To say 2020 has been a challenging year for us all is definitely an understatement. So I was thrilled to have the opportunity to write an article for Karen Jensen’s SLJ blog, Teen Librarian Toolbox, about resilience–one of the themes of my latest MG novel, Alone in the Woods:
Check it out to learn more about real-life sisters who survived being lost in the woods, as well as tips to encourage resilience, preparation, and community engagement in your own family!
I love talking about writing about as much as I love writing (so, a lot). And I had a great time talking about historical fiction and the writing life with one of my “Write Nite” pals (and directly-across-the-street neighbor) Gabriela Pereira. We get into:
How to weave a famous historical figure into fiction
Crafting rich supporting characters in a road trip story (when they only get a scene or two)
Why it’s important to represent real people accurately in your novel
Using setting to develop characters and share history
Check out Episode 215 of diyMFA Radio for our discussion here, and be sure to browse all the wonderful resources on the diyMFA site!
Usually, I’m an ant. I like having to-do lists and schedules, deadlines and goals, and I’m at my happiest when I’m working as much as playing, or maybe even a little more.
But not in August. As the fable goes, there’s a time for work and a time for play, and August is the time for play. The days are still long, most emails are met with out-of-office replies, and the late-summer heat is so perfect for strolling. Or lounging. Or swimming. Or reading. Or ice-cream-cone-licking. But not for typing. (I once had a wooden desk chair and an apartment without air-conditioning, and while I was stuck at my computer revising a book during a heat wave, I hydroplaned off my seat. True story.)
I feel a little guilty being a grasshopper right now. I’m looking forward to being an ant again, in just a few weeks. But for now, I’m going to embrace the season of play. I’ll be “making music” till Labor Day. After all, what a writer needs most is rich experiences, so in my own way I’m storing up food for winter.
November started off with an amazing day of literacy and learning: #nErDcampLI! This was my first EdCamp experience, and it was awesome. I got to listen to amazing educators and experts speak about topics in literacy and kidlit–like this fantastic session on the importance of back matter that Susannah Richards led.
One of the things she encouraged authors to do is include more back matter on their websites–especially book-creation timelines. I’m hoping to add something for that to the Resources page of my site soon!
The event was held in the wonderful Jericho Middle School, and I loved wandering the halls to see the work that students had posted. This was my favorite sign:
A very wise student wrote that. 🙂
The following week was the election, and like many people, I’ve been processing the results since. It’s no secret to those who have read When Audrey Met Alice that I believe a woman’s place is in the White House. I took this picture on my way home to watch returns on Tuesday night.
More than ever, that is true. Our votes matter, and so do our voices. I’m working harder than ever to use mine to express what I believe in.
Now it’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is almost here–have a happy and safe holiday, and eat lots of pie!
My mom sent me this photo over the weekend of When Audrey Met Alice still on a B&N shelf,
and I realized that it was a year ago that I first saw my book in a store. Today’s the actual anniversary of my pub date, 2/4/2014. It’s been a whole year! And if I had to sum it up in a word, it would be grateful.
There is a learning curve to being a published author. Some parts I prepared for: ordering stickery swag; creating what I hope are fun, educational, and inspiring presentations for kids; figuring out my elevator pitch to tell people about my book. Other things I learned along the way: Like, always bring your own cords to a school visit, and have your presentation backed up on a flash drive just in case your own cords still don’t work with the AV equipment. (Because where there is technology, there are snafus.) Also, there is a real art to talking while signing books, without misspelling your own name.
But I don’t know that anything prepared me for how truly meaningful it is share your stories with young readers. I visited The Young Women’s Leadership School in East Harlem last week, and we had a great discussion about writing. I came home to three notes from readers, in the form of a Facebook message, an email, and snail mail (thanks, Onata, Olivia, and Grace!). The road to publication got a little bumpier for me in the past few weeks, but that day was a reminder that I’ve already been given such a wonderful gift in this opportunity to connect with other readers and storytellers. So, to everyone who has supported me and my book over the past year–especially the educators and booksellers who have welcomed me into their classrooms, libraries, and stores–thank you!
A lot went on in publishing this week,* but this post isn’t about that. Because the week before, I did something that middle-grade me would’ve been over the moon about:
I met a manatee.
