Getting Real With Real Authors

If it isn’t personal, what the heck is it?

Author Interviews That Rock!

Jay Kristoff

STORMDANCER

HERE’S THE BLURB!

A DYING LAND
The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST 
The hunters of Shima’s imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A HIDDEN GIFT 
Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.

And We’re Off!

Just to get us started, how old are you?

Old enough to know better. Young enough to do it anyway.

What inspired you to write STORMDANCER?

A dream. Which is a really lame answer and helps no-one. So feel free to make up a better one and insert it here as my answer. If you can somehow work in me and a jet pack, that’d be aces.(Dreams are the stuff books are made of. Keep on rocking!)

Do you have a special affinity for the environment?

Affinity? Hells no. One look at the ashen ruins of my garden will quash that rumor. But do I care about the impact our species is having on the world – most definitely. I’m sort of amazed more people aren’t paying attention.

Why Steampunk?

I love the aesthetic. I love the collision of sci-fi and fantasy. I love that it’s still relatively uncovered ground – there’s been a lot of a Steampunk of one particular flavor (Victorian English), but the idea of historical settings and anachronistic technology hasn’t really be played out yet in many other ways or places. It feels like a riff that hasn’t been played to death yet.

What made you want to write in the first place?

I think it’s probably something you’re born with? The need to create, in one way or another, has been with me since I was a kid. Art, music, writing, they’re all sourced from the same seed. The desire to actually write books probably grew in me when I was writing for a living (I worked in advertising for a little over ten years). Problem with writing for a living is that you very quickly stop wanting to write for fun, because writing is your job, something you need to do on command. Once I quit the advertising gig, I decided to try and write something for myself, rather than using my words to sell toilet paper or whatever.

Five years later, here we are!

What keeps you writing?

I can’t imagine what I ever did before. It’s the best job in world, seriously. Seeing your book on a bookstore shelf and knowing “I did that”, making something out of nothing, just pulling worlds and stories out of your head and watching them take shape on the page and have people all over the world read them – it’s just the weirdest, coolest feeling in the world.

What is the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?

Never finish a writing session by finishing a scene. Make yourself stop before you want to, even if you’re on a roll. That way, when you start again the next day, you’ll be rearing to go, instead of sitting there staring at the Cursor of Doom wondering “WTF happens next?”

How do you discipline yourself to keep at the writing?

I’ve never really had to force myself to sit down a write (yet) – it’s just something I want to do. I tell people that “writing is really hard fun”, because honestly, it can’t be described as work. It’s hard, heartbreaking, frustrating, depressing, all those things. But it’s not work.

Digging ditches is work. Collecting other people’s trash is work. Telling stories? Building worlds? That’s fun. It’s just really frackin’ hard fun, sometimes.

What is the most important thing for a writer to remember?

I probably shouldn’t presume to tell anyone else what’s important. Although breathing is pretty vital, in the grand scheme of things. (Damn straight!)

Do you belong to any cool writerly groups on or off line?

No, all the groups I’m in are completely uncool. (And if you believe that I’ll throw the Golden Gate in free…)

Just for kicks… What are some of your favorite TV shows, movies?

TV: The Wire, Breaking Bad, The Shield, Game of Thrones, Archer, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Carnivale, Deadwood, Rome (anything HBO is usually good)

Movies: The Life Aquatic, Alien, Bladerunner, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Usual Suspects, Seven, Brotherhood of the Wolf, The Matrix, The Proposition, The Blues Brothers, Fellowship of the Ring, zzzz, I have a million.

As a kid what was your favorite book?

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. (Excellent )

Last movie you saw at the theater?

Lawless (written by Nick Cave, directed by John Hillcoat). It was good, although not as good as The Proposition (another film those two guys did together which is amaaaaazing).

What is your favorite board game?

Battlestar Galactica. Yeah, I know,. Nerd alert.

How do you get into your characters heads?

I think getting into a character’s head is kinda like getting to know someone in real life. The more time you spend in each other’s company, the more you’re going to learn.

So I write. Lots.

Do you listen to music while you write? If so what gets you motivated?

I listen to music beforehand, but very rarely during. I find it too hard to concentrate. I’m one of those annoying writers who needs complete and utter silence to write, which means my wife gets exiled to the other end of the house and my dog gets yelled at a lot.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Rock star. Or maybe the Silver Surfer.

If your protagonist could give one piece of advice to your readers what would it be?

