I had to find my own path. Photo by Gaetan THURIN on Pexels.com
When I was a new children’s writer, I made an uncomfortable discovery. It seemed like everyone else who was writing for young readers was a teacher or a librarian. They had kids. This was their world!
Me? I had always loved books. I loved stories even before I could read.
My father, also a committed reader, discovered early on that he and I were in competition for the National Geographic. I poured over the photographs, taking in the exotic animals and places. I wanted to know all about the people that I saw.
When we traveled, we either went to southern Missouri or West Texas. In both locations, I would find a seat near the men and listen to their stories. Why the men? They were the ones telling stories. If it has been women, I’d have listened to them. It was the stories that mattered.
By the time I made it to university, I had decided to study anthropology and archaeology. This was my chance to dive into other worlds! And I loved it. But the survey archaeology program where I worked even as an undergraduate closed soon after I graduated. I found a new job at the university so I could use the tuition waver to get a history degree. Why history? More stories and more learning with the bonus of learning to do research. By the time I graduated, I knew that I wanted to write.
Why am I telling you this? Because this was my path. It looked different from the other writers I knew.
Your path will probably be different from mine and also from theirs. The world of publishing has changed since I started writing. I’m not saying that as if it is a bad thing. Change is natural.
If you want to write, don’t let differences between yourself and other writers stop you. No two people have the same journey to becoming a writer so you’d need to identify your own path anyway. Just as the stories you tell will be uniquely your own, so to will be your path.
How many manuscripts do you work on at one time? Photo by lil artsy on Pexels.com
Yesterday another nonfiction writer posted that she is currently working on four projects. She said that she can do this because they are very different from each other.
This made me wonder – how many projects am I working on at once?
1 – Contracted Nonfiction: Teens and Tweens
My primary focus right now is a contracted nonfiction project. The first deadline is about two weeks away and I’m trying to get it turned in early. This one is currently in the research stage but I’m hoping to move on to writing by the end of the week so that I can research another contracted project (see #2).
2 – Contracted Nonfiction: Grades 3 to 5
I’m not actually doing the reading for this one yet. I’m simply finding materials and saving them to read once I start drafting my sample chapter and outline for #1.
3 – Countdown to Murder
I’m continuing to dictate this one. The last two weeks, my progress has been pretty lean but I’m dictating at least a page a day this week. At least, that was my thought. That works as a goal when I dictate working with my desktop because Word shows page breaks. But if I dictate into my phone? There are no page breaks. So I try to dictate 10 to 15 minutes which generally comes out to around a page.
4 – The Mews
I am finally working on my idea for a comic for writers. At this point, I’m focusing on the sketches that I need for the first comic. Once I’ve got them done, I’ll storyboard the next two or three and start working on the art for those as well. That will give me some flexibility. I can either story board, draw, or assemble.
5 – New Series
I really want to pitch a nonfiction series to Kane Press. What? Science. What about science? I only have the vaguest idea. So why did I include this? Because I’m reading various library books and noodling.
Am I writing? No.
Am I sketching? No.
But I think it is vital to emphasize that noodling is an important part of the writing process. Ideas don’t spring into our minds fully formed. Sometimes they don’t spring into our minds as much as get wrestled down. And really? That’s okay.
Not everyone works on more than one manuscript at a time. Some people need to do a deep dive on only one project. And when I’m facing a deadline, I don’t always work on multiple projects at once. I often focus on the one that is due in mere days.
“What does your character think about what just happened? What does he feel?”
I hate it when I get this question on a manuscript. Generally when someone says this, I know the answer. I think the information is in the story, but my reader just doesn’t get it.
One of the ways to get this information across is through interior or internal dialogue. If you aren’t familiar with this term it is what your character is thinking to him or herself.
For example, your character might smile as she thanks her lab partner for turning in the project early. But simultaneously she is thinking “Fabulous. This means it wasn’t proofed.” Or perhaps you prefer to use a question. ”Why does she do this? It only takes 10 minutes to proof the report.” Doing this either way suggests to the reader that the character doesn’t have a lot of confidence in her partner and that she is the more conscientious student.
But there are tricks to using interior dialogue.
Don’t have your character thinking things that people don’t normally think. Not sure what I’m talking about? Have you ever seen a movie or read a book where the character is going on and on about WHY they are doing something or HOW they are doing it and you think “who says things like this?” Limit your characters interior conversation to things they would legitimately think
You can contradict the character’s actions or speech. That’s what we did above when the character thanks her lab partner for turning in a lab report while mentally griping about it. This is a technique that like to use because it reminds the reader not to take everything a character says or does at face value. Sometimes things need to be questioned.
