Anne-Marie Strohman 9/22/22 Anne-Marie Strohman 9/22/22

On the Road with Louise Hawes, a Q&A

Louise Hawes: I often spend months (sometimes years) filling a notebook with my character's responses and thoughts before I begin writing an actual draft. That notebook is all in long-hand, as you know, and I don't stop to edit or erase anything. My characters' letters are in the first person, and result from a fluid, bodily connection from my heart to my hand to the page. In contrast, my draft will be typed on a laptop, the far less spontaneous product of me thinking and feeling my way into a story that features the character whose voice has already filled my notebook.

Erin Nuttall 8/18/22 Erin Nuttall 8/18/22

It's All About Play (and Gusto!): A Q&A with Sarah Aronson

Sarah Aronson: “No two projects emerge the same way, but I will commit to this: my process is aggressively playful. It’s my policy NEVER to say no to an idea until I’ve tried it out.”

Erin Nuttall 7/14/22 Erin Nuttall 7/14/22

Writing Lived Experience: A Q&A with Michael Leali

Every manuscript seems to have its own distinct journey, but every story I write begins with an awful lot of daydreaming, staring into space, jotting a phrase or two onto a sticky note, and coming up with a working title.

Erin Nuttall 5/19/22 Erin Nuttall 5/19/22

Writing Deep Stories with Simple Words: A Q&A with Stefanie Hohl

“Studying craft is the best thing I have done for my writing. I like to write in many different genres, and each one informs the other. Reading and studying books and examining how other authors accomplish their craft has helped me tremendously.”- Stefanie Hohl

Kristi Wright 2/10/22 Kristi Wright 2/10/22

Emotional Resonance Is Key: A Q&A with Tanita S. Davis

A lot of people want to be allies, or seen as friendly and open to the idea of friendship across races, cultures and social strata. This idea of “just talk to each other” may seem like it’s wildly oversimplified, but it turns out that if you want to know someone, it really is that simple. You may be nothing like a diehard gardener or wide-eyed tween, but if you’re willing to see a potential connection between the two of you, it will be there.

Anne-Marie Strohman 1/13/22 Anne-Marie Strohman 1/13/22

Finding Your Book--in the Bookstore

Knowing where my book would sit on a shelf and what books it would be friends with helped me think more clearly about my revision. When I’m faced with a choice, I can consider what would sit well in the spot I found for it.

Anne-Marie Strohman 11/18/21 Anne-Marie Strohman 11/18/21

It Starts with a Daydream: A Q&A with Rita Williams-Garcia

I fully transport myself from my reality into the world that I seek to create. In a word, I daydream. Deeply. I put myself with the character, close to the character, sometimes in the character, to taste the dirt when they're in the dust storm or feel the scratchy bristles of cane stalk whip my face. Then I write it. Later, I make adjustments, because what I have to understand is different from what the reader should feel. Sometimes I have to rein it in or pull back. It's not always the point that the reader should feel each and everything—but the writer must!

Erin Nuttall 10/21/21 Erin Nuttall 10/21/21

The Wacky and the Unexpected: Q&A with Mary Winn Heider

"The biggest leap for me in my writing life happened when I got comfortable with failure. I wrote some disastrous things in grad school. But before that, my writing had gotten stagnant because I was too anxious about getting it right all the time. Allowing myself to fail gave me the freedom to take risks and make mistakes. Those mistakes, in turn, taught me how to write the way I want to write."

Erin Nuttall 9/9/21 Erin Nuttall 9/9/21

Composing Words: a Q&A with Erica George

"I love that when I have a question, I can reach out and pick the brilliant brains of other talented kidlit writers. I’m always amazed at how quickly plot or character problems can be solved when you get out of your own head. I also love how willing people are to share great examples of kidlit to use as mentor texts."

Anne-Marie Strohman 7/8/21 Anne-Marie Strohman 7/8/21

Feminist, Funny, and Fierce: Q&A with Emma Kress, Debut YA Author of Dangerous Play

I first heard Emma read from a chapter-book-in-progress, and her voice blew me away. Emma's writing as such attention to detail, such personality, such emotional resonance. She can write funny and serious--sometimes in the same sentence. Emma's debut YA novel, DANGEROUS PLAY comes out August 3, and I'm so glad we get a peek into Emma's brain and writing process. I highly recommend both DANGEROUS PLAY and Emma herself.

Anne-Marie Strohman 6/2/21 Anne-Marie Strohman 6/2/21

Day Job Connection: Author Susan McCormick, Doctor

Dr. Susan McCormick: Accept the unexpected. Sometimes as a doctor, a diagnosis that had eluded me would appear in the night or while I was running or in the shower. These messages from my inner brain were always right. Similarly, accept any magic that pours from your fingers while writing, or any miracles that come while your brain is on break. These ideas from nowhere are often the best.

Anne-Marie Strohman 5/1/21 Anne-Marie Strohman 5/1/21

SIDEWRITING TAKEOVER: Sidewriting Challenge Roundup

The authors and contributors we interviewed had so many wonderful sidewriting challenges, we thought we'd put them all in one place. Each exercise will have a link back to the original post so you can learn more about the author and how sidewriting works for them. Enjoy!

Anne-Marie Strohman 4/30/21 Anne-Marie Strohman 4/30/21

SIDEWRITING TAKEOVER: The Finale--Create a Dream Team of Defenders to Answer Your Inner Critic

Thank you for coming along on this sidewriting journey with us. We hope you’ve found some compelling exercises AND some compelling reasons for sidewriting. Just as every writer is different, the way each writer uses sidewriting is different--as you’ve seen from our contributors.

Anne-Marie Strohman 1/14/21 Anne-Marie Strohman 1/14/21

Design Thinking for Writers: A Q&A with Vicky Fang

"As a product designer, I am used to solving creative problems. I think that’s partially why I’m drawn to different formats, because I get inspiration from the problem. My design experience also helps me take critique feedback well as I’m very used to harsh critiques and revising based on understanding the problems that a critique uncovers."

Kristi Wright 10/8/20 Kristi Wright 10/8/20

Interview with Brian Weisfeld: On Developing and Co-Writing a Series to Inspire Entrepreneurship

The four years of creating that original manuscript were the hardest and most humbling of my entire career. But my journey is also a reminder that there are a lot of different paths to publication.