Grand Slam Debut for Picture Book Author Nancy Churnin

By Guest Author

by PJ McIlvaine

 

This is an excerpt from an interview that appeared in the March 2017 issue of Children’s Book Insider.

 

From theater critic to debut picture book author may seem a bit of a stretch, but Nancy Churnin hit one out of the park with her biography of a celebrated athlete whose passion and persistence kept him going in the face of resistance and rejection. Churnin had that same determination to bring the William Hoy story to life. Hoy never gave up, and neither did Churnin.

 

PJ McIlvaine: You have quite the writing pedigree: a masters degree in journalism, currently a newspaper theater critic, and now a critically acclaimed picture book author for your debut nonfiction picture book The William Hoy Story: How a Deaf Baseball Player Changed the Game (Albert Whitman & Company, 2016). How did that journey evolve?

 

Nancy Churnin: I’ve always loved to write and have published poetry and short stories before turning full time to journalism, where I am grateful for the opportunity to write every day. One day, when I was sitting at my desk at The Dallas Morning News, I read about a high school in Garland that was doing a play called The Signal Season of Dummy Hoy. I read that it was about a man, named William Hoy, who was deaf and introduced signs to baseball so he could play the game he loved. I was fascinated! I wrote a story about the play and received a thank you note from a man in Ohio. I wrote back “You’re welcome, but why is someone in Ohio interested in a play in a high school in Garland, Texas?” Steve Sandy wrote back that he is a deaf man and it is his life’s dream to see William Hoy in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. We kept emailing back and forth and the more he taught me about Hoy, the more I realized he was right. William Hoy deserved to be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, where he would be the first deaf man honored there.

 

PJ: Where did the inspiration for the Hoy story come from? Are you a baseball fan? With a growing emphasis on diverse books, how easy, or difficult, was it to find a home?

 

NC: I was trying to figure out how I could help Steve achieve his dream. I asked myself who are the most powerful people I know. And almost without thinking, I realized: children! I thought if I wrote a children’s book about Hoy, the children would see how deserving he was and they would help by writing letters and drawing pictures on William Hoy’s behalf to the Hall of Fame. Steve loved the idea! He is a friend of the Hoy family and he shared images of family photographs and letters and he educated me about the prejudice faced by deaf Americans, particularly in the 19th century when Hoy made such an amazing impact in the major leagues. Of course there was only one problem with my brilliant idea. I had never sold a children’s book. I knew it was a great story and I wrote it and I rewrote it and I rewrote it. But it was not until I realized I needed help and started joining writing groups and workshops that I started to get a handle on the craft.

 

I am a baseball fan, but I am even more a fan of folks with dreams who don’t give up and make the world a better place. I had many rejections for early versions of the story, but once I got it right, my amazing agent Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary found William Hoy a good home with Wendy McClure of Albert Whitman & Company. Karen loved William Hoy right away and so did Wendy!

 

What’s fascinating for me, looking back, is that it stands up as a good newspaper article. It just took me a long time — 10 years! — to wrap my head around how different a successful picture book is from a good newspaper article! Also interesting is that I used the very incident I started the article with in the book, but at a different place in the story, in a different context, as part of the build-up to William’s frustration, and the inspiration for his big idea that changed the game.

 

“Imagine you are standing at home plate, your bat poised, waiting

for the very first pitch of your very first major league game.

 

Are you excited? Sure! But imagine that instead of the cheers of

the crowd, you hear … silence. Because you’re deaf.

 

That first ball whizzes by. You think it was a ball. But was it a

strike? The umpire makes no gestures to clue you in. You can’t hear

the call, so you try to read his lips.

 

And while you’re trying to read his lips, the pitcher throws the

next ball before you’re ready. On purpose.

 

Then, after a few more pitches, you’re left standing at the plate,

not being told you’ve struck out, so everyone can laugh at you,

while you’re slowly figuring it out.

