PNWA Book Doctor Interview: Secrets Revealed

Jason Black

I'd like to introduce author Jason Black and PNWA's own book doctor. I reviewed his latest middle grade book, Pebblehoof on MMGM a few weeks ago. You can see the review here. I was so glad that Jason agreed to an interview here on the blog. Welcome Jason! And now for our first question:
  
1) Why do you write for children?
You know, people ask me that a lot. I sometimes wish I had a deep, philosophical answer, but I don't. I never set out to be a children's author--and indeed, have written in genres all over the map--but somehow, I've ended up writing several books for kids of various ages. I'm not quite sure how that happened, but there you go.

  
That said, for each book there are specific reasons why I wrote it for younger audiences. I've written three novels as gifts for specific children, and therefore, needed to write something that was accessible to that kid. I have a fourth title in the works that is YA because that was the most natural audience for the subject matter.

  
However, having done it several times now, I have to say I really enjoy
writing for kids. My list of to-be-written books is still all over the map,
but you can bet Pebblehoof isn't the last youth title you'll see from me.
  
 2) Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became a writer. 
Oh, my least favorite question ever! I'm such a boring subject. :) I'm a technical writer in the software industry by day, freelance developmental
editor by night (hey, everybody needs a secret identity), novelist when I can
squeeze it in, and father of two book-loving children who are occasionally
willing to test-drive manuscripts for me.

Like many writers, I tried my hand at fiction when I was a teenager. Although the kind and supportive adults in my life praised my efforts, to me they were abject failures and best forgotten. I couldn't understand how real writers did it. I would think of ideas for stories, which in my head were grand, epic
affairs. Then when I'd write them, I'd be done after about three pages, and I had no idea where the grand, epic-ness had gone. I figured I just didn't have the magical knack of sustaining a story for hundreds of pages like the published writers did. What followed was two tragically lost decades of not writing fiction at all. That's one of the biggest regrets of my life. I can't get that time back.

Then in 2005, a co-worker at my day job talked me into trying National NovelWriting Month. I was skeptical, but for some reason or other I said yes. I decided to novelize the events of a role playing game I had run with some friends several years prior. Laugh if you will, but thirty days later--and utterly astonished--I held a 100,000 word manuscript in my hands. 

That month of literary abandon, as NaNoWriMo calls it, was easily the single greatest time of creative joy and liberation I've ever had. I was hooked, and haven't looked back since. But don't ask me what changed during those two fallow decades. To this day, I haven't the slightest idea why I can do now what was so impossible in my youth.

  

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3) What was the inspiration for Pebblehoof?

Pebblehoof was written as a gift for my niece. And I'll tell you, for any writer looking for inspiration, nothing beats writing for a _specific_audience. Pick one individual child, and write for her. In my case, my niece loves horses. And I mean, she really, really loves horses. So naturally, I had to write a horse book. Since it's for my niece, I wanted it to have a strong, female protagonist of a similar age.
  
With those two requirements, I started thinking about plots and settings. There were basically two. I could do something set in the modern day, about dressage or show-jumping or something like that. Or, I could do something historical, in an age when horses were as common as cars are now.
      
Of the two, dressage made me yawn straight away. Apologies to those who do
love dressage, it's just not even a little bit my thing. Historical, however,
opens up some great stuff. Like the American West during the homestead era, when the land was wild, the law was basically nonexistent, and the
opportunities for a strong female protagonist to get into some dandy
adventures with her horse were much more readily available.
  
 4) Tell us about your process.
  
Well, I guess I already started answering that, so I'll just continue. Boiled
down to a three-word philosophy, it would be “always increase specificity.” [Step 1]* I start with whatever vague inklings of a story happen to come to me, and from there refine that idea into something that is ever more specific. For Pebblehoof, I was starting with "girl and a horse in the wild west." That's nice, but is far too vague to work with. So, piece by piece, I evaluated
options for making it specific.

 

[Step 2]* Take the protagonist. Since the book is for my niece, I made the protagonist two years older than my niece was going to be by the time the book was in
print. The rule of thumb I've been told for middle-grade and YA fiction is that kids like to read about protagonists who are a little bit older than themselves. Next, as much as possible I want my niece to identify with the protagonist, so I named my protagonist Maria because that's phonetically similar to--but not a dead-on ringer for--my niece's name. I gave the protagonist a family structure that mirror's my niece's family: a mother,
father, and younger sister. I gave them similar names to my sister, my brother-in-law, and my other niece too. My family is of German extraction, so I made the protagonist's family into German immigrants. 

 

[Step 3] Now we're starting to get specific, and to a point where research can help.
America's German population largely came over in the mid-19th century, as a result of civil war in Germany. That fixed the time period pretty specifically, at least as far as when Maria's parents would have come to
America.  
More research: what was going on in America during those years? Obviously, lots of stuff. The question of slavery, predominantly, but I wasn't interested in writing a story with a heavy, moralistic, social-studies kind of message. There’s a place for books like those, it just wasn’t what I wanted to write. I also found that the Homestead Act was passed in that same time period. Ah ha, said I, that's a perfect fit for the needs of an immigrant family looking to
start a new life in a free land.
  