Open your eyes. Open your mind. Then close the fingers on your hand. (Beautiful.)

Any closing words of wisdom for other author-wannabees out there?

Having other people believe in you is nice, but optional. Believing in yourself is mandatory. (Wonderful!)

And there you have it! Personal and Real with Jay Kristoff!

Please show your writerly love and leave a comment for Jay (or Gate Crashers)

“Surround yourself with people who know more than you and soak up knowledge like a sponge!” P.K. Witte

The Apocalypsies Battle Writer’s Block Part Two!

Welcome! Come on in. By now you know the drill.

Think the gates to publication are closed? There’s no way for you to break into the industry? Think again. Here is the second installment of “Gate Crashers” dedicated to the Apocalypsies, 2012’s up-and-coming debut authors in the Kidlit industry! Each of them shared similar doubts, worries that the road to publication was blocked, that they’d be writing forever, never reaching that awesome goal of—Wow! I challenged Writer’s Block and now I’m being published! Each persevered and a bunch of them agreed to join “Gate Crashers,” sharing three personal tidbits of wisdom to help other writers (YOU) stick with it. Check out what these amazing writers have to say!

Push open the gate. Step inside. Learn. Enjoy. Conquer.

 Click the pics for awesome links

Kathleen Peacock

HEMLOCK

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

If your goal is to write and be published, you have to want it. Really, really want it. That probably sounds cliché—and it’s certainly an over simplification—but it is true. There will be nights where you don’t get enough sleep and days when cereal is your breakfast, lunch, AND dinner.  There will be dizzying highs when you receive partial requests and feel like a rock star followed by days when you’re six-feet deep in form rejections.

But if you can make it through all of that—if you can hang on to your love of words and stories and finish your book—then you will have attained a goal many talk of and few reach. You will have written a novel. No matter what comes after, no one can ever take that accomplishment from you.

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

Finding balance. It’s so easy to get swept up in writing and chasing publication that sometimes you forget that there is more to you than this one dream. That’s not healthy and it’s not a sustainable place. The first twelve months (when I was querying and then dealing with everything that comes after the offer) were really hard because I lacked that balance. All I could see was the book, so when things weren’t going well I sometimes felt like it was the end of the world. On those days, I had trouble seeing all the good that was happening.

3. Most fun thing:

Definitely the friendships I’ve made along the way. The writing community—especially the YA slice—is incredibly supportive.

I’ve also been blown away by how awesome book bloggers and readers are. My book isn’t even out yet, and I’ve already gotten so much support and met so many great people via social networks. It’s truly amazing and just makes me want to hug the internet (but I’ll refrain for fear of wrinkling it).

 

Laura Ellen

BLIND SPOT

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

Revising is often difficult for writers. This may be because when told to revise, people tend to think it means simply changing words. Revising is not editing. Revision is re-vision. It means taking that first draft, finding what works, and then cutting and adding, and cutting some more. After I write a complete first draft, I open a new document and start again, from scratch. This may sound crazy, but it works. It keeps me targeted on what I know needs to happen in those critical first three chapters, instead of getting caught in the “but I liked that” syndrome. Once I have the first three chapters written, I may go back and paste certain parts of that first version in, but honestly? I rarely do. That first draft mainly serves as a bin holding my plot – like a stockpile or pile of clay I am pulling my new draft from. And about those “but I liked that” scenes and bits of dialogue that need to go?  I paste them into an “out takes” file before deleting them. That way they aren’t really ever gone, just relocated. It eases the pain.

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

The hardest thing on my journey to publication was convincing myself that I was a good writer and to keep at it. I would get “champagne” rejections, the personal ones with specific feedback or offers to resubmit after revision, but a part of me was  always afraid I was like one of those singers on American Idol – the ones who love to sing but can’t hold a tune, and keep trying out despite the judges saying “no”.  Self doubt sucks and if I didn’t love writing so much, I probably would’ve given up way too soon.

3. Most fun thing:

The most fun aspect of my publication journey has been, hands down, networking with other authors, editors, and agents. I learned so much along the way from the generosity of others in the industry, the experience has been invaluable. Now as I get ready for my debut novel to be released, I continue to be amazed at how supportive everyone is. The children’s publishing biz is definitely the best!