 

That’s what happened to William Ellsworth Hoy, one of the first

deaf and mute players in major league baseball. “

(Dallas Morning News, February 5, 2003, by Nancy Churnin).

 

PJ: When you decided to write the William Hoy story, did you have to get the approval and/or rights from the Hoy family?

 

NC: Steve Sandy was the official spokesperson for the Hoy family. The Hoy family gave him access to family photos and letters that he shared with me. The Hoy family has been delighted with the book, which has been a special joy to me. William’s great grandsons Adam and Cain Hoy are Facebook friends of mine and I have treasured kind words I have heard from various members of the Hoy family.

 

PJ: From writing the first draft to eventual publisher acceptance, how long did that take?

 

NC: I am so embarrassed to admit how long it took from first draft to publisher acceptance. I first wrote The Signal Season of Dummy Hoy in 2003!!! I had so much hubris when I began. I figured that since I am already a professional writer — a journalist — how hard could it be to write a picture book? So many many drafts, so many many submissions, so many many rejections before I realized I needed help. I actively sought it out in 2013 by signing up for 12 X 12 and Mira Reisberg’s class, and Susannah Hill’s class and PiBoIdMo challenge and Children’s Book Insider and Rate Your Story and Kristen Fulton’s Non-Fiction Archaeology and SCBWI and a Dallas SCBWI conference and critique groups galore and RhyPoIdMo and any group I could find that would have me. Once I started listening and studying and absorbing and practicing the craft, things moved along. Seven months after I signed up for 12 X 12 in July 2013 I signed with my agent Karen Grencik and she sold The William Hoy Story in the fall of 2014. Then, everything was quiet until we started the editing process in spring of 2015. The book came out in March 2016 and in this very same year, Karen sold three more books for me.

 

PJ: Do you have any tips or advice for staying inspired and passionate while writing? How do you keep going in the face of rejection and disappointment?

 

NC: What keeps me passionate is remembering WHY I’m writing. I believe we are here in this world to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Every time I share The William Hoy Story with kids and see eyes light up, every time I feel a wall coming down between kids who are hearing and deaf, every time a parent or teacher tells me that this is a child’s favorite book because that child has a challenge or feels different, William’s story inspires them to believe that their challenge or difference may be their gift too, that is everything.

 

PJ McIlvaine is a published writer/produced screenwriter/kid lit author/blogger/journalist. In a former life she was a great baker of Europe. PJ’s websites are http://ift.tt/2osgWzM and http://ift.tt/2o03G8Q. She is represented by Jen Corkill Hunt of The Booker Albert Literary Agency.

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: Grand Slam Debut for Picture Book Author Nancy Churnin

The Surprising Benefits of Rejection

By Guest Author

 

 by Jane Choate

 

“We are all failures. At least the best of us are.”— J. M. Barrie, author

 

Most working writers have extensive experience with rejection. When I complained to my husband Larry one day that I had received five rejections in the mail, he said, “Congratulations. When you’ve received ten in one day, you’ll know that you’re a real writer.” (In those days, rejections came in the form of an SASEs, self -addressed stamped envelopes, which writers carefully enclosed with their submissions. These days, rejections typically come via email. Either way, they are devastating.) I wanted to throw something at him. Actually, I wanted to slap him silly, but I refrained. Barely. “Five rejections isn’t enough?” I yelled at him. “You want me to get ten rejections? How many rejections do I have to get until I get an acceptance?” “As many as it takes.” Larry had reason to know about rejection as he worked to get a start-up engineering business off the ground. In his field, rejections came in the form of clients who didn’t renew contracts.

 

(Just a note: Larry and I are still married, having just celebrated our 43rd anniversary.)

 

This piece of conversation has stayed with me, though it occurred several decades ago. It was early in my writing career. I struggled to fit writing in to a schedule already crowded with the demands of being a full-time mother to five children whose activities ranged from flag football to piano lessons to book club. An occasional acceptance on an article or short story to a small magazine kept me going, that and a determination that I would succeed at writing, no matter what.