So you see how this works: [Step 4] I look at the parts of my premise or plot which are too vague, then I do research and brainstorm until something strikes me as a good fit for what I'm after.
  
In like fashion, I found a specific location for the story (the Platte River
area around Columbus, Nebraska), discovered and invented various plot elements and turning points in the story, and learned tons of great historical details that provide the color and texture for the story. That same process even gave me the story's central conflict involving the Transcontinental Railroad.
* Red Added.
  
 5) Pebblehoof is an incredible historical fiction and it is clear you did extensive research. Can you share anything you learned about research:how-to strategies, determining what to use and when, and ultimately—how to know you've done enough?
  
I think I've answered most of that already. I'll just add that the process. I've described works incredibly well for historical fiction, but (research) also works great for other types of fiction as well. The only difference is that what constitutes "research" may differ.  
My research was the traditional kind, because if I'm going to write a
historical novel I want it to be actually historical. And if I'm going to
write for kids, I want them to learn something along the way. Not to hit them
over the head with the history, or require that they learn dozens of names,
dates, and significant places just to track the story. I just want the story
to be as close to something that could have happened as possible, while still
telling the story I want to tell.
  
But, if my niece were a space buff and I had instead chosen to write her a
futuristic sci-fi piece set on Mars or something, my “research" would have
involved a lot more "imagining stuff to fill in the gaps" rather than looking
things up in books and on the internet.

The sources may vary, but the process remains the same: do whatever you need to do to turn _vague_ ideas into _specific_ story elements. To that extent, the way you know when you've done enough is when the elements have become specific enough you can actually write about them.
  
Knowing what to leave out is important, too. This is a tough one for a lot of writers, because we are so easily enraptured with the cool stuff we discover while researching. We naturally want to share it all. But not everything we
discover necessarily belongs in the story. There's all sorts of historical detail about the Transcontinental Railroad, for example, which didn't make it into the book. It wasn't germane to the specific plot Maria was involved with. To add it would have been a digression. It would have killed the pacing.
  
You can get away with adding more of that stuff in literary genres. But for
children's literature, you _have_ to keep the plot moving. It is very, very
easy to lose kids' interest if the story bogs down. For children's lit,
knowing what to leave out is absolutely critical.

6) What does a typical writing day look like?
Hah. I wish I had typical writing days. Reality is that the demands of a day
job and freelancing leave me with precious little time to actually write my own stuff. I carve out November for novel-writing (sorry, clients!), but that's about all I get so I have to make the most of it.
Research, fortunately, is something that can be done in odd moments. I spend
September and October doing that, turning my initial vague idea into a
fully-developed scene list, with everything in order, all the plot issues work
out, and scene-by-scene notes of what's supposed to happen. That way, when
November comes, I can make the most out of the two to three writing hours I
can squeeze into an evening after the kids are in bed.
  
During November, my typical writing day looks like this: Wake up. Feed the
kids and get them dressed. Shower while my wife takes them to school. Go to
work. Write boring stuff about software. Come home. Eat dinner. Do baths and story time for the kids. Sit down at the computer. Grab the next scene
description out of my notes. Write what it says. Do the dishes, and go to bed.

Not exactly the Ernest Hemmingway model of adventure, seaside vistas, and
mojitos at the Havana Club, is it?

6) Where is your favorite place to write?

Typically, my home office. But anywhere quiet will do. Someone once said that the greatest asset you have is time. Someone smarter said no, the greatest asset you have is _uninterrupted concentration_. In my life, just about the only place I can find uninterrupted concentration is at home, after the kids are in bed.
  
7) What did or do you find most challenging in creating the story and getting it published? What do you wish you would have known?

Probably the hardest thing in Pebblehoof was in creating a story in which
Maria could be the strong, female protagonist I wanted to give to my niece.
Although it is a story about a girl and the horse who is her only friend in
the world, I didn't want it to become a "super horse saves the day!" kind of
story. I needed Maria to matter to the story. But just the same, I needed
Pebblehoof to matter to the story, too. It wouldn't be much of a
girl-and-her-horse story if the horse was just an afterthought, or was
irrelevant to the way the story unfolded.

What I needed to do was build the plot around what Pebblehoof _enables_ Maria to do that she wouldn't otherwise be able to. That was the key. It was about finding ways that Maria could save the day, but only because she had
Pebblehoof.
Beyond that, the most challenging elements of publication for me are the fact that I have no visual design skills at all, which means I'm basically helpless when it comes to book covers and interior book design. Fortunately, I was able to hook up with an excellent photoshop artist on the NaNoWriMo message boards who created the cover for me. Also fortunately, I found a kindly publisher who happens to have amazing book design skills and was willing to trade publication services for developmental editing services. All of which is good, because as I said, the book was a gift, so I was committed to publishing it with or without help from traditional publishing.The book as a whole turned out really beautiful, and I’m delighted with it.
  
