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The Value of Rainbow Rowell and Scones

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By Alison Green Myers
Dear Kim,

I'm still not convinced about scones. Even if Simon Snow loves them, even if by deduction we can assume that Rainbow Rowell must enjoy them because she created Simon Snow and his love of scones. I still cannot see the scone value. Taste the scone value? Just not convinced.


I'll tell you what I am convinced about-- Rainbow Rowell Rocks! And not just the holy-crap-I-love-everything-she-writes kind of thing (though that is true). She rocks to the highest magnitude of awesomeness because of her response to Lin Oliver's question, "What are your assumptions about people?"

Rainbow, during her fireside chat with Lin, replied, "We are mostly good people who try hard." She went on to say that she hopes her characters fulfill that assumption.
Lin Oliver and Rainbow Rowell at #NY16SCBWI

In both #NY16SCBWI sessions Rainbow shared her hopes for her characters. She let us know just how deeply she feels for her make believe friends (and her villains-- she loves them too.) To the exasperated crowd she admitted that her characters come to her pretty fully formed. You heard right. They dive deep beneath her beautiful mess of curls and make a home right in her brain ready to work. She believes that her characters create each plot, not the other way around. Rainbow said, "Plot is derived from character."

When Lin asked about her characters being "misfits", the author took a long pause. "Most of us feel like we are on the outside looking in," Rainbow said then added, "...trying to figure out the secret." Rainbow doesn't feel that "misfit" is the best description of her characters, maybe "real" or maybe they "just talk a lot" and "screw up" at times.
You must check out other book collages at Yasminwithane!!!!

Rainbow went on to say that she loves to write dialog because the characters reveal themselves during conversations. More than what her characters process on the page, the switch for Rainbow from journalist to novelist has revealed an awakening in herself. She said, "Writing fiction is drug-like, the feeling of being truly creative is exhilarating; I crave that feeling now."

Kim, aren't you happy she craves that feeling? It means more books. More RAINBOWs. More really chatty characters and hope and good people trying hard. (Maybe even more scones?)





And, because I love you (and Rainbow), I found a recipe for Simon's butter delivery style scones. If you make them for me I promise to try them. Carry On!



Love,
A


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