 

I’ve progressed in my writing, now receiving more acceptances, but the rejections still come. And, despite my vast experience with them, they still hurt. Sometimes, I think about giving up and becoming a rocket scientist or a special ops soldier or something— anything—easier than being a writer. But I keep writing.

 

Occasionally we hear of writers who have never received a rejection. Privately, I doubt those stories, but they persist. If you are a writer who has never been rejected, you won’t need this article and should promptly ignore it in favor of one that resonates with you. If, on the other hand, you have received rejections, if you are still receiving them, then you may learn something.

 

Now that we’ve discussed the pain of rejection, let’s move on to the positives. Can rejection have benefits? Surprisingly, yes.

 

Rejection develops greater maturity both professionally and personally. I am a better writer and a better person because of the rejections I’ve received. I’ve developed a determination that keeps me going, in writing and in other aspects of life. Those dreaded SASEs with form letters that say, “Thank you for your contribution, but this doesn’t work for us” that showed up in the mail with depressing regularity caused me to grit my teeth and persevere. Likewise, when I suffer a setback in my personal life, I grit my teeth once more and press ahead.

 

Rejection creates resilience. Imagine a writer such as described three paragraphs above who has never been rejected. Everything she turns in is perfect and eagerly gobbled up by editors who can’t get enough of her work. What happens if this gifted writer suddenly does receive a rejection? How does she handle it? Probably not very well. Having never dealt with rejection, she doesn’t understand that it is but one part of the writing life. Those of us who have dealt with rejection for years, even decades, know that rejection does not mean failure. Rejection isn’t permanent; it is temporary, as is success. What counts is what you do after getting a rejection. Do you keep writing and keep submitting? Or do you give up? Giving up is the only true definition of failure.

 

Rejection prompts change. If my work had never been rejected, I would have continued writing as I had in those early years. I would have kept making the same mistakes, kept producing work that was inferior with flat characters, trivial plots without conflict, and banal dialogue. As I think back to some of my earlier manuscripts, I blush in embarrassment and thank the heavens that they were never published.

 

Rejection provides greater opportunities. I was rejected by one publisher over and over and over. One editor took an interest in me, though she had yet to buy a manuscript from me. At the time, I didn’t realize how fortunate I was that she even knew my name, much less found something in my work to catch her attention. I learned of a one-time opportunity, to submit a novella to the publisher. (Because I had kept up on news about this publisher, I knew of the project before many other writers learned of it. Never discount the importance of timing.) It was a trial on the publisher’s part, to see how a 20,000 word novella would do in their publishing model, which normally stuck to full length novels. I decided to go for it. I sent in my novella. The editor in charge of the project was the one who had spent time and effort encouraging me. She read my work and liked it. She offered me a contract and remains friendly with me to this day, nearly 25 years following that sale.

 

Rejection pushes talents. I’ve been told that I have a talent for writing emotion. I’ve also been told that my plotting skills need work. Serious work. Such terms as “inconsistent plotting” and “episodic plotting” have repeatedly shown up in rejection letters. I continue to try to write emotional stories, just as I continue to work on my plotting techniques. I know that if I am to get to the next level in writing, I need to build upon my strengths while, at the same time, improve those areas where I am weak. It is a matter of balance—maintaining your strengths while admitting to and working on weaknesses.

 

Rejection motivates. I’ve been writing for 35 years. Over that period of time, I’ve received hundreds of rejections, ranging from short stories to articles to novels. I’ve also received acceptances. Guess which ones motivated me to keep trying to improve? If you guessed rejections, you’d be right. Don’t get me wrong. Acceptances are great. Upon receiving one, I pat myself on the back, preen a bit, and am tempted more than once to rest upon my laurels, modest though they are. But it is the rejections that keep me writing, calling upon skills that I didn’t know I had. It is the rejections that make me want to do better, to overcome my poor plotting skills, to strengthen my characterization, to craft more realistic dialogue. It is the rejections that make me a better writer. As Benjamin Franklin stated, “The things which hurt, instruct.”