The one thing I wish I’d have been more cognizant of ahead of time was how long to plan for copy editing. I didn’t leave enough time, and didn’t have a copy editor lined up far enough in advance, so that part of the process turned
out to be a stressful, last-minute scramble.
  
8) What is the best writing advice you have ever received?
  
Easy: "Show, don't tell." The person who told me that never explained what it
meant, but somehow it made sense to me anyway. These days, because I do
developmental editing for other writers and constantly find myself having to
explain what "show, don't tell" really means, I have a very clear
understanding of the concept and how it serves as the single, bedrock, guiding
principle for all narrative writing.
  
I know that sounds like a hyperbole, but I mean it quite literally. Explaining
why is probably a whole other interview, though.

9) Are you working on a new project? Can you tell us about it?

I am! This year's NaNoWriMo just finished up, and I'm pretty excited about
this rough, first draft I just wrote. It is middle-grade book for my other
niece, and will be coming out for her birthday in September, 2013. (Writers,
beware! While it's great to write for a specific, one-kid audience, there is a
potential drawback: having done it for one niece, I'm now on the hook to do it
for her sister and for my own kids as well. Still, there are worse problems to
have.)
  
This one is about a beaver in the far north of Ontario, on the run from the
fur trapper pursuing her for her rare black pelt. I'm reading it to my kids
right now, to see what they think and learn whether I need to fix anything.
I'm not sure what they think of it yet, but so far I'm quite pleased with how
the book came out.
  
10) What advice would you give others that write for children?
  
Respect your audience, both for their strengths and their limitations. Maxim Gorky said, "You must write for children in the same way you do for adults, only better." I do my best to take that to heart.
  
For me, that means two things. First, it means is recognizing that children
are every bit as smart as you or me. There is never a need to "dumb down" a story just because you're writing it for kids. Just focus on telling the
_best_ story you can. Don't worry about making it simple. Pebblehoof is by no
means a simple story; Maria's and her parents have a pretty complex dynamic
(hey! just like in real life!). Similarly, the family as a whole has a
shifting, love/hate relationship with the railroad and the railroad baron who
is the book's central nemesis.

Second, it means to recognize that kids don't yet have the reading skill
grownups do. And why should they? You and I have been at this whole reading thing for decades. Kids have only been doing it for as little as a year or two, depending on the particular age you're writing for. This has a bearing on how you write the story. (But note, it doesn't mean you dumb down the language. Quite the opposite, actually, as the early literacy years also coincide with kids' period of most rapid language acquisition. To dumb down the language of your writing is to do them a disservice by eliminating their opportunity to experience new words in context and figure out what they mean.)
  
What it does mean is that for a kid to read two pages of story, say,
represents a significant investment of time and effort. That's not an easy
thing for them, and you'd darn well better respect their work. They'd better
get some payoff out of it, which means that the story had better _move_ within those pages. If you give the kid two solid pages of beautiful, poetic,
evocative, Pulitzer-worthy landscape description in which nothing happens, you
haven't respected their work and you shouldn't be surprised if the kid decides
your book is boring. Adult readers might happily stick with you for those two
pages. But then, for the same amount of effort the kid put in, the adult might
well read 20 pages instead of 2. For kids, there's a very different ratio of
work to reward than for adults. I said earlier that pace was critical for
children's literature, and this is why. If you're going to write for kids,
keep that story moving!

Thanks so much for stopping by Jason. I hope you all enjoyed the interview as much as I did. Be sure to check out his editing services on his website here. 

I'm going to take a few weeks off to plan for the new year. Join me on January 14th for my first middle grade book review of 2013!

Hard Work, Late Nights And Dirty Laundry: An Interview with Jodi Meadows

I'd like to welcome Jodi Meadows to the blog today! I recently reviewed her book Incarnate and you can find that here.

1) Why do you write for young adults?


Because young adults are awesome. There's so much going on in their lives, they're experiencing so many things for the first time. Firsts are exciting to write about.Also, because I really love YA books.


2) Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became a writer.

I've always wanted to be a writer. My sister and I made up lots of stories when we were young, but it wasn't until I was in seventh grade when I realized that writing was something people did. There was actually a job that involved making up stories!When I realized that was an option -- that anyone could be a writer if they wanted -- I decided I would.

Jodi's Ferrets

3) What was the inspiration for Incarnate?


First, I filled up a room with keyboards. Just keyboards, of course. The wires all went into computers in another room.
Then I released the ferrets.I'm not sure how they came up with Incarnate, but somewhere in the 8,000,000 pages of "jdfskjklgjfklesjgvcxnfghjkguioehfdnvv gk jskafskdljfads 1~~!!! !fdsfsda" I found a gem.That answer may be a lie.