I first read about manatees in a random Sleepover Friends super special (Super Beach Mystery) when I was in elementary school. I couldn’t believe that I’d never heard about this “sea cow” creature before, considering how much I loved marine mammals. The more I read about manatees, the more curious I became. They are vegetarians who eat 10% of their body weight daily! They are related to elephants! The communicate with a language of clicks and chirps! I ended up fundraising for the Save the Manatee club (through which I adopted my first manatee, Boomer), and I even wrote my first “book” about them as a school project, MANATEES: PROBLEMS HELPS.
My first book
I am unsure whether I did not know the word “solutions” or whether I didn’t have the right sticker letters for it.
My early nonfiction writing
I even wrote manatee poetry.
But being a kid in Wisconsin, there were no manatees near me. Years went by, I never stopped finding them delightful–but I never had a chance to see one.
Last week, my husband and I were in Florida to escape the cold. We took an hour to drive inland from Sanibel Island and found the Manatee Park. I ran down the path (dodging a very realistic statue of an alligator–you would’ve shrieked, too!) and up to a river, and then I saw my first ever manatee.
Later on in the trip, we took a special tour at the Miami Seaquarium, which is one of three facilities that can rehabilitate injured manatees. (Sadly, part of the reason why manatees are an endangered species is because they are frequently harmed or killed by speeding boats.) That was where I got to meet Julia and Phoenix and feed them some of their favorite treats (sweet potatoes and grapes).
It was so cool to get to interact with them–manatees are friendly, curious, and smart. They are also HUGE. Somehow, all the photos I’ve seen over the years did not do justice to their size.
As a thirtysomething it was a great way to spend an afternoon, but I kept thinking about how ridiculously excited middle-grade Rebecca would’ve been about talking to people who care for manatees–and getting to feel manatees’ whiskers as they gobble up lunch. It reminded me how awesomely curious and passionate kids are–one of the many reasons I love writing books for young readers.
Every grown-up should remember something that they loved fiercely or studied enthusiastically as a kid, and reconnect with it. It’s good for the soul.
*A brief note about the sad news from Egmont USA. Yes, Summer of Lost and Found was affected by the decision to close the US operations. Hopefully, I will be able to share more information on what’s next for my book soon. Until then, I’d like to acknowledge how wonderful it was to be an Egmont author, and what a privilege it was to work with Jordan Hamessley and the rest of the team. Published and Spring 2015 Egmont books will still be distributed by Penguin Random House–go and check them out!
So last week my laptop bit the dust. It wasn’t totally unexpected–it was 7 years old(!) and had been acting funny for a while, so I knew its time was almost up. I shifted from backing up my work regularly to backing up my work obsessively, which was good because ultimately my laptop’s death did take me by surprise.
Now I am getting used to a shiny new MacBook Pro and having to relearn How to Computer because a lot has changed since 2007/8.
It’s bittersweet to say good-bye to the sturdy white laptop that I wrote my first manuscript on–in fact, all of the five I’ve written were on that Mac. It’s the end of an era. I’m starting a new project now, and it feels a little weird to be typing on a new keyboard. A new backlit keyboard which is both weird and cool.
On my old computer, a scrap of paper taped to the top right corner, right above the display, read: OMNIA QUAE CUPIO IAM HABEO. “Everything I want, I already have.” I stuck that on while I was in grad school and struggling to properly learn Latin for my final exams. I was so, so frustrated that I couldn’t just master that language and move on with my life. The antsiness ate at me. But when I read that line, and it resonated with me. In terms of all the truly important stuff–my (then boyfriend, now) husband, family, friends, health, and home–I didn’t want for anything. I’d read that line to myself, take a deep breath, and get back to work with a little less angst and a smidge of gratitude.
Eventually I finished grad school, and started writing with the goal of publication. And the OMNIA QUAE CUPIO IAM HABEO line had great meaning for me once again. There was a lot of waiting, and wondering, and wistfulness in the years that I worked to get a book deal. It was very easy to get sucked up in a black hole of want. But again, the important stuff–I had that. Including the joy and satisfaction of devoting part of my life to creativity–regardless of whether my writing ever got to bookshelves. And eventually, it did–something that still feels wondrous.
