Dec 02 2007
My Protagonist Inspiration: To Kill a Mockingbird
The protagonist in my book, The Devil’s Playground (working title), is the same age as Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird. A few weeks ago, I watched the movie and I’m rereading the book. My hope is to capture the same innocence and curiosity Harper Lee was able to in Scout.
When writing, I do so simply. I avoid complicated language so readers won’t be taken out of the story by having to reread a sentence more than once. Writing simply takes a lot of time. One would think that it would be the opposite.
As I continue putting pen to paper, I encourage you to watch To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s a Sunday. Relax and enjoy a classic.
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I love this movie! I love the atmosphere and the characters. It is without a doubt my favorite movie of all time. The court room scenes still gives me goosebumps. My fist novel was influenced by the atmosphere of To Kill a Mockingbird. My second book is also a southern coming of age story. I hope to have it complete by the end of next year. I would love to read your book when it comes out.
Rain, I had no idea you are also a writer. That is wonderful! Were you able to get your book published? Writing a book isn’t easy, but worth the effort. Linda’s nonfiction book was published this year and the whole process took two years.
The setting of my book is Puerto Rico.
The court room scene is one of the best in movie history. When I was in my twenties I memorized the scene and would repeat it whenever To Kill a Mockingbird was the topic of conversation…which was never, so I always made sure to bring up the topic.
It was very difficult finding a publisher. Since the book wasn’t a “Harry Potter” type book. My husband and I finally decided to publish it ourselves. My professor from college edited the book for a small fee and I found a printing company to print out about 300 books. I sold them all in about a two months. I held book signings at my children’s school and I even held one at the local library. My husbands friend has his own radio show, so he interviewed me live on his show. I had people call in and ask questions about the book. I also found a few independent stores in my area to stock it on their shelves. We managed to make all of the money that we invested in it back, and we also made a nice profit. I think I may do the same with my new book.
I think rabid dog in the movie represented racism. My son read Mockingbird last year and really didn’t care for it, I think it may have something to do with the type of books that publishers are pushing on kids these days. He likes the Harry potter and other books like that.
I agree. Atticus warning Scout and Jem that the dog is just as dangerous dead as it is alive symbolizes racism. I also believe that the scene was also included to show Jem and Scout that there is another side to Atticus…he’s not such a stiff after all. He has many layers, as we all do.
Sounds as though you were very proactive in selling your book. Is there a reason why you didn’t continue selling it? You would have definitely piqued the curiosity of an agent and publisher will book sales like that.
Have you considered Lulu.com as a self-publishing source? Though the profit you will make is minimal, at least people (such as myself) can order the book. If you consider this option, please let me know so I can order a copy.
Just to give you a heads up, I’m going to provide book reviews on this blog and concentrate only on authors who have self-published.
My friend Mona had her book on LuLu for a few months. She sold it as an e-book. She really didn’t make that much money, but she liked the exposure she got. Being that my book was for young adult readers I wanted it to be available in book format. In the future we may have more copies printed. Once in a while I’ll think about querying a publishing company, but most are looking for authors who have agents and most agents are looking for authors who have already been published by a major house. I like the fact that I managed to print and sell my own book, because I retained all rights and all profits.
Rainlillie, I don’t mean to be pushy but seriously if you sold 300 books in two months by speaking at a few schools and one radio interview, you are a very good self-promoter. If you would’ve kept going and sold more, you would have generated interest from a publisher or an agent.
As this blog develops, I hope it inspires you to publish more copies and sell them.
I had so much help from family members as well as friends. My husband has a website set up for me and I sold them online. Now That I’m working on another book, plus a few freelance articles, I’m afraid I won’t be able to spend as much time promoting it as I did before. The good thing is I still have the manuscript so I can print them whenever I chose to. There are so many resources out there for authors. My local paper even ran a story on my book.
I re-read this book two years. The court scene is fantastic. Scout is great but she isn’t my favorite character.
[…] had a real life bond impresses upon me the reason I’m drawn to writing The Devil’s Playground. Click here to watch To Kill a Mockingbird on your computer. […]