4) Tell us about your process.


My process does not actually involve ferrets. Ideas arrive in my brain. I write them down in a "new ideas" document. And if the ideas don't leave after that . . . usually they start growing. Characters introduce themselves. I somehow end up tethered to my keyboard for months. At some point, a first draft emerges. It needs lot of work. I spend more months revising.

Mostly, my process involves a lot of hard work, late nights, and dirty laundry piling up.

5) What does a typical writing day look like?

Generally, it looks like me sitting in my desk chair, a ferret trying to balance on my head, and a cat sitting on my lap or keyboard, depending on the weather.

I write about 8 - 10 hours a day. It's a full-time job for me. I know how lucky I am, and there's nothing I'd rather be doing, but it is work and I definitely put the hours in.


6) Where is your favorite place to write?

I'm on a desktop computer, so I write only in the one place: my ferret room. I'm not sure I'd do well trying to write anywhere else, actually. I like complete silence while I'm writing.

7) What did or do you find most challenging in creating the story and getting it published? What do you wish you would have known?

I was actually a pretty educated querier. When I was ready to start looking for an agent, I already had a few friends who were published. I had the benefit of their experiences, so there wasn't much that came as a surprise.

But I think a lot of new authors are surprised by how much work writing is. Lots of people imagine writing all day and having everything else magically happen around them, but it doesn't work like that. Revisions have to be done (by one's deadline), emails have to be answered, promotion has to get out there. It's not all glamorous.

8) What is the best writing advice you have ever received?

Oh, that's really hard to say. I've received a lot of excellent writing advice! But one of the most widely useful pieces I like to send back out to the world: only write the good parts. If what you're writing is boring to you, it's going to be boring to the reader. They can tell whether you're into what you're writing.

9) Are you working on a new project? Can you tell us about it?

Yes, I am! But no, I can't. It hasn't been sold yet, and while I hope it does sell, I can't make promises. And I hate to get anyone excited about something I can't promise will make it out there.

10) What advice would you give others that write for children?

Never, ever write down to them, or try to force a moral into the story. The second they feel patronized, they're out.

11) What are a couple of your all time favorite YA books?

Oh man, this is HARD. All time favorites? *pulls hair* Okay.

Anything by Robin McKinley. HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE by Diana Wynne Jones (which so far is the only thing I've read of hers, but I have a feeling *anything* of hers would be on this list). IF I STAY by Gayle Forman. THE GIVER by Lois Lowry. PLAIN KATE by Erin Bow. And . . . well, okay.

Here's my "books I love beyond reason" shelf on Goodreads. Not all of them are YA, but most are. http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4011205?shelf=books-i-love-beyond-reason
12) It sounds like you never questioned whether or not you could be a writer...Were you always that confident?

Well, for a long time, I didn't realize how hard it was to get published. I assumed one simply wrote a book, and then someone published it. Once I did learn how difficult it was . . . I thought it was mostly a matter of time. I would query until someone said yes. I would write books until someone published one. (And then I'd write more.)

There was a while in there when I was a *good* writer but not good *enough* -- and that was really hard. So while I never doubted I could be a writer -- anyone who picks up a pen or keyboard and starts writing is a writer -- I did, for a while, doubt that I would ever be published. Most days, I'm still surprised that it happened. Because even though I can go to my local bookstore and see my book for sale, the whole thing still seems so surreal and like a goal I will always be shooting for.

New Books: 

Thanks so much Jodi. It was great to get to know you a little better! I can't wait to get my hands on the next book and you can bet I'll be reviewing it.

Have any of you read Incarnate? What did you think of the premise? 

Socia Malaise Debrief No.1

Socia Malaise

The Mission: Discover and study online social networks. Explore who's using these networks and infiltrate the platforms to learn the trends, secrets of success and the language.
Intelligence: There are over 400 social media platforms. They can be found in almost any subject. Opportunities to connect to specific demographics has never been so easy. The challenge is to decide which platforms offer the most effective way to connect to your specific audience. 

Questions: 

1- How do you choose which ones to use?
2-Which ones will reach the audience you are trying to connect with?
3- Are there some that are more user friendly than others?
4- Why do I need to participate in social media?

Dialogue: You can become part of the dialogue by asking important questions. What do you want to know? What social media platform has you baffled? What's the magic number when it comes to how many platforms one should participate in? If Socia doesn't know the answer she will find it, you can be sure.

Join Socia Malaise on her quest to understand and bust the social media frenzy wide open. Answers you can count on. Questions worth asking.

Only You Can Write Your Book: Q/A with Carol Fisher Saller and a Giveaway

We are very privileged to have Carol Fisher Saller, author of Eddie's War and the Subversive Copy Editor with us today.
You can see my review of Eddie's War here.
Carol has offered a signed copy to one lucky commenter!

So let's get started...


1) After spending many years in academe what made you decide to write a book for children? 