Debra McArthur

A VOICE FOR KANSAS

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

Surround yourself with people who will give you frank and honest feedback about your writing. This is probably not your mom or your kids. If you are lucky enough to live in an area with several people whose writing is publication-worthy (even though they may not yet be published), that’s great. Hook up with them. If you have attended a writing workshop, even one far from home, and connected with writers there, you can share your work-in-progress via email and/or video chats. If you have met writers through school (especially an MFA program), then continue that relationship past graduation. I’ve done all these things. If the people you are critiquing with are not asking you hard questions, then you need to find another group. This is the only way you will grow as a writer and the only way you will produce your best work.

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

I had been writing nonfiction books for several years before I began my first novel. I really struggled to find the heart of writing fiction. My early chapters were more like a history book with characters. It took me about four years to really understand my protagonist and to know her true journey (i.e., what the book was really about). This was a gradual process, not an instantaneous “AHA!” moment. I was especially blessed to work with wonderful advisors in the Hamline MFA program who made me dig deep to uncover the most elemental emotions inside myself so that I could find those in Lucy as well.

3. Most fun thing:

So far, the most fun part was working on the book trailer. I was so lucky to find Lone Chimney Films, a nonprofit film company that makes dramatic films based on Kansas history. They were enthusiastic about my book, and they already had a great network of actors with period costumes, connections to a historical park to use for filming, as well as wagons, horses, guns, and everything. Ken Spurgeon, the executive director, read the book. I gave him a rough outline of scenes and a script for the voice-over, and he took it from there. I could hardly believe how many people showed up to help that day—all volunteers! My husband took a lot of photos of the action that day, and I’m grinning like my face would split in half. Watching scenes from the book come to life was just amazing, and the finished product is better than I could have imagined.

Gennifer Albin

CREWEL

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

Give yourself permission to write crap.  Not everything has to be solid gold the in the first draft.  That goes hand in hand with this though: learn to revise.  Several times.  Don’t think the first time you type “the end” that you’re done.

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

I was very fortunate to have things move quickly for me once I wrote the book.  The hardest part of my journey was finally sitting down and writing a beginning, middle, and end.

3. Most fun thing:

When you get to see your cover or talk with your publicist or find out your book has sold in another country it’s so much fun.  Mostly because writing can be isolating, so seeing the fruits of your labor makes it worth it.

Lenore Appelhans

LEVEL TWO

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

Don’t feel like you need to rush to query or pitch your work.  Learn the craft of writing. Read everything you can get your hands on (especially in the genre you want to write).  Write the best book you can. On the surface, my own journey to publication looks like an overnight fairy tale, but there were so many years of work behind it you don’t see.

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

Waiting is the hardest part! There is a lot of waiting in publishing.  And even when the waiting is objectively not that long, it can feel like an eternity.  My agent submitted my YA novel LEVEL 2 to editors on a Friday and the three days before the preempt offer from S&S came in felt like the longest days of my life.  I was much more sanguine when we submitted CHICK-O-SAURUS REX (my picture book with my illustrator husband Daniel Jennewein), but the wait to see if it would get through acquisitions was still pretty brutal.

3. Most fun thing:

I’m still at the beginning of my journey really, since LEVEL 2 doesn’t come out until Fall 2012, so I’m sure a lot of fun things are coming up (can’t wait to see my cover!). So far it’s been fun to work on edits. My editor has a keen eye and great suggestions, so I am really loving the process.

 

Lynne Kelly

CHAINED

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

Find a good critique group to share your work with. You don’t have to take every bit of advice that every person gives you, but at least listen and consider the advice. It might be hard not to get defensive when someone criticizes your work, but keep in mind that the goal is to make your story better.

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

All the waiting– everything seems to move so slowly! Then suddenly there’s a publication date hurtling toward you and it’s a little scary. Rejection is difficult too, of course, especially if it feels like you’re getting close to an acceptance. Continuing to write and revise helps with both the waiting and the rejection, though.

3. Most fun thing:

Meeting so many other writers along the way, in person and online. I’ve gotten to know so many awesome people I never would have met if I weren’t a writer.

Marissa Burt

STORYBOUND

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

Don’t be afraid to revise.  Don’t worry about a scarcity of creativity.  There is always a different approach to explore.  Cut the favorite scene, and try something new.  Kill off a character, and see what happens.  View your writing as the dynamic, changeable thing that it is, and be playful with the process.  Sometimes you must go through many, many revisions before you discover just the right way to tell your story.  Also: read, read, and read.

