Madeline Miller is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Song of Achilles and Circe. So, when I had the chance to attend a virtual author talk with her hosted by my local bookstore, I jumped at it! Miller was down to earth and friendly, and had so much to share about her writing methods and how she goes about creating stories based on ancient myths. I’ve gathered a few of the gems she shared to help you in your writing too.
Give stories time to stew
Miller shared that she had been fascinated with the myth of Circe since she was thirteen! When she studied Classics, she began considering writing a longer paper on the myth, and then it wasn’t until after she finished her first novel, Song of Achilles, that she realized Circe was meant to be her next novel. With both her novels, though, it took her five years of “wandering in the wilderness,” as she put it, trying to figure out the voice of the character and waiting for the novel to click. So if it feels like your story isn’t working, give it time–just because it’s not easy doesn’t mean it isn’t the right story for you.
It’s normal to want to give up every now and then
Unsurprisingly, there were points during those five years that Miller wanted to give up on the book. She said that with both novels, when she hit that moment, she took a break and shifted to a different project. Then when she came back to the “junk” she’d been working on for the past five years, everything suddenly clicked. If you’re hitting a wall with your project, it’s okay to step away from it. Just be sure to come back, because you never know what your subconscious might have worked out while you were away.
Do your research–even for fantasy
Even though Miller was recreating an ancient myth about a goddess witch, she still relied heavily on research. Her process involved researching as she went and reading a lot of scholars fighting about the text, but whatever your method looks like, don’t underestimate the value of research. Miller said that maybe one percent of her research actually ends up in the book, but it’s still a crucial piece of getting into her character’s world. Circe may be made up, but Miller wanted to know what animals and plants are actually on islands in Greece. What does that snake actually look like? Even if it doesn’t end up in the book, it’s important to have in your head–the more real your imaginary world is to you, the more real it will feel to readers.
Find your character’s voice
If you’ve read either of Miller’s stories, you know that one of the most memorable pieces is how real the characters feel–how the voice of the story really seems like it’s how that person would talk (at least, that’s what stood out to me). Speaking about the process of finding this voice, Miller admitted it was mostly trial and error. She recommended reading your writing out loud and feeling out the words to see if it fits. Some other things to consider: What length of sentence do they use? Are they more contemplative, or action-oriented? What is their metaphorical language? This last piece was really interesting to me. Based on our life experiences, we all have different go-to comparisons that we make. What is your character’s background, and how would that influence the metaphors they make? For Circe, she grew up around animals and plants, so drawing her descriptive language from the natural world makes sense.
You don’t have to be a plotter or a pantser
Writers like to identify as either someone who outlines thoroughly beforehand (a plotter) or someone who writes by the seat of their pants (a pantser). But in reality, it’s more of a spectrum rather than one or the other. Miller falls closer to the pantser side, but still has some structure starting out. With Circe, she knew the ending, and had four plot points that she wanted to happen during the story. Other than that, she let the characters lead her through the story.
Keep showing up for the work
Writing isn’t always easy. In fact, with some projects, it’s rarely easy. Miller spends five years wrestling with a project before it really starts flowing–she knows that writing is hard. But she also describes writing as a mysterious process, especially when you’re in the messy middle of it. That’s why the ancients talked about the Muses; sometimes being creative feels like waiting around for some unidentifiable force outside yourself to decide to show up and help you out. But even when things get hard, Miller encourages writers to “Keep showing up for the work. Keep writing.” The Muse will show up eventually.
Have you read either of Madeline Miller’s books? Are they on your TBR? Let me know in the comments!
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These are great tips! Thank you!