Today is the book birthday for The One and Only Bob. This is, of course, the highly anticipated sequel to The One and Only Ivan. In normal circumstances, the author of the "book birthday" would visit schools across the country, like a rock star on tour! I don't know if she would have visited where I live. Maybe. But because of COVID-19, she's had to put a halt on her traveling. Instead, Katherine Applegate had a "virtual" meeting about the book, and yours truly somehow managed to weasel her way into it! Katherine's writerly beginnings Surprisingly, Katherine Applegate was not a reader as a child. She admits it and says she makes a point to tell kids this at her school visits! Usually there's a gasp and (unfortunately) some clapping. She didn't have dyslexia. Reading wasn't hard for her; it was just boring. But then, as she tells the story, she found her "best friend book." It was Charlotte's Web. "You may think that's your best friend book, too," Katherine says, "but it's really mine." It's what got her to see story telling in a new light. My best friend book? It's hard for me to pick one! Unlike Katherine Applegate, I was an reader as a kid. Still am! I probably had best friend books all the time! But I'd say that The Summer of the Monkeys was up there for me. That and The Outsiders and Anne of Green Gables. If you write, you're a writer! Even though she wasn't a reader, Katherine was a writer. She wrote stories all the time! During the Q&A of the virtual meeting, someone asked her when she knew she wanted to be a writer. In answer, Katherine first of all explained that you don't have to be published to be a writer. When she was a kid, she wrote a story about a pig. She says there was probably a plot, but she doesn't remember it. But when she finished that draft, she says, "that's the day I became a writer!" Writer's block? No such thing! When asked about what she does for writer's block, she claimed that it doesn't exist! "I know it's not a popular thing to say," she admits. "But it's true." She went on to explain that they're just problems. Nothing more, nothing less. Writers, she says, are "narcissistic," so we think our problems are bigger than others, so much so that we have to give it a name: writer's block. "We don't have teacher's block," she reasons. "Mother's block or plumber's block. They're just problems." Once you can recognize it for what it is, then you can work through it:
Behind the scenes Because it's Bob's book birthday, we talked about Bob. He's, remember, the little dog in The One and Only Ivan. Even though Ivan was inspired by a very true story, Katherine had chosen to write his story in a fictionalized way. She felt that Ivan the gorilla needed a friend, so she gave him Bob. He started out as a cockroach. Then a mouse. She needed something that could slip into a small hole of Ivan's cage. Since she was fictionalizing the story anyway, Katherine decided to make the hole a little bigger and make Bob a small dog. She based his character on her own feisty and somewhat grumpy pup, Stan. The One and Only Ivan, as some of you may know, is now a motion picture! It's scheduled to be "out" in theaters August 2020. Of course, we don't know what that will look like in our uncertain circumstances right now, but as Katherine says, that's when it's scheduled to come out! Danny DeVito voices Bob in the movie. (What a cool idea! He's perfect for Bob!) They asked, and he agreed to also do the audiobook of The One and Only Bob! At the end of the virtual meeting, the hosts, SLJ, supplied an audio excerpt and a "Behind the mic with Danny DeVito." So much fun! My writing journey
I think going to book launches (even virtually) like this really helps me in my writing journey. It's not only something I can shoot for, but it reminds me that the authors of the books I love are normal people who also struggle with writing. It's tough to write a book! When Katherine was asked if she would be writing a third book about Ivan and Bob, she laughed and said, "Look, writing a book is like giving birth. You need a little time to recover." ha ha! When asked if writing this second book was challenging for her, she said, "Well, it took me eight years. That probably says something." But she did it. And I can, too.
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A couple months ago, I attended WriteOnCon, an affordable online conference for writers. I think it was my second or third time attending this yearly conference. Anyway, at the end of a how-was-it-survey, I was asked if I wanted to put my name in for a few raffles. I said, okay. There were a lot of things offered (i.e chat with an agent, first 5-page critique from professional editor, etc.) I wasn't expecting to win anything, but I did! I won a phone call with children's author Kelly Starling Lyons.
