Read, Write, Repeat.

I’ve had two pieces of good news recently, and I’m sharing them now because I’ve only just stopped breathing deeply into a paper bag.

My first piece of good news.

I sold my first book! From the slush! To one of my all-time favorite publishers!

It happened after four years of writing, revising and submitting MANY manuscripts and receiving 126 rejections. (Not that I was counting.)

Here are the details:

Which manuscript?

Sophie’s Squash, a picture book. It’s probably the fourth or fifth one I wrote. And it was one I had revised and reworked at least 10 times. But it was worth it, because the story got drastically better each time.

To which publisher?

The amazing Anne Schwartz and the lovely Lee Wade at Schwartz & Wade, a Random House imprint. Have I mentioned I adore their books and the other authors they’ve published? Well, I do. A lot. And I’m still having trouble believing I’m going to be part of their list.

Want to see why I’m so excited about working with them? Read this interview they did with Ilene Cooper at Bookmakers.

Want to see all the cool authors they’ve published like Candace Fleming, Lenore Look, Jenny Offill and Patricia McKissack? Check out this link.

Where’s that paper bag? I think I need it again.

How did it happen?

I had a day off work and had just gotten home from exercising. (A shout-out to my friends at Phitness Plus.) I was sweaty and sticky, so when the phone rang and the caller ID said, “Random House” with a 212 area code, I thought perhaps I was a little light-headed from the crunches I’d done.

Plus, I didn’t recall sending anything to Random House. But when the person on the line said, “This is Anne Schwartz from Schwartz & Wade and you probably don’t remember sending us Sophie’s Squash …” I knew exactly what was going on.

I had sent them the manuscript in early January, and they called eight months later. For all my nonwriter friends, waiting that long for a response is not unusual in the publishing world.

What makes this more unusual is I had sent the book to them after I saw a website that said they accepted unsolicited manuscripts. Apparently, this is incorrect. Anne said they normally don’t look at slush, but they had just gotten a new editorial assistant and decided to have her go through some.

That assistant pulled my manuscript on a Wednesday, and Anne and Lee called me on Friday. So … wow! (I’ll even say it backwards. “Wow!”)

When will the book come out?

I don’t know. The illustrator has to be chosen first. And I have edits to do. Once those two things happen, I’ll know more about a release date.

Now, my next piece of big news.

I also have an agent. The awesome Ammi-Joan Paquette from the equally awesome Erin Murphy Literary Agency!

Pause for a moment while I take a few more deep breaths into that bag … There, I’m feeling better now.

Again, I feel extremely lucky. Joan, whom I heard speak at the Spring 2011 Iowa SCBWI Conference, represents a lot of people I am very impressed with. And, she’s a very good writer herself – with a picture book (The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies) and a middle-grade (Nowhere Girl) already published and a young-adult novel (Paradox) set to come out in 2013.

And, I really like the way she talks and thinks about writing and books.

Finally, some thank-yous.

I could not have written or sold Sophie’s Squash without the help, advice and support of many people. So a thousand thank-yous to:

Two wonderful people who got me on track early in my writing efforts.

Authors Jill Esbaum and Linda Skeers. I attended their picture book retreat soon after I decided I wanted to get serious about writing for children. I brought my earliest draft of Sophie along.

They were very encouraging, but said that the plot needed work. So we sat down and brainstormed what could happen. They supported me and offered advice along the way — even when I didn’t seem to be making progress. They definitely made me a much better writer.

My writing friends and critique partners.

Everyone listed below looked at various versions of lots of my stories, some of them many times. They’ve made me a better writer, too.

Sharon Hart Addy, Kate Carrigan Blackwell, Carolyn Cassel, Andrea Donahoe, Kim Falkenstein, Ned Gannon, Susan Herr-Hoyman, Janet Larscheid, Ellen Lawrence, Kiz Leppert, Pat Lessie, Joanne Linden, Bridget Magee, Lisa Morlock, Cathy Stefanec Ogren, Norene Paulsen, Eve Robillard, Jessica Vitalis and Jeff Waltz.

