a Story by Sara Pennypacker Listen to Sara share the story behind writing Pax. is delighted to welcome award-winning author Sara Pennypacker as our featured guest blogger.Įach month, we ask one distinguished author or illustrator to write an original post that reveals insights about their process and craft.

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