Talking with Kelly I admit that I was bit nervous to talk to Kelly because, as many of you know, middle grade (MG) is my thing, not Picture Books (PB). She's done a bit of chapter books, and I have this one idea for a chapter book series (possibly), so I thought we could chat about that. But as I approached the week before our scheduled phone call and I started drafting questions to ask her, I found that I really am interested in writing picture books! I sent my questions to her beforehand, and while we talked, I took notes. Before I jump into what I learned, I just want to say how easy it was to talk to Kelly! She was interested in me, how I'm doing in my writing journey, and congratulated me for completing my first draft of my MG book. What's it like working with an illustrator? I've always been curious about this, so I asked Kelly. First of all, I learned that the publisher usually picks your illustrator. They decide who would be the best fit, based on the manuscript you've given them. I don't know--- I always imagined the illustrator and writer submitting a manuscript together or something, but they're separate. The illustrator, employed by the publishing house, will illustrate, according to the words that the writer has written. Sometimes, after you've published a few picture books, the publisher (or agent) may ask you if you have an illustrator in mind, but even in those cases, you rarely get to choose who you want to illustrate your book. To me, it almost sounds like a blind date! Except, you don't actually work directly with the artist. Kelly explained that artists and authors are kept separate because they don't want the author to take control over the vision of the art. Basically, the writer works with an editor, and the illustrator works with an art director, and then the final product slowly takes shape. When it comes to historical fiction, though, Kelly says she usually gets to see more of the art work as they draft. What's the process for writing picture books? Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? In case of picture books, the pictures or the words? Kelly says the words. You write out your MS, just as you do with any other book. The main difference is that you write with illustrations in mind. Oftentimes, you'll see picture book manuscripts submitted with storyboards: simple stick pictures to show what might be happening with the words you've written on the page. A lot of agents accept manuscripts digitally now, but Kelly said when she started out, she had to send in her submissions by mail and often got rejections back by mail, too. Now it's all done by email. Are picture books easy to write?
Kelly I spent a while talking about this because I've heard on social media (etc), that picture books are not easy! Kelly says that we sometimes go into writing picture books with the idea that it will be easy. Maybe it's because it's for a younger audience and, therefore, it must simpler. So, writers draft a picture book, don't put (maybe) too much thought into it, don't do their research into the market, don't have mentor texts from the current market (etc). They submit and are suddenly so surprised that they got rejected! Wow, it's harder than they thought. In reality, those who understand the craft of writing picture books stand a better chance of getting picked up. That's true anywhere in the publishing world (I've learned). Of course, there will still be rejections. That happens to us all! But Kelly says, "Good stories find homes." What a great mantra, right?! As far as the craft of writing picture books goes, Kelly says it's pretty similar to writing poetry! We work with imagery, simile, and word choice. I mean, poetry applies to all types of art form, but I can see how it's especially applicable to picture books. This was good news to me because that's where I "restarted" my creative writing journey. I took poetry classes at the community college I loved it! It's really challenging, of course, but fun, too. So picture this: me writing picture books. Why not?
1) Personal All successful stories are personal in some way. He was able to, with his story, make it personal for each of us. He explained what it was like growing up with a sibling that picked on him. It was a story of retaliation, which even if we don't have siblings, we can relate to. In fact, even today, when his brother drives up to visit (it's like a four hour drive) the first thing Markus Zusak says to his brother is some snide remark about the egg. "When are you going to let that go?" his brother will ask. And Markus Zusak will answer, "Never!" His story had purpose. It was personal and meaningful. The stories we tell should be as well. 2) Specific details In his story, he gave specific details. He told us about the color of his brother's lunch pail (blue) and how he sat on a paint bucket every day at lunch. These details are not only to make the story more vivid, but it made the story more believable. He said that he once lost his jacket at an airport and when he told the security guard about it, the security guard asked him what color his jacket was. He told him "black" and added that there was a folded piece of paper in the right hand pocket. The security guard pulled out the jacket, reached his hand in the pocket, found the folded piece of paper, and handed it to Markus Zusak without any further questions. The specific detail proved that it was his. 3) Give the unexpected Markus Zusak says that he always thought the part when his brother cracked the unboiled egg on his head would get the biggest laugh, but it never was. It was the part where his dad said, "That is brilliant!" It's because it was unexpected. 4) Edit He said he has told that story "heaps" of times. And each time, he would add a bit that he remembered or a detail that will make it better. The first time he told the part about going to his dad, he got the best response. It's all about trial and error. 5) Know what has happened to each character before the story/ Dip back into backstory Because he's told his story so many times, and he's edited it, he knew where to "dip back" into backstory. He didn't give it all at the forefront, but he told us the story, for example, about him painting himself in a corner and calling for help at the moment he was telling us about his dad because it helped us understand both characters better. Just like our family members, we need to know them inside and out. We need to know what experiences they had before the story takes place. Read and re-read