Beware having your character slip and say something aloud vs saying it in their head. I just don’t think that this happens as much in real life as it does in fiction. That isn’t to say that you can’t do it. Just be sure to use this technique frugally and have a reason for your character to say whatever it is out loud this time. Maybe it is accumulated frustration. Maybe they’ve developed the habit of thinking aloud.
Interior dialogue is a powerful technique that can reveal a lot of information to your reader.
I’ve spent the last several weeks revising the Books page on my site. I did a quick search on my blog and ended up giggling. In December 2021, I wrote a post about the frustrations of updating my site. The issue? My ugly Books page. I have finally come up with a layout that I like!
Note: I like it but I do not love it. I fully intended to register with an affiliate program so that if any of you buy my books through my site, I’d make a little money. To do that with the basic layout that I’m using, I have to use affiliate pages. What are those? The short answer is that they are something that does NOT work with my website theme. To make them work, I would have to pick a new theme. And that would lead to having to tinker with the entire website.
No. Not right now. Why not? See #1 below.
A website is never finished. There will always be something to add or update. So your goal doesn’t need to be perfection. This is something that Laura Backes and agent Jes Trudel were discussing in “Get to Yes . . . How to Land an Agent.” You need to have a site but a new site can be basic. Then you can update it and add to it.
Check your previews. The appearance on the site builder is often very different from the appearance of the site itself. Because of this, I periodically upload a preview. I check out how it looks on a computer monitor, a tablet, and a phone.
Do NOT reinvent the wheel. Trying to come up with an appealing layout for my Book’s page, I checked out the sites of many of my fellow authors. And I’ll be honest here. I looked at the sites of people with many, many books. It isn’t that I have an issue with authors who have 2 or 3 books. But I have 49 that have been published and more in the pipeline. I found several different ways to do it but liked Neil Gaiman’s layout best. That was where I started. I did something similar in creating my author photo (see here). I never duplicate someone’s look entirely, but I do use layouts that I like as a starting point.
Your website is going to be an endless project. Decide what you want to do with it RIGHT NOW. Then study what other people have done. You’ll find some things that you like and then you can change them up and make them your own.
As we head into the last 7 days of January, I’ve already signed contracts for 4 books and am teaching. I am also getting ready to take a class or two. Both the classes I teach and those I am taking are online. Between the classes and the books and everything else I have to get done, I will be spending some serious amounts of time at my desk, butt-in-chair.
To succeed in all of this and come out of the far side of it all in reasonably good health, I’m going to have to make sure to take care of myself. That means that I’m making a point of moving whenever possible.
I started this out by signing up for a chair yoga class. I wasn’t sure it would be enough to do me any good but I was hoping for some stretches I could do at my desk. This instructor knows her stuff. There are variations for those who need a milder stretch and variations for those who need a bit more. Following various optional moves, I worked up a good sweat and it felt so good. Check out the video here.
This is part of me trying to get back into yoga, something I quit doing regularly several years ago when I had to do occupational therapy for my wrist. I’m also keeping track of how many times a month I work out. In October, the library hosted a challenge to exercise 30 times throughout the month. I met the challenge and it felt good! So I’ve repeated the challenge monthly since then.
I’m also making the point to walk the steps five times a day. It’s a little thing but little things like this add up. We know this for a fact – we live in a sedentary society. And there are things that you simply have to sit down to do.
But you can look for ways to get on your feet and ways to move. It is especially necessary if you are going to feel well enough to get your work done. Take care of yourself because no one can write your stories except you!
Rejection letters! No one likes them, but they are a fact of life for writers. Sometimes they still really upset me. That concern has been in the back of my mind as I send out my nonfiction proposal.
Last week, I listened to the podcast Writing Class Radio. The episode I listened to was HERE’S WHY I RESOLVE TO FAIL MORE by Andrea Askowitz. She talked about how failure and rejection are essential parts of development and the creative process. The more you fail, the more you are able to succeed. But she also realized that she needed to change her relationship to rejection. To do this, she built a sort of monument, placing a stone in a bowl for each rejection. Once this was assembled, she would walk past the overflowing bowl and think, “I did that.”
I love rocks! I could do something like that.
Unfortunately the day I decided that, the area was under a sheet of ice. It really wasn’t safe to go outside if you could avoid it.
As I was noodling over possibilities, I started thinking about the many beads that I have tucked here and there. I could drop a bead into a jar for each rejection. So far in 2024 I have two. Then I realized that the Excel document I have could count my rejections. That took me up to 38. Plink plink plink. Into the jar they went. But what about the agents and editors for whom “no answer means no”? So I scrolled down the column counting up submissions that didn’t lead to sales or explicitly stated rejections. That gave me another 52. Plink plink plink. I added them to the jar.
