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Hey Storyteller Tribe, I’m honored to introduce #1 New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline on the show! Christina’s awardwinning book ‘Orphan Train’ has spent over 2 years on the New York Times Bestseller list and is published in 40 countries. Today’s episode is a very special treat for storytellers focusing on writing their own novels. Christina walks us through her writing process, her journey as a writer, how she breaks through lulls, her thoughts on writers’ retreats, and what she’s currently working on. Novelists, pay special attention to how Christina reads books to specifically help her writing. We get pretty technical on writing advice so be sure to tune in!
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“You have to trust the process. You have to trust that you’re moving forward.”
“As a writer, I read ruthlessly to take what I need from other books.”
“I just had to concentrate and do it, if I was really going to do it.”
About ‘ORPHAN TRAIN’
An unforgettable story of friendship and second chances that highlights a little-known but historically significant movement in America’s past.
Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to “aging out” out of the foster care system. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse…
As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.
Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life—answers that will ultimately free them both.
Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.
What You’ll Learn From This Episode:
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Why a writing community is crucial
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How to organize and keep track of your thoughts to carry out the main plot without digressing
- Why it’s important to find your own way of mapping out a story and how to find what works best for you
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How MFA’s can help you, especially when it comes to networking and meeting literary agents
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How to break out of your lull and find motivation when you’re feeling ‘stuck’
- How Christina reads books and how it’s helped her with her own writings in a technical aspect
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Learn More About Christina Baker Kline
Christina Baker Kline is the author of six novels, including Orphan Train, which spent more than two years on The New York Times bestseller list, including five weeks at # 1, and has been published in 40 countries. It has been chosen as a “One Book, One Read” selection by more than 100 communities and colleges, has been published in 40 countries, and has been shortlisted for, and won, various literary and historical fiction prizes. Christina’s past novels include Bird in Hand, The Way Life Should Be, Desire Lines and Sweet Water; she has also written and edited five nonfiction books. Her new novel, based on the iconic painting Christina’s World, by Andrew Wyeth, will be published in Winter 2017. She is on the board of Roots & Wings, a foster-care support organization, and does many events with CASA, a foster-youth legal advocacy group. She splits her time between an old house in Montclair, New Jersey, and an even older house in Southwest Harbor, Maine.
Christina’s Recommended Books & Resources:
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Middle March by George Eliot
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
