Mindee Arnett, author of THE NIGHTMARE CHARADE, on needing a sense of isolation to write

by Jocelyn Rish

THE NIGHTMARE CHARADE is the last book in the Arkwell Academy series, and we’re delighted to have Mindee Arnett join us to share more about it.

Mindee, how long did you work on THE NIGHTMARE CHARADE?

I wrote the first draft of The Nightmare Charade in about eight weeks. It was 105k in length. That’s an all-time record for me. And it was so painful. I was way behind on writing the book and desperate to get it turned in. To give you an idea, I was already past due turning it in when I wrote the first sentence. Yeah, it was bad. There were days when I wrote 5000 words (my average is about 1500). Fortunately though, I have a wonderful editor and publisher who were so supportive and generous. Once I turned it in though, my revision time later was super short again, maybe another 3-4 weeks. There were other edits after that as well, spread out over a six to eight month period, but overall I would say I spent maybe four months total on this book.

What do you hope readers will take away from THE NIGHTMARE CHARADE?

Mostly, I hope readers will take away a sense of completeness, maybe even contentment over how it all ended. Thematically this book deals a lot with hope and what it really means to really love someone else. (I’ll give you a hint—love is a verb, an action, a choice, not a feeling). Of course, if I’m being completely honest, what I hope readers will take a way is a burning desire to read more of my books!

What’s your writing ritual like? Do you listen to music? Work at home or at a coffee shop or the library, etc?

My physical ritual is nonexistent thanks to my overly complicated life—day job, kids, husband, horse farm. That means I get the writing done wherever and whenever I can. There are no luxurious trips to the coffee shop for me. All I need to write is a sense of isolation and my laptop. Sometimes I get that quiet isolation literally, like the days I sit on my back deck and write with nothing but the sound of the pond fountain to listen to. Other days I have to artificially create that isolation by listening to music. It’s always a soundtrack/score of some kind. I can’t write if there are someone else’s words in my ear. Beyond that, my ritual involves setting concrete, traceable goals such as a word count or a page count or chapter count. If I’m drafting, I always start off the day by reading and revising the material that came before. This helps me get into the zone.

What are you working on now?

I just turned in a novel to my agent that I’m super excited about. It’s a YA high fantasy full of romance, magic, and horses. Next up, I’m working on a sci-fi mystery about a future America in which all the kids in high school are required to go armed in order to combat a deadly virus that affects only teenagers.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Nightmare Charade
by Mindee Arnett
Hardcover
Tor Teen
Released 8/4/2015

The final installment in a thrilling fantastical mystery series.

Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare. Literally. Dusty is a magical being who feeds on human dreams.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy is hard enough, not to mention the crazy events of the past year. Dusty may have saved the day, but there are many days left in the year, and with an old foe back to seek revenge, she’ll need all her strength to defeat him and save her friends.

Mindee Arnett thrills again in this stunning final installment in the Arkwell Academy series.

Purchase The Nightmare Charade at Amazon
Purchase The Nightmare Charade at IndieBound
View The Nightmare Charade on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mindee Arnett lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. She’s addicted to jumping horses and telling tales of magic, the macabre, and outer space. She has far more dreams than nightmares.

Have you read the Arkwell Academy series? What do you think of Mindee’s writing ritual? Let us know in the comments!

Happy reading,

Jocelyn, Shelly, Martina, Erin, Lisa, Susan, Jen, Sam, Lindsey, Sandra, Kristin, and Anisaa

Jocelyn Rish

Jocelyn Rish is a writer and filmmaker who loves researching weird and wonderful animals and sharing what she learns. Her debut was BATTLE OF THE BUTTS, about ten animals that do weird things with their butts. Her latest book is BATTLE OF THE BRAINS, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection about ten animals with mind-blowing brain abilities. When she’s not writing, she tutors kids to help them discover the magic of reading. Jocelyn has won numerous awards for her short stories, screenplays, films, and novels and lives in South Carolina with her adorable dog. Find out more at www.jocelynrish.com.

Post @ Jocelyn Rish and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Aug 8, 2015

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Author Interviews

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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