Thanks also to all the fun and talented folks at the Wisconsin and Iowa SCBWI conferences who have always been welcoming, positive and willing to share their expertise.

My family.

I’ve always heard you shouldn’t trust your family’s opinion of what you write. After all, they love you and can’t be objective about your work.

That’s probably true.

But families are great at telling you to keep trying, reminding you that you have what it takes, not getting mad at the time you spend at the computer and feeding you chocolate when a particularly painful rejection arrives.

So thanks to Faye Clow, Dick Miller, Gwen Miller, Lynn Miller, Mark Miller, Sonia Miller, Pam Wells, Allen Zietlow, Jean Zietlow and Tom Zietlow for believing in me during the journey so far and celebrating these recent milestones with me.

This post probably makes it sound like my writing journey is at its end, but I know it’s really only beginning. I also know writing and publishing books can take a while. But that’s all right with me. I think it’s going to be a fun, fun, trip.

As long as I don’t misplace my paper bag.

Every fall, the Wisconsin Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators gets together to listen, learn and laugh. And the line-up at this year’s conference was one of the best yet.

Authors, editors, an art director and an agent spoke about all facets of children’s books from writing and revising to publishing and marketing.

Here’s a quick glimpse at some of the memorable quotes from the past few days.

Bruce Hale, author of the Chet Gecko mysteries, on SUSPENSE:

• Anxiety is the engine that drives your book. If you can get your reader to ask the big question, ‘What happens next?’ you’ve got them hooked.
• When your character has a secret, it’s like trying to keep a beach ball underwater. There’s energy that wants to come out.
• You don’t want to reveal everything at once. There’s a reason a stripper starts out wearing all his or her clothes.

Learn more about Bruce and his books at his website.

Loraine Joyner, art director at Peachtree Publishers, on PICTURE BOOK ART:

• No one wants to flip through a picture book and see just one point of view. You want your pictures to be up and over and in and out and around and under. They should be graceful, like choreography.
• Good artists add their own unwritten story line for the children to notice the third or fourth time they’re listening to the book. Everything doesn’t have to be told in words.

Lisa Yoskowitz, an assistant editor at Dutton Children’s Books, on VOICE:

• Ask yourself, is my voice age-appropriate  for kids? Is it well-drawn and multidimensional? Is it original?
• Make the voice of your book shine through in your cover letter. If your book is a rollicking adventure story, don’t write a somber, solemn query letter.

Deborah Wiles — author of Love, Ruby Lavender, Freedom Summer, Each Little Bird That Sings, Countdown, and more — on WRITING FROM THE HEART.

• You can take your life and turn it into stories by asking, “What do I know?” What do I feel?” “What can I imagine?” We’re always telling our stories the best we can.
• I wrote about everything I loved and was frightened of when I was 10. You have to be brave enough to go there. It’s where stories come from.
• No one can tell your stories but you. It is your obligation to tell your stories.

Learn more about Deborah’s life-based fiction at her website. And, to see what she wrote about this retreat, visit her fine blog.

Greg Ferguson, an editor at Egmont USA, on SIMPLICITY:

• Keep your story simple. You don’t need to gun for this blazing metaphor. You can be subtle. Your readers will understand.

Pat Schmatz, — author of Circle the Truth, Mousetraps and the forthcoming Bluefish — on REVISION:

• I used to want to publish a book. Now, I want to write the best book I can possibly write.
• To revise, you must have both commitment and curiosity in large and equal measure.
• I usually revise two or three times before I have what I call a first draft. Then I say, “Oh, THIS is what the story is about.” And then I revise some more once I know that. Most of my books go through at least eight full revisions.

Learn more about Pat and her books at this website.