I’m scraping off that weathered piece of paper and sticking it on my new computer. The “wants” never really go away–they just change depending on what stage of the creative process you’re at. So it’s a reminder I will keep in front of me as I work and write–that, truly, everything I want I already have, and I am so grateful for it.
This is a really hard post to write and a really easy one, too. It’s hard because I’ve thought about this day for so long–in terms of when I started writing for publication, five years; and in terms of how long I’ve secretly dreamed of being an author, probably my whole life. It’s easy because the only thing I really want to say is this: Thank You.
Writing isn’t easy, and neither is publishing. There are ups and downs and of course I’ve had plenty of both along the way. But one thing I’ve never lacked is enthusiastic support: from my friends and family, from my agency and publisher, from my delightful and inspiring coworkers, from the other writers and bloggers I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know in the kid-lit community. The only thing that doesn’t feel surreal today is a deep sense of gratitude–that I get to share my words with the world, and that I get to have so many wonderful people cheering me on as I do.
Last year, my word for 2013 was balance. While I do think that having that word at the forefront of my mind helped me take at least a few steps toward a more balanced life, I still have a lot of work to do with that word. But 2014 is a new year, so I needed a new word.
For 2014, I’m choosing: open.
As I look back over my 2013 posts, I realize that I didn’t blog much about what’s been going on in my writing life. That’s partly because after starting a new job last January, I found I had a lot less time for blogging and social media in general (sad face). But honestly, I think it’s also that as I moved further into the publishing process, the more I found myself retreating a bit, at least online. Working toward publishing When Audrey Met Alice has been a joyful experience, by and large–but like any big life thing, it’s brought some stressors along with the good stuff. I found myself nervous about sharing both the many good things (I guess I have that Midwestern sensibility of not tooting one’s own horn) and the few things that scared me. The thing I’m starting to realize, though, is that writing with a goal of publication means putting yourself out there in the world, and that’s an okay thing. You have to be open to the possibilities. And I truly believe that the best writing comes from an open mind and an open heart, and I want to keep improving my craft this year.
Perhaps because I often felt overwhelmed by juggling day-job work, writing work, a move, and everything else last year, I found myself closing off a little in other ways. Sometimes I met invitations and opportunities with a cringe (Where am I going to find the time for that!)instead of an excited or appreciative smile. Sometimes I just got really anxious, or exhausted-cranky. I’d like to shift that attitude a bit, and show thankfulness for all of the great things in my life by approaching it by being a little more receptive.
I’ve never been super comfortable with sharing too much personal stuff online (hello, introversion), and I don’t think that’s going to change. But I feel such gratitude for all the honest posts I’ve read from writers at various stages of the publishing process the past two weeks. So in addition to trying to approach IRL things with a spirit of openness, I want to approach online life with a bit more of that, too. Like by saying right now that as excited as I am for my book to come out in less than a month(!), I’m pretty nervous, too.
So, hello, 2014. I am taking deep breath and doing a stretchy yoga move, and trying to greet everything that’s in store for me this year with . . . openness.
What’s Up Wednesdayis a weekly meme that helps readers and writers touch base with blog friends. If you’d like to join in, you can find the link widget on Jaime’s and Erin’s blog posts. I love this idea because it gives a structured, easy way for me to keep up with blogging. Also, the buttons are cute (especially this winter scene). Thanks for the idea, Jaime and Erin!
What I’m Writing So, November is over. The status of the project I was kinda sorta NaNoing? Done! I definitely limped to the finish line, but as of Friday, November 29 I have a completed first draft. I wound up writing about 42,000 words in November, which I’m really proud of. It was fun to try to write without a filter and kick out a fast first draft. This WIP is one I wanted to write just for my own enjoyment and creativity–it’s not something I’m going to work actively toward publishing anytime soon. For that reason, I didn’t want to take too much time to write the first draft. I started writing it in early October, making this the fastest I’ve ever completed a draft–70,000 words in a little less than 2 months. And I’m usually a fairly slow writer!
That said, I’ve realized that for me to be happy with my writing and the overall process, I should allow myself a little more time in the future, or at least do a better job of outlining before diving in. (This was also my first largely pantsed project.) I’m glad I did my pseudo NaNo, though, and I’m looking forward to sometime revisiting this WIP in between other projects. I also believe that it’s never a bad thing to try a new way of working–even if it ends up not being your thing, it can teach you a lot about your process and preferences.