Actually, although Eddie’s War is my first children’s novel, I wrote several books for younger children before I started working in academe. In the early 1990s when my children were small, we read a lot of children’s books, like Beverly Cleary’s books about Ramona and Beezus, and the Little House books, and Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain series, and Jack Prelutsky’s poetry collections. Not to mention a million picture books. It made me want to try writing them myself.

2) Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became a writer.

I grew up unremarkably in Peoria, Illinois, and like all writers I must have begun writing as a wee tot, since I don’t seem to remember the process.

3) What made you decide to use verse to tell Eddie's story?
Truly, I never set out to write in verse, nor would I call it that (although you aren’t the first reviewer to describe it that way). I would call it “prose chopped into short lines.” Early on, a critiquer at a conference told me the short lines were a bad idea, so I rewrote them into paragraphs, but the short lines continued to assert themselves and I finally stopped fighting them. I like the way they slow the reader down. They also allow a bit of stream-of-consciousness when I don’t want to be explicit. And of course, without them, the book would only be about 50 pages long.

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4) Tell us about your process.
It’s kind of a mess. I don’t follow any of the usual advice (write every day, keep a notebook, etc.). When I’m writing, I try to give it 20 or 30 minutes when I first get up in the morning, before I go to the office. Writing Eddie took me something like six years, and it’s a really short book! I’m very slow, partly because I’m compulsive self-editor. I love revising so much that I do it continuously as I write. I spend much more time rewriting and honing than drafting. It’s so much more enjoyable and rewarding. 

5) I understand the inspiration for Eddie's War came from the journal of your father. Tell us what other research you did and it's role in the creation of the story.

The research was endless, and unlike many writers of historical fiction, I did not love it! It was like homework. But I took my responsibility seriously to get things right, and since I’ve spent my whole adult life copyediting scholarly research, I know how to find facts and document them. I read old newspapers on microfilm; I read books written by WWII bomber pilots; I looked at memoirs from the 1930s and 1940s. I read about farm machinery, typewriters, sparrows, horseshoeing. I listened to Churchill’s war speeches and bought a CD full of radio news programs from the war. (You should listen sometime to Edward R. Murrow reporting from London during the Blitz!) I looked at several books about the Roma in Poland and read whatever I could find online. And my father’s diary was a gold mine of period detail. If I needed Eddie to be doing some authentic-sounding farm chore in June 1943, all I had to do was look in the diary and take my pick. I used the names of books my dad was reading, movies he saw, radio shows.

Although the usual sequence is that a writer needs to confirm a fact and looks it up, your question reveals that you know it sometimes works the other way around: you look something up, and what you discover suggests a new twist. For instance, Jozef was a minor character before I read about the Polish Roma, after which he seemed so much more important as a symbol of the war and its atrocities.

4) You stated that revision is your favorite part of the process, even to the exclusion of drafting. You've also written an important book The Subversive Copy Editor. Why did you feel compelled to write this?

For many years, as part of my job at the University of Chicago Press, I had been reading all the e-mails sent to The Chicago Manual of Style, and so many were from writers and editors who were asking for proof that they were right about something so they could win an argument with someone. I began to see how much needless trouble and angst there was in the editing process, writer versus editor. I also saw how many educated people felt superior when they were actually just clinging to fake or antiquated rules (like not splitting an infinitive, or not using the passive). I wanted to write a book that would give both parties a smack and ask them to update their knowledge, put egos aside, and cooperate in service of the reader.

7) The underlying theme seems to be about keeping the experience of the reader at the forefront of the editing process. Why is this especially important now with the digital evolution of publishing? 

Because online publishing is not always run by professional editors, there’s an increased likelihood of errors and inconsistencies that both detract from the reader’s experience and damage the credibility of the writer and publisher. The idea that editorial quality matters to readers is widely accepted, but editing costs money, and low-budget publishers often decide it’s dispensable.

8) What does a typical writing day look like?

Unfortunately (fortunately?), I don’t have writing days. I have the day job, and I’m involved in a lot of other activities outside work, so I write in little bits and pieces. I’ve often thought that even if I were free to write all day, I’d probably find other things to do after a half hour.

9) Where is your favorite place to write?
In the sun, which is difficult on my high-glare laptop. I wonder if there’s some kind of gadget for that.

10) What did or do you find most challenging in creating the story and getting it published? What do you wish you would have known?
I got very discouraged at times, thinking that the whole thing was hopeless. My writing group and my editor, Stephen Roxburgh, kept telling me just to keep writing, and I wish I’d had more faith that it would actually lead to a finished book. 

11) What is the best writing advice you've ever received?

Aside from “Just keep writing,” it would be “Only you can write your books.” I’m sorry I don’t remember where I heard it. It’s easy to get caught up in comparing myself to other, more celebrated writers. Or worrying about whether someone else is writing something similar, instead of remembering that what I do with a given idea is unique and valid, and that writing is not a competition. There’s room for many voices.