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

Making space for writing.  Once I signed a contract, something that had once fit into the nooks and crannies of my life now demanded a serious chunk of time.  And I still find it challenging to navigate the intense periods of working under a deadline.  That and being on submission while being pregnant – talk about an emotional roller-coaster – haha!

3. Most fun thing:

People reading my book!  It seems obvious that writers write things with the hopes that others will read them.  But that moment when I realized that complete strangers were sharing in my fictional world…magical! Also, I’d have to say that I’ve so enjoyed meeting so many lovely creative people: debut authors (both online and in real life), my agent and editor, and other writerly types.  It’s a great community!

Suzanne Lazear

INNOCENT DARKNESS

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

Like everything else, writing takes practice.  Be Dorrie from “Finding Nemo” — just keep swimming.  Keep writing, keep learning, keep revising and submitting, just keep going.  INNOCENT DARKNESS was the 10th manuscript I’d finished, the 4th I querried.  I just kept learning and kept writing and didn’t give up–for example, the first 6 manuscripts I wrote taught me that books needed plots.
2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

All those rejections can really wear on someone.  Before I started querrying ID I amassed a lot of rejections on other projects.  Sometimes it was hard not to give up, especially when you get *so* close.  This is when you have to be Dorrie and just keep swimming.  Keep writing, keep learning, and keep going because if you stop, it’ll never happen.

3. Most fun thing:

Seeing my cover for the first time up on Amazon with the book available for pre-order was an *amazing* moment.  In that moment everything truly became real.  I had a book and pretty soon everyone will be able to read it.

Tiffany Schmidt

SEND ME A SIGN

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

Read. Everything. It’s so important to know what works for you and know what doesn’t. If you’re disliking a book, ask yourself why and what you would do differently. If you’re loving a book, read it once to just enjoy and lose yourself in the story, but then read it a second time to analyze the writer’s craft and skill.

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

I have never, ever been described as a patient person, but waiting for different aspects of the publishing process is especially painful. The wait for query responses. The wait for submission responses. And edits! Contracts! Copy edits!  Covers! I’m surprised I have any hair left. Surprised I haven’t worn out the *refresh* button on my inbox. When I get TOO anxious, too jittery, it’s a signal to me that I’m much too focused on what’s coming next and not thinking enough about enjoying where I am right now. Having a book ready for querying, submitting, editing… each one of those steps is a triumph. And it’s so easy to lose sight of the Yay, You Did It! moments and focus on the next obstacle.

3. Most fun thing:

My favorite part of being a writer — besides the writing — is the other writers. The YA community is filled with kindred spirits. I’ve met so many people along my way who’ve offered support, encouragement, or inspiration — sometimes directly with a well-timed you can do it; I believe in you, and sometimes indirectly, by sharing their own stories of doubt and triumph. Writers spend so much of their time sitting alone playing with words, but knowing others who are battling their own blank pages, makes the tricky parts less tricky.

Trisha Wolfe

DESTINY’S FIRE

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

I know everyone says this…but, read. It’s honestly the best way to research your genre. And, it’s better than taking a writing class, in my opinion. I read about 150 (if not more) books a year while in the process of trying to get published. But I didn’t just read the subgenre in YA I write. I read the classics, edgy YA, YA that came out twenty years ago, Contemporary, Science Fiction, a ton of debut authors…everything. As you’re reading, study the style, flow, pacing of other writers and their stories. See how theirs relates or differs from yours. Study what works and what doesn’t. Just keep reading, and never stop writing.

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

Sacrifice. I can’t tell you how many times I ignored my friends and family, muted my ringer, made excuses for not being able to go out to dinner, pretended I was sick…yeah. I know that’s bad. But it took a lot of sacrifice of my free and not-so-free time in order to put the work in to improve my writing. I didn’t want to wait ten years to write the novel that would make it. I wanted it NOW. I have no patience (which is not a good thing in this industry) so I sacrificed a lot of my social life and even family time in order to double up on my writing time. But, as I look back over that past few years, I don’t regret a single moment spent with my characters. And now I can share an amazing accomplishment with my family and friends.

3. Most fun thing:

When a reader tells me how much the story meant to them. When they find something relatable in one of my characters. Knowing that at least one person out there is enjoying reading something I created makes all the hard work worth it. It’s not vanity; it’s sharing that love of reading and creating. If I write something that inspires a reader, I’ve accomplished my dream, regardless if I never make it to the NYT bestseller list. I always do my happy dance when someone expresses their love for reading.