He didn't list this as one of his five, but he talked about how some people read, like, 30 different books in a year or something while he will read the same book thirty times. One of his favorite books of all times (which made me smile) is The Outsiders by S.E Hinton. He's read it a thousand times and uses it as a model for his storytelling. Of course, having read both authors, Markus Zusak has a very different writing style and story to tell than S.E Hinton. But I think what he meant is that he looks at the plot and "steals" ideas for telling a good story like character development, point of view, etc. A fellow Aussie The line to meet Markus Zusak was incredibly long, and it was already almost 9:30pm, but I'm glad I waited to get my books signed, both Bridge of Clay and The Book Thief. I made friends with the gal ahead of me, and we talked about how great it is that he came all the way to Arizona. As we got closer to our turn, I noticed how everyone seemed to have something to say to him. I had no idea what I was going to say! I decided to let him know that I lived in Australia for a while (a year and a half), so I did. I figured he'd ask me why, and I prepared myself to tell him. But instead, he asked me what part of Perth. Oh, man! My mind went blank. But I finally blurted out Albany, which is true, but it's about as far away from the main city as you could get. I've lived in Girrawheen, Como, and Balcata as well. He was super friendly, though, and said it was nice to meet someone who had experienced the "long" flight, which we agreed wasn't that bad. In my book, he wrote: "Love from Sydney." Not sure if he wrote that in all the books he was signing, but I think that means we're besties. Right?
I came home after the reading and said to my husband, "That was the best reading I've ever been to, and he only read from his book for about ten minutes..." Humble beginnings "Raise your hand," he had said, "if you're here because you read The Book Thief." All hands went up. "That's just great!" He talked a bit about that book and how he had it in his head for years and years. He grew up with his parents (who were immigrants from Germany and Austria), telling stories about Nazi Germany and what it was like growing up at that time. He figured that, someday, he'd share those stories with the world. Sometimes he'd be out and about and he'd see something and think, hey, maybe I can put that in that Holocaust book of mine. He first wrote the story from the perspective of Liesel, the main character. "But what I got was a very Aussie sounding German girl...I don't have an imagination. I just have a lot of problems." And then, one day, he decided to try writing it from the perspective of death. So he started over. "It's never good the first time..." he said. "You have to be flexible." He rewrote that book several times, in fact, and even then it needed a lot of editing and more hard work. "I never thought anyone would read that book," he said. "Frankly, I'm amazed at seeing you here. If you've ever told your friend about The Book Thief--- if you said, 'hey, there's this sad book about Nazi Germany. Hardly any of the characters live, and it's really depressing. You should read it...' Thank you!" He went on to tell us that when he first started out, he did a reading in the Margret River Public Library in Western Australia. No one showed up. (We all groaned for him.) "That wasn't the worst part," he said. "...They still made me do the reading! It was just me and the librarians." A Master Storyteller
He talked about being the youngest of four. His older brother, just above him, would punch him. For no reason. "What was that for?" he'd ask. "I don't know," and he'd punch him again for good measure. He worked with his dad and older brother and they painted houses. I'm not able to give his story justice, I'm sorry, but he went on to tell us how his brother would always eat a boiled egg for lunch every day. He'd put it in his blue lunch pail. Every day at lunch, he'd sit on a paint bucket and peel the egg and eat it. One day, though, he decided to crack it on his head, just to be funny. He did it the next day, and then the next. Soon, it was routine. His brother would sit on the paint bucket, crack his egg on his head, peel it, and eat it. After a few weeks, Markus Zusak said he was so mad at his brother, always picking on him all the time, so before they left for work, and when his brother was in the bathroom, he switched the boiled egg with a regular egg. Markus Zusak made sure the blue pail was just as his brother left it by the front door so he wouldn't notice he'd changed anything. And they went to work. All day, Markus Zusak fought his guilt. Finally, he went to his dad to talk about what he'd done, so he called up to his dad who was on a ladder painting the side of a house. "Why aren't you working?" his