12) Are you working on a new project? Can you tell us about it?

I am! I’m still outlining, so nothing is set in stone, but I can at least say that it’s about a girl whose great-great-grandmother was hanged for murder. I want it to be a bit dark—a mystery—as the girl tries to track down a journal that will prove her ancestor’s innocence. It will be more YA than Eddie, and set in the present—although of course we’ll have to go back to 1935 when the hanging took place.

13) What advice would you give others who write for children? 
                    Join SCBWI! That will give you all the advice you’ll ever need.

Thanks so much for coming by the blog! This has been great getting to know more about you and your work.  Find more Carol here:


Website
Subversive Copy Editor Blog


And now for the giveaway...


Answer the following question in a comment and tweet about this post. Easy, right?


Question: According to Carol, what was the advice she wished she'd had more faith in?


Whoops, I forgot to put a deadline on this give away. Deadline for entry is March 31st and winner will be announced on April 1st. 

World Building Technique: An Interview with Jen Reese Author of Above World

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I'm really excited to have Jenn Reese with us today. Her debut, Above World, will be released on February 14th. This is one you're not going to want to miss! I couldn't help but think about Katniss (Hunger Games) as Aluna, the heroine, fights to save her people and ultimately the world. 


1) Why do you write for children?
         When I was young, my home life wasn’t good and books were my escape. I spent as much time as possible in other worlds, making friends with Turtle from The Westing Game or helping Meg find her father in A Wrinkle In Time. (I was the kind of kid who almost walked into oncoming traffic because I couldn’t put my book down on the way to the bus stop, not even for a minute.) So my childhood is the main reason I write middle-grade adventures. The books I read back then saved my life, and I want to repay that gift if I can.

2) Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became a writer.
        I grew up reading but didn’t start writing until my mid twenties. Well, that’s not entirely true – I wrote constantly for the Dungeons & Dragons games I played, inventing elaborate back stories for my characters and creating worlds and cultures for games I was running myself. Once I starting writing short stories (it was eight more years before I tried novels), I couldn’t imagine why I hadn’t started sooner. Creating worlds and stories and characters is something I will always love doing. That I now get to share my inventions with other people is an absolute joy.

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   3) What was the inspiration for Above World?
      I was trying to come up with an idea for a short story, some sort of adventure in space. I asked myself what sort of person might make a good space captain, and the answer came to me right away: a mermaid! That’s how I got the idea of combining mythology with science fiction. I also knew I wanted the book to feel like an epic fantasy adventure, the kind I gulped down as kid. I thought that approach – along with an emphasis on bioengineering instead of spaceships -- might win over some readers who didn’t think they liked science fiction.

4) Tell us about your process.
           I am an unrepentant planner. When I start working on an idea, I write everything down in a Moleskine notebook that never leaves my side – not while I’m at work, not while I’m asleep, not ever. The notebook is basically an external brain where I trap every single thought related to the book, including all the stupid ones I’ll never use.

            Candy-bar scenes are another big thing for me. First, I should note that "candy-bar scenes" come from author Holly Lisle (hollylisle.com) who has a lot of great advice on her website. I list every scene that I’m dying to write – a first kiss, a fight scene with a particular kind of weapon or in a neat setting, a surprising twist that I can’t wait to spring on my characters. I have to know the big final scene of the novel (at least what it means to the main character), and it must be a candy-bar scene, a scene that I can’t wait to write. If it’s not, then it’s not the right final scene and I have to keep thinking.

           Once I’ve got the ending, I start to sketch out an outline – only a few brief sentences per chapter or just a chronological list of beats. I like to have structure, but to leave enough room for unexpected turns or for a side character to become more interesting. If I plan everything out too much, then it’s not as fun for me to write.
          Having said all that, I think processes should stay fluid. I’m continually changing as a writer and a person, and each story is different. I like to think that I’ll keep adapting as I go.

5) Your process is inspiring and I love the idea of "candy-bar scenes". Can you tell us a little more about your world building? How do you decide on the rules for your world and create plausibility?

           There are a lot of ways to approach world building, and I have no fixed method. For Above World, I started with an endpoint and worked backward. I knew I wanted humans who had bioengineered themselves into the shapes of mythological creatures, so I tried to imagine how the world we know now might change to create such a need or desire. Overpopulation and resource depletion seemed like great excuses for humans to seek homes in harsh niches requiring biological modification. The humans chose mythological creatures as their inspiration because many humans (myself included!) are in love with form as well as function. We're drawn to mythic resonance, to sleek interfaces, to clever industrial design. Why live underwater as a human, when you could live underwater as a mermaid? Armed with this basic framework, I researched current science and extrapolated in an effort to make my modified humans as scientifically plausible as possible. Almost none of my research made it into the book explicitly, but I like to think it's there, hidden in the details. And I guess that's another one of my tricks: to do as much world-building as I can -- to fill my notebook with thoughts on food preferences and family trees and societal rituals -- but to use only the parts that work for the story. Then I sneak more and more details in with each draft as I understand both the world and the story better.

