Carol Gorman
Author of Books for Young Readers
| Hello! Welcome to my web site. I'm Carol Gorman, the author (and best
friend) of such characters as Jerry Flack (from the Dork novels), Lizard
Flanagan (from the Lizard Flanagan novels), Malcolm Wylie (from
Jennifer-the-Jerk Is Missing) and Chelsey Bernard (from Chelsey and the Green-Haired Kid).
I started writing in the mid-eighties when I married a writer named Ed
Gorman. (He writes mystery and suspense novels for adults.) He read some of
my letters to friends and relatives in which I described things that happened
to me. I have a tendency to juice up real-life anecdotes, and Ed suggested
that I might apply my flair for elaboration (we won't call this "lying") to
novels for young readers. I tried it, and it was fun. |
 Photo © 1999,Sharron L.McElmeel |
I didn't sell my first book or second. Well, okay, I sold my second
book, but it took five years and several rewrites for that to happen. In the
meantime, I decided I must have some things to learn about writing. I went
to the library and bookstore and brought home armloads of books. I studied
them and learned some very important things, such as:
2) when the problems are introduced that the main characters have to solve (because that's what books are about: characters solving problems),
3) when the obstacles to solving the problems are introduced.
I learned about how to develop stories: using the five senses to make a scene come to life; creating a strong, appealing voice that tells the story; and fleshing out characters so they come to life on the page for the reader.
I'm glad you stopped by! I hope you'll take a few minutes to look
around. And I hope you'll continue reading, not just my books, but lots of
books by lots of different authors. Books that will fascinate and entertain
you and take you to places you've never been before.
Thanks for coming! Stop back from time to time for updates on new books
and projects.
1) when the main characters are introduced,
I applied what I learned to my own writing, and I started selling books.
I still read a lot to learn about writing, about two hours most nights. I
hope every book I write is better written than my last.
Link to an interview with Carol. Carol talks about the writing of Dork in Disguise and "Humor in Fiction."