dad asked. Markus said his dad always said that. He didn't like him or his brother goofing off. "Just wanted to tell you something," Markus said. "What'd you break?" "Nothing." Markus Zusak told us that he was always breaking things or not thinking things through. Like the time he painted himself in a corner. When he yelled, no one came for him, so he had to wait the two hours for the paint to dry. "What did you want to tell me?" his dad asked, and Markus Zusak chickened out. He told his dad that it was nothing, but his dad insisted that it was something and that he better tell him because he made him stop his work and climb down that ladder, so Markus Zusak spilled. He told his dad what he'd done, how he switched the eggs, and he prepared for his dad to get angry. After a minute, his dad sighed, shook his head and said, "That is brilliant!" (We laughed so hard when Markus Zusak told us that part of the story!) "Tell you what," his dad told him. "Go back to work and I'll see you at lunch. And don't be late." At lunch, his dad and Markus Zusak stared at his brother. His brother was all, "What's wrong with you?" But he cracked his egg over his head, and the yoke ran down his head, and his dad laughed so harder than anyone! For those of you who were at the reading or heard that story before, I'm sorry that I didn't do it justice, but I really wanted to share that story. It's what made his reading so memorable and funny and important to me... Read Part 2
Author Reading I love attending author readings. I didn't start going until my adult life, though. I was required to attend a poetry reading for my poetry class a year or so ago, but then I started attending them whenever I could because they were fun! They give me a "vision" of what it might be like when I (someday) become a debut author. Also, there's often Q & A at the end, and I've learned a lot about the writing and publishing process just from hearing those answers and sometimes asking my own questions.
Then, while drafting, she refers to these notebooks that (hopefully) have answers to her questions while she's drafting. If they don't, then she will give herself a note in the draft to look it up later. Later, she'll dive into the researching rabbit hole and record her answers.
But, as she admitted, she's still refining her process and it's difficult to keep organized. Walking among giants Attending this event felt a little different than others. I felt the difference when I first walked in. I showed up, and everyone was hugging and talking and taking pictures. Maybe I had never been this early before, though, so I didn't think much of it. After Amy Loveblood's reading, I stood in line to get my book signed. The bookstore host went around and wrote our names on post-its so we could have them personalized if we wanted. The gal behind me didn't have to tell her name to the bookstore clerk, though. "Oh, it was funny talking to your publisher," the clerk said as she wrote her name. "She wanted to know if I could book you in for a reading, but I had you scheduled months ago. I saw you had a book coming out, so I just put you in." They hugged and laughed. Wow, I thought. What would that be like?... Before I could really imagine having that kind of relationship with one of my all time favorite bookstores, I overheard the clerk talk to the next person in line. She asked for her name, wrote it down, and then looked at her. "You colored your hair," she said. "When's your next book coming out?" Wow, I thought again. I'm walking among giants here. These people are living my dream. I was sandwiched between published authors. Wow! Wow! Wow! I almost expected someone to ask me when my book was coming out and blushed as I thought about my unfinished discovery draft at home. Thankfully, no one asked me. When it was my turn to get my book signed, I handed her the book and Amy Loveblood looked at my name, then at me. She asked if my last name was Lamoreaux. She said it wrong, but that's not her fault. It's Hubby's fault for having a complicated French name. ha ha! She remembered meeting me on Twitter, probably from the #MTMC thing. I told her, yes and something else I don't remember, which made me blush, but smiley at the same time. I quickly got out of line and hid behind a piece of cake... still smiling and thinking, this is awesome!... Dream Big As I was driving home, I practically giggled out loud. I had had such a good time at the reading. I learned about the writing and researching process, I got to hear the author read a part of her book (that I can't wait to start reading!), I was among other published authors, and I got cake. I envisioned myself holding a copy of my work-in-progress, all shiny and published. People waited in line to have me sign their copy, and I saw myself answering questions, talking about my passion for writing and then reading out loud a bit of my book at Changing Hands Bookstore. When I got home, I pulled my keys out of the ignition and I remembered, Oh, yeah. My book isn't finished. I still haven't completed the discovery draft I started a year ago! I haven't revised, edited or had beta readers. I haven't even gotten close to querying. As I walked into our apartment, I felt like I picked up a bag of rocks. The weight of my goal suddenly felt heavy. I told Hubby about the experience, shared some cake and laughed about Amy Loveblood knowing me from the Internet and saying our last name funny. After a while, I sat on the couch and opened my copy of Nothing But Sky and show him my personalized message. I realized, then, that I hadn't even looked at it myself! "Dream big," she told me. I giggled and grabbed my laptop and started working on my WIP.