 

Rejection is no fun. I still gnash my teeth when I receive one, still wonder how I can garner so many when I’ve been at this business for such a long time. In the end, though, I keep trying.

 

“Always bear in mind that your resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing.”—Abraham Lincoln

 

 

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: The Surprising Benefits of Rejection

Visiting Book Fairs and Conference Exhibit Halls —Why, Where, and How?

By Guest Author

by Lionel Bender

 

As a regular visitor to many major conference exhibit halls, book fairs, and publisher exhibits over some 28 years, I firmly believe that these events provide unique and unequaled opportunities for children’s book authors and illustrators to learn about their industry, the marketplace, and to network with publishers, freelancers, and others on whom they depend for successful careers. However, I am aware that many authors, editors, and illustrators don’t realize they can attend these events; believe that, if they have an agent, they don’t need to attend; are dissuaded from going; or believe the investment of time and money is not worthwhile.

 

In the States, there are national and regional book fairs and exhibitions held throughout the year organized by the American Library Association (ALA), National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), National Council for Social Studies (NCSS), National Council for Teachers of English (NCTA), American Association of School Librarians (AASL), International Literacy Association (ILA), education boards, and others. There is also Book Expo. Internationally, there are major book fairs in Bologna, London, Frankfurt, and Beijing. Attending the major book fairs may be costly for travel and accommodation, but local or regional fairs are easily accessed and affordable—entrance fees for the exhibit halls are usually less than $50. [Some publishers and publishing people do attend book festivals, but few if any of the following opportunities arise at such events.]

 

At book fairs and in conference exhibit halls you can achieve all or some of the following:

 

1. see what publishers have produced and, in many cases, are about to publish;

 

2. discover the most likely publishers for your work;

 

3. identify the editors or art editors you need to approach and get their contact details;

 

4. determine publishers’ procedures for submissions or applications;

 

5. collect publishers’ catalogs and sample books or have them sent to you or your school;

 

6. identify non-traditional outlets for your work;

 

7. attend author signing sessions and get an insight into book marketing and social networking;

 

8. sense new trends and get ideas for new projects by reviewing what others are doing;

 

9. see some digital developments on display and test them out;

 

10. attend workshops, presentations, and panels given by industry leaders;

 

11. network with other authors, illustrators, and freelancers and share information and experiences.

 

Do bear in mind that you can’t just turn up and expect success. You need to prepare in advance; have a plan of action on the day; and follow up after each fair. Also, you need to respect and acknowledge the business of fairs, and be friendly, polite … but a little pushy and firm! If you decide to visit a book fair, do find out about the format and focus of the fair before you go, and do seek as much advice as you can about how to try and achieve the maximum benefits. I find each and every book fair rewarding and, in one way or another, well worth the time, effort, and expense.

 

For details of key conference exhibitions and book fairs see the following websites:

http://ift.tt/ldWAbr

http://ift.tt/2jPBWPe

http://ift.tt/JwzE4C

http://www.ala.org

http://www.nsta.org

http://ift.tt/2jPu1Bd

http://www.ncte.org

http://ift.tt/JwzE4C

 

Lionel Bender is an author, editor, and director of book packager Bender Richardson White (see: www.brw.co.uk), which produces children’s illustrated nonfiction. His company offers an in-depth guide on maximizing opportunities at book fairs and conference exhibit halls. For details to purchase this contact Lionel at lionel@brw.co.uk

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: Visiting Book Fairs and Conference Exhibit Halls —Why, Where, and How?

Simple Advice for First-Time Self-Published Authors

By Guest Author

by R.F. Kristy

 

The intelligence and allure of cats has always enchanted me. Writing the Inca Cat Series arose out of the blue. I had never dreamed of self-publishing stories for children. My specialty, due to my work with the United Nations, concentrated on reports of a technical nature — a world much removed from the milieu of children’s books. However, I love reading detective stories. So when I started writing about my cats Inca and Cara, the ideas for mystery-themed adventures started flowing.