What I’m writing now (and for the rest of the month): Nada. It’s time for a break and IRL holiday stuff.
What Inspires Me Right Now
Holiday stuff: I held off until the day after Thanksgiving to get out decorations and fire up my playlists, but from now until the 26th, it’s Christmastime.
When I was growing up in Madison, WI, there was a wonderful children’s bookstore on Monroe Street called Pooh Corner. It’s been gone for decades, sadly, but I still can remember the way it felt to grab a book and plop down on the carpet to read it. When I was little, the real bear doll that A.A. Milne’s son Christopher owned was on display in the store (and secured in a bank vault at night). Pooh Corner wasn’t just a store but both a second home and a wonderland for book-loving kids like me. I would beg my mom to stop the car and let us go in whenever we drove past.
In fifth grade, I loved to write and illustrate stories. (A lot of them were about opinionated bunnies, for some reason.) Sometimes these stories probably distracted me from whatever the actual lesson was. But my fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Gerlach, always encouraged my creativity. Sometimes she’d ask for more, telling me that she loved to read what I came up with. It made me feel so proud of myself, and it spurred me to keep creating. I still have an assignment from that class on which we had to write our goals–I wrote that when I grow up, I wanted to publish a book. Mrs. Gerlach made me feel like that was totally something I should do, and she’d be cheering for me as I tried.
Like a lot of shy and bookish kids, middle school was a place where I rarely felt comfortable. One big exception was my middle school’s library. I knew that whenever I walked in, I would get both a hug and a new book to read from Mrs. Holt. She always had something waiting behind the desk for me, and she every book she put in my hands was curated especially for my reading tastes. She would even order certain books for the library because she thought I (or my best friend, Megan) would like to read them, which made us feel like Very Important Readers. Even if I dreaded going back to school in the fall, I couldn’t wait to get back to the library and see which books Mrs. Holt had found for us over the summer.
So among the many things I’m grateful for this time of year, I’m thankful for booksellers, teachers, and librarians. Partly for how they support authors like me now, but mostly for how they use literacy as a tool for compassion, acceptance, creativity, and growth. Turning kids into readers is a great thing.
I’m posting this as part of the Class of 2K14’s Thanksgiving blogfest. Check out what other debut authors are giving thanks for on our website: www.classof2k14.com
I have many writing spots, in my apartment, from the desk to the couch to the kitchen table, and writing spots in other places scattered around the city and back in America’s Dairyland, too. But I also have an inspiration spot, one for daydreaming and brainstorming and problem-solving, both for writing problems and sometimes IRL problems.
I wasn’t until I started cultivating my inspiration spot that I realized how important a place–or mental space–that is for writers, too. As important as an ergonomic desk chair.
Anyway, my inspiration spot in a makeshift windowseat. From it I get a nice, sunny view of the sidewalk below my apartment. It makes for good people-watching, as they walk to and from the park or in and out of the candy-and-lotto bodega.
In one of the little walkup buildings on my street lives a nice young family. Their daughter looks like she’s about ten or eleven. Her mom or dad sits on the stoop as she and her puppy play on the sidewalk out front. A lot of times she plays with a simple bubble wand. She twirls around the sidewalk, spinning and marveling at the bubbles floating up into the trees. Her parents join in. It’s really charming. I kind of adore Bubble Girl. (Hopefully it doesn’t sound creepy that I watch her play.)
I write books for young readers, but I don’t have kids. Which is fine, because as that quote from legendary children’s book editor Ursula Nordstrom goes,”I am a former child, and I haven’t forgotten a thing.” But sometimes it’s good to let kids remind me, a little more immediately, of being at the age at which bubbles were all I needed to have a happy afternoon. I smile and watch Bubble Girl play, and I wonder what she’d want to read about. I remind myself that it’s actually her I’m writing for. I’d like to write a book that will make her smile or think or laugh.
Generally, I don’t like to give directives, because really how do I know what anyone else needs to get his or her writing groove on. But I do think it’s helpful for most writers to have a reminder of your ideal reader. Bubble Girl is mine.
