This summer, we’re thrilled to host young adult writer Nicole Kronzer as on of our four Priory Writers’ Retreat writers-in residence! When you are accepted into The Priory, you’ll have the option to schedule a personal one-on-one session with Nicole!
Nicole is the author of the young adult novels Unscripted and the forthcoming The Roof Over Our Heads. Unscripted was named a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association and was a Minnesota Book Award Finalist. Nicole is also a high school English teacher and former professional actor. She loves to knit and run (usually not at the same time). She lives with her family in Minneapolis.
Read on for a mini-interview with Nicole!
1.) What about The Priory are you most excited about?
I'm excited to return to Eau Claire to write and talk about writing in such a beautiful setting during a beautiful time of year and to reconnect with fellow MHS alum Nick Butler!
2.) Can you share a bit about a mentor or writing experience that helped shape your own work?
“I used to treat setting as an afterthought, but now I really think about it as I write—how does the fact that there’s a key rack by the door, or that the couch is thirty years old, or that the carpet is worn in front of the window influence the action of the scene? ”
Two come to mind. I took a class with Ibi Zoboi a couple years ago that was focused on setting. She stressed that when you write a scene, the specific setting has to matter. It's not any old living room, it's this specific living room. And that space must influence the characters and plot. I used to treat setting as an afterthought, but now I really think about it as I write--how does the fact that there's a key rack by the door, or that the couch is thirty years old, or that the carpet is worn in front of the window influence the action of the scene? How can these details provide insight into my characters?
The second is an exercise given to me by Nina LaCour. She had us list out five pivotal moments in our protagonist's life before the book begins. This simple action deepens my characters' lives so quickly--it's something I do every time I develop a significant character now.
3.) What are you reading these days?
In addition to writing books for teenagers, I teach teenagers. I read a lot of YA for both reasons! My students are very into murder right now (I remember when it was vampires, then zombies, then general post-apocalyptic whatnot), so I just finished Karen McManus's latest, YOU'LL BE THE DEATH OF ME. I love historical fiction, so I'm also listening to Mackenzi Lee's final book in the Montague Siblings trilogy, THE NOBLEMAN'S GUIDE TO SCANDAL AND SHIPWRECKS. Lit Circles are coming up in my senior English class, so I'm also re-reading GIOVANNI'S ROOM by James Baldwin, THE NAMESAKE by Jhumpa Lahiri, and THERE THERE by Tommy Orange.
Bonus: What has been keeping you creating during these pandemic days?
Creation has saved me during the pandemic. The world has felt out of control, but when I'm writing, I have ultimate control. I decide who shows up, what they say, what happens--I don't know how I would have survived intact without it.