Within those two types, there are categories. For example, in traditional publishing, there's the Big Five, Mid-size and Large, and Small Presses. In Self-Publishing, there's Hybrid, Assisted, and DIY. Marylee gave us an awesome grid that shows the pros and cons for each type of "delivery" or publishing. (If I get a PDF of it, I'll put it at the bottom of this blog.)
This was a lot of help to me as I try to decide what my goals are as a writer. Don't be surprised by the request to build an author's platform This means you need to have ready to go:
Marylee admits that this can be discouraging to many writers, especially those not computer savvy. However, it's easier than you may think. There are lots of resources to help you get started. Personally, as an extrovert, this sounds like a lot of fun. Nevertheless, it is a hard truth, and it's even harder if you're self-publishing because you're basically managing everything. Just get started, Marylee says, and take baby-steps. Timing is everything Marylee gave us a list of keys to success. She said that you need to:
She gave us a list of things to do prior to book launch. It's defiantly a list I'll keep and use when I'm ready. Write and memorize your pitch Even if you self-publish, you'll be asked to talk about your book. You need to be ready to tell people what your book is about. The pitch, the synopsis and query are just as important as the manuscript. TRUTH FROM YOURS TRUELY Like I said in part 1 of this blog post, I learned a lot from Marylee MacDonald. It isn't over, yet. I'm actually meeting with her one-on-one on Friday and, hopefully, in August as well. I'm sure she'll have more workshops in August as well. I remember her inviting me to go to her first publishing-themed workshops. I told her "I'm not there, yet," but she told me I should come anyway. I'm glad I did. I've learned a lot. Of course, it's probably one of those things that you learn best on-the-job, like riding a bike. People can tell you all about riding a bike, but until you do it yourself, you won't know what it's like to to do it. I've taken notes. I've mused about them in a two-part blog. I'll learn more after I "finish" my manuscript and start working towards publication. But it's exciting! I hope you've enjoyed skimming through what I've learned (so far!) this summer from Marylee MacDonald. My library invites published authors to hold office hours in the library and help aspiring authors. They give workshops (to all the branches) and appointment-based one-on-one feedback for writers. For the past year, since I learned about the program, I've made a point to meet with each and/or participate in one or more of their workshops. I've met Bill Konigsberg, Tom Leveen, Shonna Slayton, and Melissa Marr. From June-August, the writer in residence has been Marylee MacDonald.
I feel like in all of her workshops, she ends up talking a bit about publishing. (She gave two workshops, actually, specifically about publishing.) I'm grateful because it's such a fickle and mysterious world to many writers, including me.