6) What does a typical writing day look like?
         I really don’t have a typical writing day. I’ve had many different day jobs over the years and my writing schedule has fluctuated wildly with each one. While I was working long hours at an animation studio, I wrote late at night between 11pm and 1am. Now that I’m working part-time and as a freelancer, I try to get two hours of work done in the mornings when I don’t have to commute to my job, and get to do as much writing as I want on weekends. I don’t write every day, except sometimes when I’m on deadline. I’m a big believer in filling the well and taking breaks, and in finding a system that works for you and your life.

The world cannot change for us;

therefore we must change ourselves for the world.

—Ali’ikai of the Coral Kampii, born Sarah Jennings

7)  I agree that filling the well is extremely important. Tell us some of the ways you "fill your well'.

   For the most part, I fill my well with other media -- movies, TV shows, music, and video games. I've learned so much from singers like Dar Williams and writers like Joss Whedon, both masters of metaphor but in entirely different ways. (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer is my favorite TV show of all time.) I remember watching Nickelodeon's animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender and realizing that it was a perfect touchstone for the tone I'd been trying to capture in my book. Knowing that helped immensely when I was writing the next draft. I also read and re-read books on screenplay structure. Blake Snyder's Save the Cat seems to hold a different gem for me every time I open it. But I'm only able to see these things when I take a break from writing, step back, and give my brain a chance to refresh itself.
           (Looking back at this answer, I kind of wish I'd said, "I like to climb mountains, backpack through Europe, meditate on the beach in Fiji, and volunteer for the Peace Corps," but let's face it: I'm a geek.) 
8) Where is your favorite place to write?
        Sitting in my recliner or on the sofa with one or more cats keeping me company and a playlist for the novel blaring in my headphones. Some day I’d love to add a window with a forest view to that picture, but probably not while I’m living in Los Angeles.

9) Could you share with us a few artists that make their way into your playlists?
            I'm one of those people who can't write to songs with lyrics, so all of my writing playlists are instrumental. I mostly go for tone and mood. For Above World, I listened to a mix of soundtracks: Pirates of the Caribbean, Dragonheart, Harry Potter (Chamber of Secrets), and Serenity. Some days even soundtracks are too distracting and I listen to rainstorms or crashing waves with my "White Noise" app.

7) What did or do you find most challenging in creating the story and getting it published? What do you wish you would have known?
           I lost hope in this story many times along the way, and I’m certain I would have given up on it without the support of my friends. The book is dedicated in part to Stephanie Burgis (author of the amazing series Kat, Incorrigible) who talked me out of some very dark places. It was a visit with Steph and her husband Patrick in 2009 that convinced me I needed to take my career more seriously. When I came home, I set myself a schedule for revising the book and starting my agent search.
            What do I wish I would have known? That I’d be revising the book so many times – and so extensively -- that those initial drafts really weren’t that important. I struggled so much with the first draft. If I’d only known that I’d be rewriting the opening chapters six or seven more times, maybe I wouldn’t have beat myself up so much that I couldn’t get it right the first time.

8) What is the best writing advice you have ever received?
        Write with passion. I’m not sure if anyone ever said that to me specifically, but that’s what I get when I distill years of advice about trusting yourself and your voice, and understanding that no one else will ever write exactly the same story as you will. Passion is contagious. Even better, it’s fun.
9) Are you working on a new project? Can you tell us about it?
         I’m finishing up the second book in the Above World series and dreaming about writing a third. My Moleskine is filling up with ideas for a new middle-grade fantasy and a YA adventure set in an alternate dimension.

10) What advice would you give others that write for children?
          Don’t do it unless you love reading middle-grade fiction yourself. Writing for children isn’t for everyone; it requires a passion that you can’t fake.

That was incredible! There is one thing about having the opportunity to read a book before it's release—you have to wait that much longer for the second one to come out. 

Looking for more Jenn Reese?

Here are a few more places you can find her:

Website

Blog

Interview on The Enchanted Inkpot  sometime this week...

Don't miss my review of Above World here.

Thanks again to Jenn Reese for stopping by and we wish you well with the release next week!

Remembering Why We Write: An Interview with Cyndi Sand-Eveland

Hello Everyone,

I'm very excited to have author Cyndi Sand-Eveland with us today. Her new book, A Tinfoil Sky was just released yesterday, January 10th. See the MMGM review here. Her first book Dear Toni was a Diamond Willow Honoree and received The Silver Birch Award for 2010. Dear Toni was also nominated for the Hackmatack and Red Cedar Awards. It was also chosen by the Banks Street College of Education in New York as one of the Best Books for Kids 2009 and listed in their 100th Anniversary Edition, and also chosen as one of the Best Books for Kids and Teens by the Canadian Children’s Book Council.Cyndi lives at the base of Morning Mountain just outside of Nelson BC, Canada.