Zoraida Cordova

 THE VICIOUS DEEP

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

READ. I’ve been in so many workshops where people ACTUALLY admit that they don’t read. It’s important to know your market. It’s not about comparing your work to others either. It’s about developing yourself as a writer. Every book you read is a weapon in your writerly arsenal.

Also, just as important is WRITE. Stop talking about your idea and just put it down. Sometimes when you talk so much about your plot you feel like its getting written when actually months go by and you wonder why you’re still on page 15.

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

I don’t think I’ve had the absolute hardest part yet. My road to publication was so smooth. I’ve always known I wanted to be in this world. Signing the contract was the easy part.

I look at the time when I was seriously working on THE VICIOUS DEEP and I wonder how I got it done. I was 22/23 and I just left school to write a book, live on my own and work full time in the seedy New York City nightlife. I guess that was the hard part.

Now I’m 24 and everything is happening so quickly that all I can do is focus on the book and not the scary world of NY publishing.

3. Most fun thing:

The fun part so far has been meeting tons of new writers. From the Apocalypsies to writers I’ve been a fan of for years to aspiring writers. Then there are the bloggers who remind us that people still love to read! It’s great to do the things you love.

 

 

The Apocalypsies Battle Writer’s Block!

 Welcome! Come on in. By now you know the drill.

Think the gates to publication are closed? There’s no way for you to break into the industry? Think again. The next two installments of “Gate Crashers” are dedicated to the Apocalypsies, 2012’s up-and-coming debut authors in the Kidlit industry! Each of them shared similar doubts, worries that the road to publication was blocked, that they’d be writing forever, never reaching that awesome goal of—Wow! I challenged Writer’s Block and now I’m being published! Each persevered and a bunch of them agreed to join “Gate Crashers,” sharing three personal tidbits of wisdom to help other writers (YOU) stick with it.

Push open the gate. Step inside. Learn. Enjoy. Conquer.

 Click the pics for awesome links

 

A C Gaughen

SCARLET

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

Just keep going.  Remember that you write for yourself and not for anyone else, so just write the stories that your soul needs to tell.  Eventually, someone else will want to read them too.  And just keep going.  This industry seems to be largely about dumb luck, and you need to stay in the game. 

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication :

All the waiting!  I waited six months to sign the contract, spent about another six (a little more) in all the various stages of editing and still had another six months to wait!  And the crazy thing is that I was on a pretty short timeline as far as the industry goes.  Baffling! 

3. Most fun thing:

Seeing other people excited about my book, and not in a beta-reader, “yay you’re AWESOME!” way, but in a “lets work on this together and make it awesomer” way.  Collaboration and the publishing process tend to feel like Captain Planet (combining to become a superpower). 

Chanelle Gray

MY HEART BE DAMNED

 1. Advice to aspiring writers:

Read, read, read! You’ll need to know what genre you’re writing in and what age range your book falls in. Once you know that, pick up as many books that too fall under those categories and read, read, read! The reason I say this is because a) You’re going to need to find something about your novel that stands out. Like vampires? Read as many vampires novels as possible so that your book doesn’t feel the same as all the rest. b) So you know what works within that genre and age group. Obviously every person is different, but you’ll get a general gist of what kinds of writing styles, narrative voices and description levels your book will need.

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

Rejection is obviously the obvious answer, but more specifically on R&Rs (revise and resubmit). You work so hard to edit your novel to an agent’s advise and then you sit and imagine the day when you get that email or phone call to say they love your work like you do and want to represent you. So when you do get that email and instead of gushing about your work its a couple sentences telling you thanks, but no thanks – it is devastating. 

3. Most fun thing:

For me it was writing queries! I know a lot of people hate it, but I love doing it. I still write queries now when I’m talking about story ideas with my agent! I might open a business of writing queries – you never know

Colleen Clayton

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

Read a LOT and read widely, don’t limit yourself to reading strictly Young Adult.  Yes, read YA, read lots of YA, but also read adult fiction, classics, genre fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.  READ, READ, READ.   

