Publication Interview with Molly Beth Griffin: Rhoda's Rock Hunt

Please describe the book.

Minnesota Historical Society Press
Jennifer A. Bell, illustrator

Rhoda’s Rock Hunt is a picture book about a kid on a camping trip with her aunt and uncle on the north shore of Lake Superior. Hiking is hard work, it turns out, but Rhoda loves collecting rocks along the way. In fact, she loves rock collecting so much that her pack gets heavier and heavier as she hikes and by the time they get to the big lake, she can’t lift it at all. In the end she makes cairns from her collection and brings just a few precious rocks back to the cabin.

As the story progressed from inception to copy-edited version, what were the major changes? How did those changes come about? When did you first begin work on it? When did you finish?

I’ve been trying to write a rock-hunting book for many years. The original story was called “A Perfect Rock for Lena,” which I started in 2007 while at Hamline. That manuscript went through lots of revision and I submitted it many times, and racked up the rejections. Eventually I decided it was flawed, and put it away. Years later a new story emerged, just chicken scratches in a notebook while on vacation. That one never even made it onto the computer. Then in 2012 I went car camping up north with my son (2 ½ at the time) and my partner and some friends. I combed the beaches for rocks, as I do, and Jasper wanted to do nothing but throw rocks in the water. One day while he was napping in the car, I sat in the driver’s seat with a notebook and wrote the draft of this NEW rock-hunting story. It wasn’t until much later that I realized it was a retelling of a story I’d tried to write twice before.  But now, it had a real problem for its character to solve, an element of tension that had been a glaring hole in the previous versions. The character was essentially the same, and obviously the setting was the same, and it was still about the love of rocks (and a kid connecting to the beauty of the natural world), but this time it had a plot! It went through a couple of revisions, mainly to the ending and to some of the language, but after years of simmering it came out pretty fully formed. Once I sent it to the editor (Shannon Pennefeather) it only needed very minor polishing. She was amazed that it was in as good of shape as it was—but she didn’t know about the three versions and the stack of rejections and the years and years in the drawer!

What research was involved before and while writing the book?

This was not a research-heavy book, but it came out of 20-some years of trips to the north shore, camping in the boundary waters, and rock hunting. Most of my writing is inspired by setting, and this book is no different in that way.

Loon Baby, your first book, was published in 2011. What have you learned about the business of writing since then?

Oh, wow. My career has grown and changed a lot since then. At that point I was just doing the writing, and a little teaching. Now I teach a lot, in person and online, and work one-on-one with critique clients. I host a monthly Picture Book Writer’s Salon. I put out a monthly e-newsletter. I try to keep my website relatively up to date. I blog a little. I do Facebook more than a little. I apply for grants and fellowships. I do events and read to kids and speak at conferences. I connect with the fantastic community of writers in Minnesota, and their support makes this work so much more satisfying and enjoyable. And although all that leaves less time for writing, it also makes for a richer work life. It’s all about balance, which is a daily struggle, but I’m gradually learning how to manage it.

Where do you do most of your writing?

I work in cafes, primarily. My son just started kindergarten, and thanks to the McKnight Fellowship I am able to afford a part-time nanny for my daughter (in our home), so I get to leave the house and “go to work” a few mornings a week. I love the ambient noise and the people watching. And the donuts.

Do you remember the first book you loved?

No, unfortunately. I have a terrible memory. But I grew up with Golden Books, especially the ones with Sesame Street characters, and I have some serious nostalgia for the feel of those little cardboard-and-paper books. Of course I prefer beautiful glossy hardcover picture books, but anything that makes stories accessible to kids is a good thing in my opinion. And I still love Super Grover!

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Molly Beth Griffin is a January 2009 graduate of the MFAC program. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For more about Molly and her writing, please visit her website.

 

Alumni Voices with Georgia Beaverson: Butt in Chair

One of the most frequent (and let’s face it, pompous) comments I received from acquaintances when my first novel came out was, “I’ve got a book in me.”

My reaction to this comment varied from puzzlement (Why would this person say that to me at my book launch?) to feeling affronted (Seriously?! You’re an engineer, not a writer.) to boredom (Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard this before.). It was an irritant in all the excitement of getting published. But ultimately, I realized that none of these would-be authors’ declarations meant anything.

Why? Because their books all remained inside them.

To be a writer, you must write. Not just in your head (although that certainly happens, at least to me), but on a page or screen. And doing that involves sitting down at regular intervals to faithfully relate the story given to you. As prolific author Jane Yolen has famously directed, that means “butt in chair.”

Writing, as students of the Hamline writing programs know, is work. It’s a skill that you must practice to improve. For many of us, that means writing on a daily basis.

Why daily? Because the more you practice, the more familiar you become with your tools: words. You learn how they best fit into phrases, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, complete novels. Occasional writing too often results in flaccid, lazy prose. Daily writing results in prose that is strong, fluid, and graceful. Instead of stuttering across a page, words become elegant and storytelling vivid.