 

The Cats Who Crossed Over From Paris, Book 1 of the series, came to me from reading rather than from living or observation. Christmas Cats followed and the third, Cats in Provence is currently bubbling. I don’t think we choose our genre, I think that a genre chooses us. Or should I say, my love of detective stories and living with my cats Inca and Cara made the choice inevitable.

 

Despite my new-found passion for writing the Inca Cat Series, I found out that as a newcomer to this competitive arena, having an appetite for writing alone is not sufficient. In my enthusiasm to get my thoughts on paper, I made several errors.

 

While I reviewed the internet and read several articles about the positives and negatives and compared the various self-publishing sources such as BookBaby, CreateSpace and Ingram Sparks. What I did not pay much attention to, to my cost, were the technical specifications required for illustrations in ebooks and paperbacks. A mistake I had made was not expressly requesting the graphic illustrator of my choice to prepare the illustrations in the correct format. While the illustrations were accepted by both BookBaby (for the first book) and CreateSpace (for the second book), they correctly pointed out that the specifications would not provide the best output of the illustrations in the printed book. Worst of all, when I tried to upload to Ingram Sparks, the illustrated cover was not accepted.

 

Another mistake was not fully understanding how the self-publishing sources work. For example, for The Cats Who Crossed Over From Paris I decided to go with BookBaby. BookBaby’s technical support is strong, but a complete newcomer can still run into trouble. I found this out after I clicked on the wrong buttons for purchasing the printed version and the ebook which had appeared later on in the screen pages. This necessitated paying double after the book had been developed. In my ignorance, I had not asked the correct questions and talked my way through the whole process with their support services.

 

In a nutshell, here is my advice to new authors about to embark on the journey of self-publishing:

 

Decide on your self-publishing agent while you are writing but prior to hiring an illustrator.

 

Contact the chosen self-publishing sources and ask them to provide you with the exact specifications for the book. This includes requirements for the text formatting and layout, as well as anything your illustrator needs to know about image sizes, bleeds, or preferred resolution. This information may be available on their respective sites, but sometimes for an unfamiliar reader so much technical jargon can be overwhelming. My advice is to contact the self-publishing source either by telephone or email and ask specific questions about their requirements.

 

Above all, give some thought to your marketing strategy and work with a specialist to start devising a marketing plan before the book is published. You want to hit the ground running as soon as your book is available.

 

At the end of the day, I was pleased with the end results of both books produced by BookBaby and CreateSpace. My hard-earned lessons will help me move forward as a self-publisher as I complete the third book in the Inca Book Series.

 

See R. F. Kristi’s books here:

The Cats Who Crossed Over From Paris

Christmas Cats

 

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: Simple Advice for First-Time Self-Published Authors

Children’s Author Gives Advice in New Edition of Book on Writing

By Laura Backes

Writing for Children and Young Adults (Self-Council Press) is the result of Marion Crook’s experience writing fiction series for both middle grade and young adult readers, nonfiction for children and self-help books for teens. Now in its third edition, Writing for Children and Young Adults aims to take aspiring authors through the creation of a manuscript, pitching it to publishers and then marketing it to the world. Here, Marion offers some tips on writing and presenting yourself as a professional author.

 

You write quite a bit in your book about creating characters. Can you please give us some important hallmarks of characters for picture books/easy readers, chapter books/middle grade, and young adult? How do these characters differ in their mindset and how they approach conflicts as they grow from young children to teenagers?

 

Characters in all books share common traits. They all need to be interesting. They need ideas and goals that the reader wonders about. They are usually intelligent so they can pursue their goals. They must have feelings that the reader can understand. And they must have faults that keep the reader unsure of the outcome.

 

Children have different interests and concerns at different ages. They move from simple, family and close neighborhood concerns to more complex issues and wider social connections. Young children can be seen to solve problems according to a simple moral code; older children can see nuances and more difficult moral dilemmas. As authors, we need to assess the moral and intellectual developmental stage of our readers and create stories that seem logical and possible to them.