Always be writing something new. Especially when querying.  It will not only keep your mind off The Rejection Roller Coaster but it will also allow you to keep your options open.  Beware of literary tunnel vision and of chaining yourself to one manuscript.  When I first started writing, I made the mistake of putting all my eggs into one manuscript basket (a manuscript that ultimately failed to land an agent, let alone publication…) and after two years of querying, editing, re-working, re-editing and slaving over the same manuscript, I finally got over myself and moved on.  I wrote something completely new, I wrote What Happens Next...the manuscript that ultimately landed an agent and was bought by Little, Brown. 

For unpublished 40+ year olds who are writing Young Adult and who maybe feel like “their YA ship has sailed”…Don’t!  I never wrote one creative sentence until I was 35.  When my book debuts, I’ll be 43.  If you’re older and feel like you’re late to the ball, just remember all that living you’ve been doing these past years, remember the deep well of experiences you have to draw from, remember how much READING you’ve done.  Those things add up to a lot when it comes to writing.  And if YA is what you feel compelled to write, and if YA is where your writerly voice and literary comfort zone lies, THEN WRITE YA. Technology, music, slang, trends, etc. have changed since we were kids but the themes…meaning the myriad joys and heartbreaks of being a teenager…those are universal and timeless. Don’t ever think that age has a single thing to do with writing good YA fiction.

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

Admitting to myself that my first manuscript was not going to be published.  Starting from scratch, swallowing that salty lump of pride and failure and writing the first sentence of a new story.

3. Most fun thing:  

Going to lunch with my agent and editors.  Even though it was several months after I had inked the deal for WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, that lunch was the moment when things became real for me.  I was so nervous that I could barely eat. I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience, like I was watching someone else’s life.  Seven years of brutally consistent, never-ending rejection had led up to that lunch. Needless to say, it was pretty freaking fantastic. 

Elisa Ludwig

PRETTY CROOKED

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

Keep yourself entertained. Maybe that sounds obvious but there are so many things to get hung up on during the journey to publication (and afterward on into infinity) that it’s easy to suck the joy out of the very thing you love. And chances are, you probably didn’t get into this thing because you heart writing query letters. So make the work as exciting and engaging as possible, and that can sustain you to the next step. 

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

For me, it was making the commitment to the process. I always wanted to write, and write professionally, but it took me several years to accept the reality that if I was going to do this I was going to have to write a manuscript on my own time and with no guarantee that anyone would want it. (I was already working as a freelance writer, and I was trained like a Pavlovian dog to only write for a deadline and contract.) But book publishing doesn’t work like that. No one was going to come along and “discover” me and offer me anything. I had to take a risk, and invest the time without knowing how it would all turn out. Soon after I made that decision, things fell into place relatively quickly. I just wish I’d done it earlier. 

3. Most fun thing:

Being part of something bigger. I was so busy writing early on that I didn’t participate in any forums or meet many other writers. The community of kid-lit writers is so excellent—I feel like I stumbled into this amazing world that was in my backyard all along.

 Emily Hainsworth

 THROUGH TO YOU

 1. Advice to aspiring writers:

The most important advice I can offer to aspiring writers is simply to sit down and WRITE. You can spend hours reading blogs and expanding your social networks, but you’ll never get published if you can’t turn all of that off, put your nose to the grindstone, and finish writing your book. 

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

The most difficult part of my path to publication was knowing when to admit an idea was no good. I worked for four years rewriting my first book, trying to catch an agent with a weak idea. I finally gave up and wrote something new (THROUGH TO YOU), and that was the book that finally got published. 

 3. Most fun thing:

The best part of my journey to publication (not to sound cheesy) has been the journey itself. I never dreamed I would actually get published, let alone with HarperCollins. So many wonderful surprises have happened to me this year, including the book being optioned by Paramount Pictures. It’s just been fun to be on this ride. I think I’ll jump up and down like a little girl when I get to hold the finished novel

 Erin Lange

 423 POUNDS OF BUTTER

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

Feel the love.

Bottom line, you have to LOVE writing – even when it’s work. Love it because it’s more entertaining to tell yourself stories than to watch TV. Love it because it gives you a profound sense of accomplishment when you’re done. Love it because it helps you relax or vent or escape. I don’t care why you love it, but you have to feel the love.

Writing is too much work to be in it for the end game of publishing.

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

The waiting is the hardest part.

And there is so. much. waiting.

If I get nothing else from this path to publishing, I will at least have learned patience. I hear it’s a virtue.