That’s when the magic happens (and we all believe in magic, don’t we?). When you write daily, no matter how short a time, the story rises to meet you the next time you sit down, waiting for you and eager to be told. Even when you’re not physically writing, the story bubbles on the back burner of your mind, becoming a delicious stew of character, plot, and pacing. The story becomes a part of your conscious and subconscious mind, ready to pour onto the page (or screen).

Writing is work, yes. Writing is practice, of course. Writing is not something everyone does or even can do. If you are a writer, you’ve given your mind, your hope, your schedule over to telling your stories. You’ve set aside time to get to know your characters just as you set aside time for friends and family.

Do you have a book in you? Prove yourself a writer. Set aside time daily or weekly. Let your story rise to meet you. Let it become a deep part of you. And then, let your story flow onto the page and from there, into the world.

But first, butt in chair.

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Georgia Beaverson is a July 2012 graduate of the MFAC program. She lives in southern Wisconsin.

Publication Interview with Jamie A. Swenson: If You Were a Dog

FSG/Macmillan, Sept. 30, 2014
illustrated by Chris Raschka

Please describe the book.

From the flap: “With joyful, impressionistic illustrations for Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator Chris Raschka and spare, rhythmic text that invites playful interaction, If You Were a Dog is the perfect read-aloud for your favorite little animal.”

As the story progressed from inception to copy-edited version, what were the major changes?
When I first started writing this book – I was all over the board in terms of what the kids might imagine being. A dog? A cat? A cloud? A paintbrush? Eventually, I revised and settled on using only animals. The other main difference between the first drafts and the final version is the ending – which was non-existent for years. Originally, the book was just a bunch of seemingly non-connected, yet fun and poetic questions.

How did those changes come about?
I focused on using only animals after one of my critique group members (a nonfiction writer) mentioned that some of the scenarios were animate and some were inanimate objects and it bothered her! It hadn’t bothered me until that moment – but then I clearly saw how I was not focused in the manuscript. The ending came about after Phyllis Root suggested that an ending that tied everything together might be a good thing. The moment she suggested I do this, it became clear to me what was missing and I added the final piece of the puzzle!

As far as copy-edited version changes – the only change made from the original purchased text to the finished text was one sentence. The original sentence read, “But you are not a dog, or a cat, or a fish, or a bird, or a bug, or a frog, or a dinosaur or anything of the sort … you are a kid who can …” My editor took out the words “you are a kid who can” and suggested simply “… you can…” which is fine, it has the same meaning, but in truth, I still like my version better! hee hee hee …

The one thing I am surprised that didn’t change are all the hyphens. I used a lot of them because I love them so. I thought they would be the first thing to go. “If you were a dog, would you be a speedy-quick, lickety-sloppidy, scavange-the-garbage, frisbee-catching, hot-dog-stealing, pillow-hogging, best-friend-ever sort of dog?” See. Lots of hyphens. In this case, they are necessary modifiers. I will, however, concede that in most cases I overuse them. Sorry. I am working on that issue. My critique group had FITS over this manuscript and kept arguing whether I was using the hyphens correctly or not. Eventually, I decided to just let the future editor decide and kept the hyphens they way I wanted them.

When did you first begin work on it? When did you finish?
This book was one that initially flowed out of me in the course of a few days – but then took a few years to figure out why it wasn’t working. The book sold in Dec. 2009 – my first sale! And will be out in Sept. 2014. That was a long, yet worthwhile, wait.

What research was involved before and while writing the book?

I actually did do a lot of research when writing this book – I wanted to know what dogs, cats, fish, birds, bugs, frogs, and dinosaurs really did before playing with how I described each one. I find it helpful to read nonfiction articles about the animals I’m using in my picture books because I often stumble upon a word, a description, an action, or a sound that I might not have thought about if I was just relying on my own brain to think it up.

Boom! Boom! Boom! , your first book, was published in 2013. What have you learned about the business of writing since then?

That it doesn’t get any easier once one book, two books, or three books are in the world. Each book is its own challenge and the writer needs to focus on the work at hand – not the books that are already out. It’s easy to get distracted from the work-in-progress while trying to support the books that are out there – there needs to be a balance between creative writing time and marketing support time. Also, one writer can only do so much to support any book – the rest is up to the publisher and the world.

Where do you do most of your writing?

I write at my kitchen table and in my head as I walk my dogs.

Do you remember the first book you loved?

The first book I truly loved was Katie John by Mary Calhoun. It was an early chapter book; I bought it from the school book fair. I read that book about a hundred times when I was in second and third grade. I wish I still had a copy of it so I could read it again, but, alas, it was lost at some point as I grew into longer books such as Anne of Green Gables. (I just Googled Katie John and see that it’s available online – hooray for the internet!)

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Jamie A. Swenson is a July 2009 graduate of the Hamline MFAC program. She lives and writes in Janesville, Wisconsin. To learn more about Jamie and her writing, please visit her website.