She provides resources for aspiring authors on her website and answers questions about publishing because, as she says, "I just wants to share what I've learned." It's hard to sum-up everything she's taught me over the past couple months, but I'm going to try anyway. Enjoy the musings! The hard truth about publishing She has a funny list about why-you-won't-be-published, which she's shown in at least two of her workshops. I don't have her full list, but it has stuff like:
Right now, she says the thing that sells are romance novels and YA literature. There are lots of genres out there within these categories, like vampire romance novels (yes, that is such a thing), and it's important to know what you wrote and if it will sell. Because sometimes it doesn't. Marylee is an advocate for senior-citizen writers (and is one herself), but another "hard truth" she taught about the publishing world is that agents don't like signing on writers who are in their 60s or older. Why? Maryless says it's because they don't know how many books they can get out of you. It's a business. They don't want one book from their authors. They want a lot. It's not fair, but that's the hard truth. Another hard truth, which does affect me (I'm in my 30's) is that it takes a LONG time to publish. Sometimes 10 or more years. The sooner you start, the better, I guess. The publishing industry is like a fish market This analogy is a good one. It fits with what I learned in the book 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published and 14 Reasons Why it Might by Pat Walsh, a book a highly recommend, by the way. Basically, everyone goes for the freshest fish. You need to not only be young, but also have a fresh idea. Your book needs to be original and good. Really good. You're book's not done until you feel like throwing up Marylee said, "If you think you're done, you're not." After you write all those words--- beginning, middle and end--- you need to proof read it. And then proof read it again. She says that if you have 20 avid readers (not friends or family) read your book and they say, "I couldn't put it down," then you're getting closer to finishing, but you're not, yet. She says you'll be so sick of the book that you'll feel like throwing up. That's when it's "done." Read Part 2 of this blog. Hubby and I hold hands and quickly walk through the quiet mall. More than half the shops are closed. The halls are practically empty, and there's no music. I see a noteworthy used bookstore, but we're on our way to a small library in the outskirts of our city boundaries, to which I've never been to, so he doesn't let me browse. We turn a corner and hubby pulls me toward a wide opening. I take two steps and realize I'm in a library. There's what looks like a desk with a librarian, a few shelves with books, and some computers in the far corner. Before I can ask about the workshop we're there for, I see three women on couches, each with a pen and pad of paper, and Shonna Slayton. I recognize her instantly from the library website. She smiles like we're old friends. Like reunited friends, she teases me for being a few minutes late and Hubby for being the only male. After introductions--- we each take a turns saying our names and what kind of writing we do--- she poses the question, "Where do you get your ideas?" After we talk about inspirations for our writing, Shonna sums, "We essentially get them everywhere!" She says that she jots ideas on slips of paper and puts them in a box. They're oftentimes clips of words from magazines. Then she "mooshes" ideas together. The important thing, she stresses, is that you write them down, even if think your idea is so perfect that you can't possibly forget it! The Power of Retelling Plot can be particularly troublesome for writers. (Don't I know it!) One trick (or "hack" as Shonna calls it), is to do a retelling. A lot of stories, believe it or not, are retellings. She uses the example of The Little Princess, which is the story of a girl who goes to boarding school. When her father is presumably killed, she falls from grace (so to speak) and must work as a servant. Is this not a Cinderella of sorts? Retellings are great because they provide an initial plot, so if you're stuck on plot, the retelling gives you a framework. Also, retellings are insanely popular. Shonna confesses that they're easy to sell. "People like the familiar," she explains. How to do a Retelling Retellings are fairly straightforward. You think of a story that you love and then change aspects of it. "Moosh" other bits and viola! a new and interesting story! In our small group, we made a list of elements you can change in a retelling:
After that, we wrote individual "Ugly Duckling" tales, choosing our own genre and twists. Hubby and I wrote about a boy "ugly duckling," living in a futuristic world where everyone claims to be perfect and the same.
All the stories written in the group, though all based on the premise of the ugly duckling, were different from each other. That's the magic of retellings! They can be individualized with a unique, personal flair. Take-aways There are a few things I plan to take-away from this workshop. First, when stuck, "moosh." It's okay to mix and remix anything and everything when the storm in your brainstorming sessions are dry or barely a sprinkle. Second, have fun! Too often, I'm in too serious of a mood when I sit down at the computer to write. Third, when in doubt, just ask. There were a lot of great questions throughout the workshop about editing, publishing and the like. Shonna was honest and approachable. She offered helpful resources, like Storyfix.com and Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Being part of the writer's community, where ever you live is enriching! My local library has a Writer in Residence program, which means that they periodically invite published authors to hold office hours to help aspiring authors. Right now, it's Bill Kongisberg. Last week, on my way to find poetry on the second floor, I saw him sitting in a large conference room alone. I remembered reading that he was the Writer in Residence on the library website, so I popped my head in and said hi!
Just saying "hi!"