3. Most fun thing:

There are so many amazing moments along the path to publishing, but the most fun? That’s tricky. I had a heck of a lot of fun at LA SCBWI, meeting all of the people I’ve gotten to know online during this process. But I have to say, the most fun part for me is still – and will always be – writing the first draft. That’s when I really feel the love.

Gina Damico

CROAK

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

This may sound like a no-brainer, but let other people read your stuff before you send it to agents/editors. I didn’t do this, and even though by some crazy bit of luck it all worked out in the end, I really wish I had. It’s extraordinarily helpful to get someone else’s opinion, especially since you’ve been in the bubble of your own head for so long you probably can’t tell which way is up anymore. They’ll be able to point things out that you’ve missed, problems you weren’t aware of. It may mean another revision, but your work will be better for it.

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

Waiting. The publishing industry is excruciatingly slow, and refreshing your inbox several times a day isn’t exactly the most constructive use of your time. But you CAN’T HELP IT.

3. Most fun thing:

Working with my agent and editor has been a blast. They totally get me and my book, and it’s still a wonder to me that we can have these long, in-depth conversations about characters that I previously thought only I would ever care about. Oh, and getting to see the looks on people’s faces when I told them I wrote a book is also quite fun. They never see it coming, the poor fools.

 Hilary Weisman Graham

 REUNITED

1. Advice to aspiring writers:

revise, revise, revise! The first version hardly ever works.  On paper, or in life.  Think about the first version of the adult you.  Got a mental picture of it?  

Just like you were not a suave seductress, tossing out insightful yet witty bon mots about the latest John Updike novel while simultaneously sweating in your jelly shoes at the seventh grade dance, the first draft of your fiction is also not quite ready for the grown-up world.

 But we all gotta start somewhere. 

 In Bird by Bird, the wonderful Anne Lamott urges writers to write crappy first drafts.  This advice is important, if not inevitable.  But the thing I find that most often holds new writers back from this process is that they’re too proud about the toil it took to make this thing they created to notice its flaws.   Do You Know How Hard They Worked on This?   Waa.

Well, guess what, people?  That hard work you did is just the beginning!  Because if you’re truly doing service to your story, your prose, and your characters, the bottom line is that it’s going to take several passes to get it just right.  And yes, it’s a ton of work, but each time you refine it, you discover new ways to make your story even better, until finally, it’s (almost) exactly as you envisioned it.  But never completely. 

 Revising is dependent on your capacity for detachment, so if you’re having trouble looking at your own work objectively, remember it’s a practice and you need to give it time.  Sometimes, the best thing you can do is walk away from what you’re writing for a day or two (or a month) so that you’re able to look at it with fresh, unbiased eyes.

2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

For an impatient gal like me, the hardest part about getting REUNITED to come to fruition was the wait.  I realize my timeline’s a bit of an anomaly, but it’s literally taken years to get to this point.  REUNITED was born way back in the fall of 2008 when my editor at Simon & Schuster, (who was not yet my editor) had the idea for a book about ex-best friends reuniting to see a band they once loved. 

 She sent the idea (which at this point was all of two sentences) to my agent (who was not yet my agent) who sent it to my manager (I’m also a screenwriter) who sent it to me.  Inspired by the concept, I spent a few hours coming up with a two-page outline which I then sent off to my manager, who sent it back up the ranks.  Turns out, everyone loved it, so I was asked to write a longer outline, which to me writing the first three chapters (to prove I could write fiction), and then, of course, to make revisions to those chapters (three separate times).  Finally, in June of 2009, everyone was happy with the work I’d done and my agent made the deal.  

 A full year after that (sigh) my contract was ready to be signed and I wrote the rest of REUNITED and turned it in to S&S by my deadline, in March of 2010.  The receipt of my first edit letter came a long time after that.  So long after, that it was decided the release date for the book be pushed back by a year.  After that, things moved fairly quickly, and shortly after my first round of revisions were handed in, my second edit letter (which turned out to be nothing compared to the first) arrived.  I made those chances and the manuscript for REUNITED was finally delivered in June of 2011.  Phew.

 So now, when I tell people my book’s coming out in six months and they say that’s a long time away, to me, it seems so close I can taste it.

3. Most fun thing:

 The writing!  That’s not to say every day was all rainbows and unicorns, but to me, there is no better feeling (with the exception of a few unmentionable pleasures) than being in the groove while I’m writing.  I love what I do and feel immensely grateful I get to do it.