 

Picture books/easy readers: The character must show the reader his or her world, even if it’s only a small pond where the duck wants to live, or an apartment where the dog tries to sleep. The characters give the child reader a personality to inhabit for a short time.

 

Chapter books/middle grade: These characters, particularly the main character, must have an interesting personality and a fascinating or curious quest. Readers at this age want a sense of “doing,” a feeling of movement and excitement. They are also aware of social and emotional choices that face protagonists of this age and expect the main character to solve problems ethically and to reveal some of her or his feelings and worries.

 

Young adult: characters in teen novels reveal more complexity than the characters of middle-grade books. They are seldom so self-confident that they breeze through life with few worries and great skills; they have self-doubt and often a sense of confusion. They are usually aware that they are, like adults, competent in some areas and incompetent in others and have to learn how to live with their limitations. Teens read for inspiration as well as entertainment and look for characters who have ambitions, skills in realizing those ambitions and a sense of purpose in life. They look for characters who are aware of beauty in the world and want to create it, who think about larger problems like peace and social justice and want to help create that. They want characters who show them how to be loved. Trends change quickly in this age group, so teens may be looking for new ideas and new worlds in their novels.

 

Is there a point of view to the text that’s best for each age group?

 

Young children like to follow a story from one point of view. If you are telling the story of the tortoise and the hare and the story is from the tortoise’s point of view, it is confusing for young children to try to see the story from the hare’s perspective. Older children may find multiple points of view interesting, but I stick to one point of view, even in my teen novels.

 

When one character tells the story from his or her point of view, the author must be careful that nothing can be known or understood by them unless it is reasonable. Susie, aged 10, cannot know what happened at the city council meeting the night before unless another character tells her, she reads about it or she overhears the information. With one point of view, the author must always be aware of what the character can and can’t know. The character can’t know what others are thinking unless it is obvious from their actions or conversation.

 

Do you have any tips on writing compelling dialogue?

 

Listen to people at the bus stop talking to each other. What kind of words do they use? What does their choice of word say about their personality? Their background? Their age? Each character has a distinct way of speaking that comes from their personality, their concerns, their preoccupations, even their occupation. If characters do not have distinct speech patterns, you will need to write more about them and get to know them better, so that they do sound unique. They don’t have to be unusual, just particular to the character. Beware of accents. They are hard to maintain and can be confusing.

 

Conflict drives dialogue. Write the dialogue and then go back and try to use more compelling, more dramatic or more engaging words.

 

You can write:

“Do the dishes, Susan.”

Susan whispered, “I don’t want to.”

 

Or you can write:

“Susan. Get your lazy bones up these stairs and into the kitchen!”

Susan whispered, “I work harder than you do.”

 

The second dialogue hints at a long-standing quarrel, a power imbalance and increased tension because the reader wonders if Susan is afraid and going to get into serious trouble.

 

What are a few things to keep in mind for fiction writers who want to try their hand at nonfiction for children?

 

What do the children you are writing for want to know? Pick something that your readers are going to be interested in, or find something so interesting that you can present it with such enthusiasm that readers will enjoy it.

 

Do the research and present accurate facts.

 

Write in a compelling manner. It may be instructional but it doesn’t have to be boring.

 

Keep your attitude one of exploration with your readers as if sharing your fascination with the subject and not top-down instruction.

 

What are your one or two best pieces of advice on writing a great query letter?

 

First of all, I recognize that query letters are difficult to write.

 

Go online to the website of the publisher or agent you are approaching and find their description of the query letter. They often tell you what they want in the letter. Read a book or two on writing book proposals as they will include how to write a query letter. Present yourself in the letter as professional, accomplished and eager. Be polite.

 

And finally, send out lots of queries and maintain an optimistic attitude.

 

Is there anything you know now about writing/publishing that you wish you’d known when you were starting out?