Hi Cyndi,
Thanks so much for joining us today on the blog to talk about your writing and what role it plays in your life.  


1. Why do you write for children? 
I write to tell a story, and the stories I seem to want to write have children or youth as the protagonist. When I work with young people they inspire me.
  When you say you "work with young people" what have you done? Over the years I've worked with the hearing impaired and as sign language interpreter. I've also tutored middle grade students and worked as an assistant for students with disabilities and ESL. Now, I'm working with a student that has a cochlear-implant. It's always been part-time which has given me time to write.

2. Tell us a little about yourself and how you became a writer. According to my mother I began writing at a very young age. Although to that statement she added,"But even with all the pages and pages of scribbles there were no discernible characters, or words, for that matter. Truly, I never really believed anything would come of it."
      So, I guess I began early, but I think that those of us who write, process the world around us in a fairly similar manner. I seem to have two states, writing and thinking about what I will write. While I'm writing I feel a freedom that is addictive. Yes, it is great to be published, but mostly what it has done for me is legitimize my habit.

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3. What was the inspiration for A Tinfoil Sky? A young girl standing on a boulevard next to a man. She was maybe nine, she was working and we made eye contact and in that moment exchanged a certain knowing. I couldn't get her out of my mind. And the title? Those that are homeless, especially children live underneath a completely different sky than the rest of us. Their sky is temporary, fragile and easily destroyed like foil. (See complete review here.)



4. Many of my followers are writers, like myself, and we are always interested in the process a writer uses. Can you tell us about yours? Initially, I am inspired by something I see, read , or hear about. Then I let myself write with no rules: spelling errors, little or no punctuation, anything goes. I set a word count of 250 words the first few days, and then I double it, and then I double that until I'm not getting up from my desk until I have 1000 more words. By this time, I'm somewhere near 10,000wds. It's a game to get me hooked and it usually works. Although I have been known to erase 11 or 12 thousand words and start over. Once I have something I like, I promise myself I won't let anyone read anything until I have the bones of the story, and even then I hold the story close, keeping my characters in my thoughts pretty much 24/7. This is my favorite time; discovering who the characters are and what will happen next.

5. Describe a typical writing day. I am only recently getting back to writing. Last year I was hit head on in a car accident and broke my back, leg, hand, ribs, teeth, etc. Prior to the accident I wrote in the mornings, early, up at 4:30am until 7:30am, and them from 2:30 to 5:00pm. I wrote longer on the weekends and even longer hours in the summer. The process of returning to that rigor has been slow. 
     I'm so sorry to hear that, how has it impacted your writing and deadlines? A lot! After the accident in November 2010 I was on pain killers for the next two or three months. When I did return to writing it was difficult to realize how much energy it took and I would tire easily. In the Spring it was time to do edits on two projects. I had a difficult time keeping the story in my mind and had to read and re-read it to remember. Unfortunately, one of the projects had to be dropped because it took too long. It's been very difficult to accept my limitations. 


6. Where is your favorite place to write? I write in my office with a pot of black tea, my dog by my feet, and music. I like to hit the keyboard as if it was a piano. What do you listen too? Instrumentals mostly, guitar, piano and Oboe solos. Music helps me to leave the world behind and dive into my story. Once I get the story down I like to use music for setting the mood and I even come up with theme songs. Sarah Harmer is someone I often enjoy. 


7. Looking back on your publishing experience, what would you say was most challenging and what do you wish you would have known?  The most challenging part was a few years ago, I was about half way through the process. The publisher had gone from loving the story to rejecting it. Not only that, they weren't sure I had it in me to do it justice. That comment sat on my shoulder, and I needed to continually remind myself why I was writing the story in the first place. Thankfully, in the end the desire to get the story down and to give life to that young girl, well, that kept me writing.
     I think the thing I wish I would have known was it would have been good to wait until I was more recovered from the accident, off the pain medications, etc. There are changes I could see this past August I would have made, but I just couldn't see them back in May. It's just one of those life things, me just wanting to move forward and get on with my life, maybe trying too hard, or pushing too soon. Yes, nothing like hindsight.


8. What is the best writing advice you have ever received? Don't show your work too early.



9. Are you working on a new project? Can you tell us about it? Yes, I have one, but I am still practicing number eight.

10. Final Question: What advice would you give others that write for middle graders? Know your audience. Read current books in the genre you are writing, and resist teaching, or preaching, or steering away from real issues.

Thanks so much Cyndi for stopping by. We really appreciate what you've shared with us, today. I think one of the hardest things that we all struggle with is accepting our own limitations. It's hard not to get caught up in the rush and anxious energy that seems to exist in the publishing world. I really liked what you said about remembering why you write. I finally hung my reasons on the wall in front of my desk.

Okay, here's a question for everyone: Why Do You Write?