Sweaty from riding my bike to the library, I didn't want to stay long. I literally planned on poking my head in and saying hi, but Bill was super nice and invited me to sit and chat with him. I told him that I attended his reading back in November. He asked me what I do, and I told him that I'm a creative writing student and ESL teacher, and that I have written "some stuff." He asked me what kind of stuff, so I admitted that I mostly had poems (due to the fact that recently finished a poetry class), but I wanted to write more fiction. That's when he invited me to come back. We made an appointment for the following Wednesday. The day of the appointment, I prepared a short list of questions and decided on 3 poems I wanted him to read, and then headed to the library. My loud flip-flops and I entered the conference room at approximately 2:00pm. It's a good thing I was right on time because he said he had someone else coming in at 2:30pm, so we got right to work... Q and A I started with my list of questions. Right now, I'm super interested in the writing process, so most of my questions revolved around that. Steven King writes about how it's a lonely journey, "like crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a bath tub," but my creative writing teacher says it's mostly collaborative, so I asked Bill what he thought. He said he agreed with both perspectives and said that at times it can feel lonely, but other times there's a lot of in-put from other people, mostly from an agent and close friends. How long did it take you to write/publish your first book? Bill says he finished his first draft of Out of Pocket in 2003, and it took him about 6 months to write the first draft; it sold in 2006 and was published in 2009. "So, yeah, it took a while!" Do you outline your story? Tell me more about that process. Bill says that there's "plotting" and "pants-ing" (aka "writing on the seat of your pants.") The first is quite structured, where you outline the major events of the story, and the other is open and a sort of discover-as-you-go kind of thing. He says it's good to do a bit of both, but advises letting the characters lead you through the story whenever possible. "Be excited about what you're doing!" What revision strategies do you use to write your books? "It's always different," he said, but he usually does it like this: Day 1- Write Chapter 1 Day 2- Revise Chapter 1; Write Chapter 2 Day 3- Revise Chapter 2; Write Chapter 3.... etc. Even though there's a bit of revision happening all along, he doesn't consider the first draft done until the book is done. Who do you ask 1st to read your book? Bill says he shares the book with his agent first. Before he had an agent, however, he shared with his critique group. "Be very careful who is in your group," Bill cautions. "... if you're sensitive like me, I take criticism seriously and what they say could stop me from finishing the book..." He says he looks for friends who are openminded. Even if they don't like what he's writing, he appreciates it when his test-readers can respect his ideas and ask good questions about the book. For example, "where they get confused," etc. I asked a follow up question: Do you share one chapter at a time or the whole thing? He says it's usually just the whole book. Bill confides, "I just want to share things my characters say!" But admits that most people just don't really care about that. They want the whole thing. Discussing my poem Even though I prepared 3 poems for Bill to look at, we only had time for one. I think, however, many of his suggestions for the one poem will spill over into the other three. Right now I'm working on a packet of poems to submit for publication, and I showed him one that I workshopped in my Intro to Poetry class and am hoping to include in my submissions. The power of specificity We talked extensively about the power of being specific. He pointed out some moments in my poem where I was specific. These were the moments where he became interested in my ideas. He referred me to his recent blog post about using specificity in our writing. I agree that there is power in using the good, descriptive nouns. Show verses Tell On a related topic, we talked a bit about the struggle we face as writers when deciding on the best words. As writers, we both know that it's better to show, than tell. I wouldn't say, for example, "my dad is humble." Rather, I'd show him being humble, right? We get that. Humility is the feeling Bill got with one of my specific images in my poem, and that's what I was intending. So success, right? Sure! But it gets complicated unpacking feelings in images. Complicating Matters For example, Bill asked me what I meant when I wrote that the dad in the poem "drinks a 44 oz coke." It's a good specific moment, but he wondered what that image is supposed to tell readers about the character in my poem. I didn't have an answer right away, mostly because it was so long ago when I wrote that specific image. I couldn't remember what abstract feeling (love, humility, hate, jealousy...) I was attempting to show. This led us into a discussion about whether or not every image in a piece of work should have an abstract feeling associated with it and whether or not as a writer I'm responsible for the feelings readers interpret from the images I write. Bill says that we can't control the emotions of our readers (and we wouldn't want to anyway!). It's better to "allow the imagination" to do it's thing, and not force-feed abstracts to our readers (aka: telling). I ended up asking him, in general, what his reaction was to reading particular images in my poem, and that proved to be helpful. His reaction was mostly in-sync with my purpose in writing. We pin-pointed a couple spots where I could improve the writing further, and wrapped up our session together. I had an excellent meeting with Bill Kongisberg, and I want to publicly thank him for taking the time to inspire me and discuss the craft of writing on a hot Wednesday afternoon. |