 

I wish I had known that it was important to keep all my pieces of writing in an organized filing system. It should be easy on computers, but somehow pieces of writing get lost.

 

I wish I had created a writing plan, much like a business plan, so that I could plot my progress over the years, readjust my goals and keep my career on a steady track. I wish I had taken more writing courses, and read more books on writing earlier. I wish I had connected with other writers more often over the years. I wish I had had a critique partner from the beginning. But I’ve decided to forgive myself for not doing all that. It’s been an interesting journey.

 

Learn more about Marion’s books on her website, or connect with her on Twitter or Facebook. 

 

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: Children’s Author Gives Advice in New Edition of Book on Writing

Interview Excerpts: Middle Grade Author Will Taylor

By Jon Bard

by P.J. McIlvane

 

(note: these are selected excerpts from a longer interview that appears in the January edition of Children’s Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children’s Writers)

 

If your destiny is to write, you usually find a way to do it, even though you might take a couple of detours down life’s Yellow Brick Road along the way. Debut middle grade author Will Taylor (Maggie and Abby’s Neverending Pillow Fort, Harper Collins, 2018) is a sterling example of following one’s muse. Will’s enthusiasm and passion for his craft and life is infectious.

 

 

PJ McIlvaine: You have quite a colorful resume, per your bio: “a reader, writer, bee enthusiast, and former trapeze flailer.” And let’s not forget the years playing the French Horn and how much you’re obsessed with bees. How did you evolve from ex-trapeze artist to middle grade author?

 

Will Taylor: I should start by saying I’m a former trapeze flailer, not artist. I did static trapeze for three years or so, but was never good enough to perform for money or suchlike. Noooowhere near good enough. The studio I went to had tons of performance opportunities for date nights and that sort of thing, though, so I did get to do a duo routine to Heavy in Your Arms by Florence + The Machine and solos to We Belong Together by Mariah Carey and Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid before shoulder troubles grounded me. Videos of all these can be found somewhere on the Internet and I refuse to tell you where

 

I do miss trapeze dearly. Those were a good three years. As for the rest, I left the French Horn behind in college, and started collecting bee tattoos when I graduated, but writing for kids was always lurking in the background, waiting for me to notice it while I went about my random day jobs. Then in my late twenties I finally realized reading and writing middle grade were my real, actual, forget-what-you-think-you’re-supposed-to-do-and-be-honest favorite things ever, and I sat down with a notebook and got started.

 

 

PJ: How did you get the idea for your debut novel Maggie and Abby’s Neverending Pillow Fort? How long did it take you to write it, and how did you map out the sequel?

 

WT: The idea popped almost fully formed into my head one day, or at least the image of kids with linked up forts did. (I know, that’s the worst answer.) I’ve realized since that it owes a partial debt to the Hyperion sci-fi series by Dan Simmons, in which portals called “farcasters” let rich people have houses where each room is physically on a different planet. I loved that image when I read those books, and the linked up pillow forts in my book are similar. They allow kids to move from fort to fort around town, without, as far as their parents know, ever leaving home. Commence shenanigans.

 

The timeline question gets messy. The short answer is three years, but this book has been rewritten start to finish many, many times during those years. Blank page, start from scratch rewrites. The kind that require ice cream.

 

I started the first version in the fall of 2013. It was called Peacock Apocalypse and mercifully died a quick death after the first draft. (It was so, so bad. But it did let me sort out the rules of fort linking, which made starting over easier.)

 

The next version was called Fortress, and was about a boy called Mark who had bully troubles. I finished it in five months and got it ready for querying, then got some very direct notes from my beta readers—most of which were the word NO—so I started over on a brand new draft called Camp Sofa Fort in the summer of 2014. That became the draft that got me an R&R (revise and resubmit), and after several more rewrites, the complete removal of three main characters, and a switch to a female protagonist named Maggie, it got me my agent. One more heavy rewrite after that it sold. Which of course meant a whole new world of rewrites with my editor. And that meant more delicious ice cream.