Scrolling down the dates on my submissions, I realized that I probably hadn’t listed everything. I’ll have to start keeping a list of pitches that don’t involve an actual manuscript or proposal.
But still. Since 2009, I only had 90 rejections listed. Then I took another look at the jar. I better get submitting so I can fill this jar!
Could my attitude really be changing so quickly? Maybe yes. Maybe no.
When I started writing books for young readers, I was beyond clueless. No, really. I did not have a clue. Unlike many people who write for young readers, I’m not a teacher or librarian. I have always loved books and I wanted to buy fantastic books for my nieces. I couldn’t find what I wanted to buy, so I started writing. I quickly learned that there are several questions you need to answer to fully understand what you want to write.
What Audience Do I Have In Mind?
When I decided that I wanted to write for young readers, I was lucky. I had to specific readers in mind. My nieces were in grade school, specifically first grade and third grade. One loved all things science and animal. The other was significantly more into cooking, making, and creating.
Being able to picture specific young readers was a plus. It narrowed by vision and kept me from making inaccurately broad statements. ”This book will appeal to children aged 3 to 12.” Because that right there? That’s way too broad. You need to focus on a developmental range and a group of interests.
What Types of Books (Topic)?
Some people specializes with a very narrow topic. ”I write books for children who like quirky animal facts.” ”I write unknown history.”
My personal focus is not that narrow and it never has been. I write nonfiction. But the focus for each book is that narrow or narrower. ”This title is for the 3rd grade reader who is fascinated by wildlife, especially wildlife that might be found in suburban and urban environments.”
What Types of Books (Format)?
You know your audience. You have a feel for your topic. But you also need to know your format. You aren’t writing just a book for kids. You are writing a picture book or an early reader. Maybe you are writing a chapter book or a novel. My book on Haunted San Antonio took the shape that it did because it was 5th grade nonfiction. A middle grade novel for the same audience would have been very different.
Why? What Motivates Me?
Last but not least, I need to know my motivation. If I want to teach kids a lesson or I simply know something important that they need to know . . . that project probably isn’t going to go anywhere. Preachy projects are tedious for the writer and for the reader.
But if I have a great story to tell, I know who the audience is, what it is about, and I have a clue about the format? Then I am ready to write.
There’s a lot to know before I start a writing project. But the more I know before I start, the less circuitous will be my journey. There are no short cuts but by not knowing the answers to any of the above questions, I can make it a lot harder than it needs to be.
As someone who has written prayers and devotionals, I thought I knew what this book would be like. There would be a Bible verse, a devotional and either a meditation or a prayer. Then there would be a point for the reader to reflect on.
Nope. That’s not how Fry did it.
Yes, each of the 21 devotionals starts with a Biblical passage. But this is a passage vs a verse or two. That doesn’t mean it is a massive reading but it is enough to really get you into the event.
After the invitation to read, Fry gets into the passage. She discusses not only what happened but what it has to do with gratitude. This is more than what the people found to be grateful about but also what the gratitude led them to experience.
Next is a page for your own journaling. What are you grateful for?
Day-by-day, devotional-by-devotional, the reader is invited to journal about their own gratitude. At first, they might wonder why again? What’s the point? Isn’t this a little thin?
But when they open up they will realize that this is an invitation to get specific. It is an opportunity to dive deeper and observe not only what in your life is good but how gratitude impacts not only your life but your relationship to the Almighty.
Unlike many journals, this is a slender volume. It is perfect to slip into your purse or backpack. Mine even fits in my choir folder so I can carry it with me on Sunday morning.
Are you looking for a gratitude journal that is Biblically based? Then look no further. Fry encourages readers to examine Bible passages that deal with gratitude followed by their own journaling as they go deeper and deeper into their own feelings and thoughts. Check out the calendar below for other stops and dates on this blog tour.
It should come as no great surprise to my regular readers that I love nonfiction writing. From the research to revision, there’s something to love about every step. When I read Feast and Festivals Around the World, I knew I had to approach Alice. Fortunately she agreed to do an interview about writing this picture book.
Here is the description of the book:
From South Korea to Nigeria to the USA, come celebrate festivals throughout the year! People around the world are celebrating. In Australia, it’s Christmas in summer with barbecues on the beach. In Thailand, they’re celebrating Songkran, the famous Buddhist water festival. Rhyming text and graphic illustrations pair perfectly and invite young readers to explore the world through mesmerizing festivals.
