202: Crafting Powerful and Authentic Characters - Interview with NoNieqa Ramos

Hey there word nerds! Today I am so excited to be speaking with NoNieqa Ramos on the show! NoNieqa is an award-winning educator, literary activist, and writer of "intense" young adult literature. She is also a passionate supporter of the #weneeddiversebooks and #ownvoices movements. Her debut novel The Disturbed Girl's Dictionary has gotten stunning reception including a  Booklist starred review that called her "a voice to watch" with "exceptional writing and compassionate realism." NoNieqa is currently joining us live from the school where she teaches (and where her book is set). Listen in as we chat about her amazing debut and how to create strong characters that elicits an emotional response from readers. Also, just a quick heads up, for the first time ever on DIY MFA Radio we have a teeny bit of explicit language towards the end of the interview. Due to the nature of the discussion I decided not to bleep anything out, but I wanted to let you know in case you have small children in the room or you, yourself, are not comfortable with explicit language. Now let's dive into the interview! In this episode NoNieqa and I discuss: Tips for getting inside your character's mind. Why you should make the reader work to piece the story together. The art of writing a realistically flawed character. Using language to show a character's true voice without losing your reader. The importance of knowing what you are not willing to surrender in your writing. Plus, NoNieqa's #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/202