 

I feel like it’s important to mention that I’d been writing with the intention of getting published for three years before starting this project. Fortress was the fourth full-length book I’d written, and I’d already shopped one book around to agents with no success. Not to say that I had much more of an idea what I was doing with the pillow fort idea, but at least I had my feet under me a bit.

 

Wait, what was the sequel question? How did I map out the sequel?

 

Hahahaha! Yesss…how did I…do that thing I’m not still totally doing…*grabs ice cream and runs away*

 

 

PJ: What is your writing process like? Do you outline or are you a pantster?

 

WT: Ohhh, I never know how to answer this question. I tend to think in scenes more than plots, so I just hork them up on the page as soon as they show up in my head. (Scrivener has been a lifesaver. I can slap up scenes or snippets or even just a few lines and move it all around later until it looks like a book. I always draft in Scrivener and edit in Word.)

Does that make me a pantster? I do need to know what the book’s about, in that “what emotional touch or heart moment or relationship aspect are we playing with, here?” way. Otherwise it’s just a big collection of scenes and a skeleton with no pulse. And I do like knowing the ending ahead of time. But I try not to force an outline on my plot or characters. That’s usually a path to a really bad story, as my first three books can definitely demonstrate.

 

 

PJ: If you could give your younger self some writing advice or tips, what would it be?

 

WT: Ooo, “Stop trying to impress anyone!” It never, ever works. That silly, chatty, totally embarrassing voice you use sometimes when you’re telling a funny story? Yeah, start there.

 

Also, make a list of anything and everything that seriously, truly, legit tugs at your heartstrings and tape it up by your computer. Keep reminding yourself of those things. Every time your heart sits up and takes notice of something add it to the list. Let those things into your writing.

 

 

PJ: Where do you see yourself, writing-wise, five years from now?

 

WT: Okay, late 2021… The pillow fort books will be out, and I’d love to have at least two more middle grades out or in the works. Also at least two picture books, which hold a massive place in my heart. But they take longer.

 

I guess I just want to be doing the writer thing, you know? I can’t WAIT to get to do school visits and talk about books and hopefully help kids feel more confident playing with writing and creating books themselves. I’d love to go around to a few conferences and be on a panel someday.

 

As for the writing, I hope my first drafts get better, or at least more coherent. Writing is editing, as the saying goes, but I wouldn’t mind not having to do quite so much of it for every project. I also hope my writing is looser and more fun, and I hope more of those heartstring items are making their way onto every page. That’d be the good kind of shiny.

 

 

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: Interview Excerpts: Middle Grade Author Will Taylor

Why You Matter — and Why the World So Desperately Needs You

By Jon Bard

Happy 2017!

As writers, we can often feel frustrated, and even overwhelmed, by our perceived smallness.

We look at bestselling authors and marvel at their success, but also beat ourselves up for not having the reach and impact that they do.  We wonder whether our efforts truly matter, and whether the world really needs our contributions.

If we can give you one gift to begin 2017, it would be to erase that sort of thinking from your mind.

Because you matter.

 

Because your work matters.

 

Because it only takes one reader to be changed and moved by your words for you to set in motion a massive impact on this planet.

We like to think that big changes in the world happen only by big people doing big things. But that’s not true at all.  The history of the planet is really the history of the “butterfly effect”.  Of people with vision inspiring others, who then inspire others.

You are a critical part of this cycle, and you absolutely cannot give up and break this chain.  Your butterfly wings can create a hurricane of humanity, decency and hope.

But only if you are willing to fly.

We’d like to share this poem with you.  It’s by Victor Ratner and Moshe Davis, and it so beautifully represents your potential to transform the world.

A candle is a small thing.

But one candle can light another.

And see how its own light increases, as a candle gives its flame to the other.

You are such a light.

This is your year.  This is our year.   Let’s flap our butterfly wings.  Let’s fly, and make things better.

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: Why You Matter — and Why the World So Desperately Needs You