Jay Kristoff

STORMDANCER

 1. Advice to aspiring writers:

Don’t write because you want to get famous and buy Scottish castles. Don’t write because you need validation or you think if only you can get published, everything in your life will be OK. 

 Write because telling stories and building worlds helps you breathe. Write because writing makes you wonder what on earth you ever did before now. Write for that wonderful moment when you create something that makes the hairs on the back of your arms stand up, or tears well in your eyes. Write because you truly, madly and deeply love it and can’t imagine what you’d be without it anymore. 

 There are so many obstacles along the road, so many setbacks, and the journey is so very long, that you need to love it with everything you have to make it through.

 2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

 The waiting. Waiting on beta readers and crit groups. Waiting on agent queries, then agent revisions, then House submissions. Then contracts and editors notes and more revisions. Then copy edits and page proofs and cover designs and sales meetings and marketing plans and publicists and OMG YOU ARE THE ZEN MASTER OF WAITING.

Patience, young Padawan. Patience. You need it just as much a love.

 Jennifer Lundquist

SEEING CINDERELLA

1. Advice to aspiring writers: 

Resist the temptation to write in isolation. As writers I think many of us are introverts and it’s easy to hide out in our writing caves. But there are several resources available to help you hone your craft. Find a critique group, or a critique partner (or both). The encouragement alone is worth it. On the days when I felt discouraged and wondered if I was crazy for thinking I could ever write a book anyone would want to read, I’d go to my critique group and come home feeling motivated and inspired to keep going. Never underestimate the power of connecting with others who are on a similar journey.

 2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication: 

The hardest thing for me was acknowledging my first novel wasn’t going to get published. It took me two years to write that book, and I poured my heart and soul into it. Sometimes I worked on it at three in the morning after I’d been up for hours with a colicky baby. It seemed a masterpiece to me, and after all the hoops I had to jump through just to finish the darn thing the thought that it wasn’t good enough for publication was heartbreaking. But, I had made the decision that I was going to keep writing—no matter what—and so as soon I put that first novel away, I started on a second book, which eventually became Seeing Cinderella.

3. Most fun thing: 

Discovering that the kidlit community is full of amazing rock stars! Authors are incredibly encouraging and are always available to help you and answer your questions. All you have to do is ask! Also, last Thanksgiving I got to sit at the table with my in-laws and tell them about my book contract. I’m not gonna lie, that was supremely cool.

Kami Kinard

THE BOY PROJECT (NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS OF KARA MCALLISTER)

1. Advice to aspiring writers:  

I’ve met a lot of aspiring writers over the past decade or so and I’ve found that the ones with these three things in common eventually reach their publication goals:

 1) They stick with it and don’t give up despite setbacks and rejections.

 2) They work hard – many, many, many hours over weeks and months and years at their craft.

 3) They are willing to learn and grow as writers. They realize that there is always room for improvement, and they seek to keep perfecting their work.

  2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:  

I live on the eastern edge of the United States in a small southern community.  It is hard to network and connect with industry professionals and other children’s writers here. I feel like I am at a geographical disadvantage, but I’ve accepted the fact that living here means I need to travel north to NY, NJ, or PA once or twice a year. I do that now and it helps!

 3. Most fun thing:  

Meeting other like-minded writers is the most fun thing! I have a blast at conferences and talk to my writer friends in other parts of the US via e-mail or phone fairly frequently.  Writers have great imaginations, so our conversations take us places I don’t normally get to go.

Kate Walton

 CRACKED

1. Advice to aspiring writers:  

I used to give the advice of “never stop writing” but I’ve revised my advice to “write to become a better writer.” I believe there is a huge difference. If all you do is write and write the same way in which you’ve always written, well, then you’re not growing as a writer. How does one hone their craft (and I do mean craft – writing is an art form, one that must be studied)?  Take classes, research the craft, read in the genre in which you write, spend the money to attend writing conferences and get quality critique feedback. Push yourself every single time you sit down to create something new. 

 2. Hardest thing about the journey to publication:

Definitely querying literary agents. It was 2.4 years and 148 rejections worth of exhilaration and disappointment, persistence and determination.

  3. Most fun thing: 

Definitely the friends I’ve made through blogging. I find it fascinating that the act of blogging has opened up my world to people all over the world. The support and the camaraderie in the blogging community are incredible.

Stay Tuned for Next Month’s Installment!

 The Apocalypsies Part 2