And now, let’s get to the interview!
Sue:What was the inspiration for Feast and Festivals Around the World?
Alice: I’d loved my experience writing Pancakes to Parathas: Breakfast Around the World and wanted to do another book about foods and cultures. What better way to explore other countries and cultures than to focus on our feast holidays, where families and friends come together to celebrate?
Sue:I can’t think of a better way!So much of writing is revising. How did this manuscript change throughout the revision process?
Alice: One of the tricky things that I had to work out in revising this book was to figure out how to organize it. I started by organizing the book around the months of the year, but many of the feasts and festivals are scheduled around the lunar calendar, which means that they don’t always occur in the same month. My editor and I discussed this and decided to focus on the seasons of the year, which gave us more flexibility.
Sue: That worked so well. One question that my students often ask is ‘how much research do you need to do?’ How would you answer this?
Alice: I do LOTS of research! I began this book with online research, getting a feel for the holidays that are celebrated in which country and on which continent. I made a chart of the major feast holidays on each continent and then made the tough decisions about which feasts to cover in the book. It’s always sad to have to leave things out! Then I did the most important thing of all – I reached out to people who lived in (or had previously lived in) each of these countries and had celebrated these holidays. They gave me first hand information about the festivals and their experiences. This first hand information – primary sources! – was key to making the book truly authentic and bringing it to life.
Sue: Pacing and tension can be hard to get right in this type of nonfiction. What did you do to keep the reader turning the pages? How do you achieve tension?
Alice: In this type of book, establishing a strong structure is the key. I moved the book through the seasons and made my transition verses act as teasers for readers to get them excited about what was to come next.. When I share this book with school groups, I have a special PowerPoint that I use which gives hints about the upcoming countries so the readers can look at the clues and guess what country will come next.
Sue: Those transitions work so well at guiding the reader. Now, for the big one. What question do you wish someone would ask about your book and how would you answer it?
Alice: I’d like someone to ask me what was the most fulfilling aspect of writing this book. As a resounding answer, I’d say that the personal contacts I was able to make in communicating with people from each country were very fulfilling. Some of the people I used as contacts were long-time friends, and our conversations allowed me to learn something new about their heritage and lives. Other contacts were made through connections with other people I know or over social media. Here, I had the opportunity to meet wonderful new people. My Thailand contact, for instance, introduced to me after I put a call out on social media, was a wonderful lady who lived only a few miles from my house. What a pleasure and honor it was to get to know her!
Sue: I love that in helping your readers connect with the topic, you made so many new connections yourself! Thank you so much for sharing your process with all of us!
Tomorrow I’ll be posting an interview with Alice McGinty, author of Feasts and Festivals Around the World. Doing an interview is trickier than just chatting someone up. These tips will help you get started.
The Interview Is About…
When you reach out to someone to ask if they will do an interview, you want to be able to tell them what the interview is about. When I emailed Alice, I asked if she would do an interview about writing her book, Feasts and Festivals Around the World.
Always include the title of the book. Why? Because it may not be the author’s most recent book. Even if it is, the author may be working on another book that is currently their mental focus.
Write Out Your Questions
Especially if you are a pantser, it may be tempting to try to wing it. But write your questions out ahead of time. Give yourself some time to think them over. This is important because there are certain things you need to do.
Avoid “Yes” or “No”
The point of an interview is to get the person talking. This means that you don’t want to ask questions that can be answered “yes” or “no.” The more the person talks, the more likely they are to say something interesting!
No matter how you word your questions, some people are going to give abbreviated answers. It is easier to draw people out if you ask questions that cannot be answered YES or NO. It will also help if you . . .
Stick with the Positives
You want to ask people about interesting things and conflict can be interesting. But if you push too hard, the person you are interviewing may shut down. Even if they don’t, their answers will likely be curt.
All writers get rejected. And we all have to revise our work. As much as I love revision, I know that not everyone does. Still, if I’m going to ask about it, I need to make it positive. You’ll have to read Alice’s interview tomorrow to see how I do that!
Don’t Go Overboard
I try to limit myself to 5 or 6 questions. But these aren’t necessarily single questions. I tend to go for what I call “question sets.” If one doesn’t get the person talking, perhaps the next question will. A question set consist of related questions, something like this.
“Some writers are plotters, carefully outlining their work. Others are pantsers. Which method do you prefer and why? How has this changed throughout your writing career and from project to project?”
“…And why” keeps the person from giving a one word answer and the second half of the question encourages them to elaborate.
Doing an interview gives someone a chance to talk about their writing. By learning how to write strong questions, you set them up for success.
One Writer's Journey 