Mary Kole, agent at Andrea Brown Literary, on A WIDE VARIETY OF MATTERS:

• If it falls out of the sky or crawls out of the ground, I probably don’t want it. The market is pretty saturated with paranormal creatures.
• There are more than 300 editors working in the children’s book market. Agents know their editorial styles. They can tell you who’s a good fit for your manuscript.
• Visit independent bookstores. I go every two weeks to see what’s on the shelves. The books there are the cream of the crop. They’re what’s selling. They’re the winners.
• Writing is an art and a craft, and it takes time to learn.

Mary also has a blog that’s well worth reading.

Thanks to Pam Beres, Judy Bryan and a host of other volunteers who planned and delivered an excellent, uplifting conference.

If you’d like to learn more about the Wisconsin SCBWI, visit our website.

Wisconsin author JoAnn Early Macken has a lovely, reassuring new picture book out that celebrates the bond between parents and children.

Waiting Out the Storm is described by its publisher, Candlewick, as, “A gentle, joyous tale for children everywhere who seek comfort during a storm and parents who share with them a sense of nature’s wonders.”

One of the best things about this book is that it’s written as a conversation between mother and child. When my I read it to my daughter, we ended up each reading our “part” in the book without ever consciously deciding that that’s how we would approach it. It was a wonderful way to experience the book, although it would be just as lovely if a parent read the whole thing to a child.

Another wonderful thing about the book is how well the illustrations echo the text’s mood and spirit.

JoAnn joined Read, Write, Repeat today to answer questions about how her book came to be.

You began working on this book after the World Trade Center disaster. Did that make creating your initial draft harder or easier?
Like many other writers, I struggled to write anything at all after the terrible events of September 11, 2001. Everything I did seemed trivial or frivolous. I was determined to help somehow, so I focused on trying to give some reassurance to kids who were frightened. Waiting Out the Storm was the result of that hopeful effort.

How did you come up with the idea of using a thunderstorm to represent danger or fear?
I tried to think of a natural event that was scary but not overwhelming — something that could be explained by facts in a logical way. I wanted an adult to be able to say to a child, “Look, I know you’re scared, but we’ll get through this together.”

I heard that you wrote the manuscript, submitted it a few times and were rejected. Then, you revised it after talking with an editor at a writing conference. What was the feedback that helped you take the manuscript to the next level?
The editor suggested I rearrange the stanzas, repeat a refrain, and eliminate some redundant wording at the end. At least as important as her specific feedback was her willingness to look at the manuscript again after I revised it. After Waiting Out the Storm was accepted for publication, we condensed the text even more.

I met this editor at an SCBWI-Wisconsin fall retreat. SCBWI events like these are terrific opportunities to meet editors, network with other writers, and learn about writing for children from experts.

The illustrations are beautiful. How did they compare to what was in your head as you were writing?
They are more gorgeous than anything I could have imagined! I love the expressions on the characters’ faces. I love the soft yet realistic details. I love the animals, the flowers, and the springtime colors. Susan Gaber portrayed the tone of the book perfectly!

You’ve written fiction and nonfiction. Do you have a preference? Do you approach them the same or differently?
I enjoy writing both fiction and nonfiction, and I approach them from opposite directions. When I write fiction, even though I may have to research some aspects of a story, I usually discover the story as I write. For nonfiction, I usually research and organize the facts before I begin to write.

After I wrote many nonfiction beginning reader series for educational publishers, I needed to stretch beyond the strict guidelines they required. When I wrote Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move, I made a conscious decision to incorporate creative nonfiction techniques: I paid attention to the rhythm, added internal rhyme, and played with alliteration, onomatopoeia, and repetition. The process was more fun, and the result is a more playful look at the many ways seeds travel. Pam Paparone’s lovely illustrations clearly explain and complement the text.

You have a blog called Teaching Authors. How does teaching make you a better writer?
I blog at www.teachingauthors.com with five other children’s book authors who also teach writing: Esther Hershenhorn, Mary Ann Rodman, April Halprin Wayland, Carmela Martino and Jeanne Marie Grunwell Ford. I teach part time at Mount Mary College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I visit schools to speak about poetry and writing.

Before I started teaching, I relied more on instinct. I was pretty confident about grammar, punctuation, rhythm, and rhyme, but I couldn’t always explain why my instinct told me to write or rhyme or punctuate a certain way. Teaching forces me not only to know how to do something correctly but to be able to explain why it must be done that way. I’ve learned a lot by having to explain my reasoning to students.

What projects are you working on now?
The project closest to my heart is called Write a Poem Step by Step. It describes a logical method of writing a draft of a poem one step at a time. I’ve developed and refined the method over the twelve years I’ve been presenting poetry workshops in schools. Poems written by students in my workshops illustrate each step in the process. The process and the manuscript both grew out of my critical thesis and graduating lecture for my M.F.A. in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. I’m also revising a rhyming picture book, researching a new nonfiction book, and tinkering with a brand-new novel idea.

If you could give beginning writers just three pieces of advice, what would they be?

1. Network with other writers to stay in touch, to offer support and be supported, and to keep learning.
2. Find the method that works best for you, and don’t worry about anyone else’s process.
3. Keep going, keep going, keep going! Never give up!

Thank you, JoAnn!

To learn more about JoAnn’s many, many other books, visit her website. There’s also another interview where JoAnn talks about her creative process here.

To learn more about illustrator Susan Gaber, visit her website.

If you want Molly O’Neill, assistant editor at Katherine Tegen Books, to fall in love with your manuscript, send her something fresh and original with a distinctive voice.

Molly shared her thoughts at the spring luncheon for the Wisconsin chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She shared a lot of great information, but here are some quotes from her that really hit home with me.

FRESH IDEAS

• This is the most common thing editors and agents say they want. We seek to be carried away, believing the world the book has created.
• What people like is shaped by their own set of experiences and views of the world. It’s nonscientific. It doesn’t follow a checklist.

VOICE

• Voice is the indefinable heart of the a story. It makes it feel alive.
  
• The voice of someone we care about is memorable. Even if they’re not real except in the pages of a book.

CHARACTERS

• If characters are fully drawn, they make us feel we would recognize them if they walked up to us on the street.
  
• Everyone knows a kid like Jack in Sharon Creech’s “Love that Dog.” Teachers have had kids like him in their classes.

PLOT

• Surprise me. Be smarter than me. I love it when writers solve problems in ways I never would have thought of.
  
• Every story has two plots — the actions the characters take and the emotional journey they go on behind the scenes. If both plots aren’t there, the story can seem thin.

SETTING

• If the setting is done well, you know that place the author is describing even if you’ve never been in that particular small town.
  
• Don’t just tell me we’re in Milwaukee. Help me feel the cold wind blowing off the lake. Help me smell the yeast from the breweries.

ONCE SHE’S IN LOVE

• A book’s potential starts building before it’s acquired when a passionate editor or agent says, “Read this. I haven’t been as excited about anything in a long time.”
  
• On books I love, I see the author’s vision, and I know mine can be coupled with it to make an even better book.

ON SUBMITTING

• When you submit a manuscript, you’re asking for a reaction. And that’s all it is. It’s not a validation of your skill or permission for you to be a creator of art. You’re saying, “Here. I made this. Can you see it too?” You want an editor who can see what you see and be a passionate advocate for it.

ON REVISION

• You must refine. Take out anything predictable. Take out anything nonessential.

DISAPPOINTING BUT TRUE FACTS

• When I love a book, I ask myself, “Who else will love it? Will enough other people love it and be drawn to it to make it succeed? If not, I can’t publish it, even if I love it. It wouldn’t be fair to me or the author.
  
• If I were to acquire just one book from each of you, it could be more books than I might publish in my entire career. It’s hard to be one of the few books that makes it. But I applaud you for trying.

If you want to learn more about Molly, you can visit her blog or follow her on Twitter (@molly_oneill).

Thanks to everyone from the Wisconsin chapter who organized and staffed the event!