Writing – Page 3 – Meg Griswold

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Musings on drafting, editing, querying, submitting, and publishing in general.

New picture book

A few weeks ago, on a Monday at the breakfast table, my three-year-old, Calvin, requested the “Hey, diddle, diddle” nursery rhyme. I obliged, but I was distracted and accidentally skipped over the cow who jumped over the moon. Calvin immediately protested, and an idea popped into my head. What if the cow had some opinions about how the rhyme was written?

Immediately I thought about Bottom in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Bottom, despite being the lead, thinks he should play all the parts. He takes it upon himself to coach his fellow actors i and demands a series of prologues be written. He’s quite an atrocious actor who thinks he is hot stuff.

Thus, an idea was born. My husband and I teach at the same school, so that morning while it was his turn to drive, I feverishly scribbled my first draft onto a pad of paper.

Then the strep throat hit, and I was completely incapacitated. I spent three feverish days on the couch or trying to teach and having to leave school early. The fever made me feel like I was having an out of body experience. On Friday morning, I got antibiotics and by the evening my brain function was returning. I took out my paper draft and typed it up.

I took it to my picture book critique group on Saturday morning. The feedback was strong, and I decided to move forward with it. I went home and revised my draft during nap time. I worked on my query letter for the next few days and then I sent it out to 10 agents.

This was only my second round of querying, but it felt smoother and less daunting than the first time. I am now less scared of the process. Wendelin Van Draanen, (who wrote The Running Dream, our all-school read) came and spoke at an assembly a few weeks ago. She said that every time she sent out a manuscript, it was like putting hope in the mail. I took what she said to heart, and thought of it as hope in the (e)mail.

I also felt happy that I was able to take another piece of advice: as soon as you send out one project, start on the next. After I wrote my first picture book manuscript, I didn’t really have any other ideas, or none that were feeling fully formed in my head. But, by staying open and paying attention, I was able to start the next project.

Now that I have send out my second picture book manuscript, I am going to turn my attention back to my women’s fiction novel. I think that maybe at the end of this draft, I’ll be ready to start querying. I’m looking forward to that. More than just querying, I’ve got an idea for a middle grade novel that I’d love to get started on. I’m looking forward to freeing myself up for another project!

Teaching, Writing

Thesis and outline workshop

Both my 10th grade classes and my 9th grade classes are working on thesis statements and outlines for their upcoming essays–on The Secret Life of Bees for 9th graders, and Life of Pi for 10th graders.

The first stage in the process is a Graffiti Wall. I have them tape their exploratory paragraphs and quotes onto a large sheet of paper. Silently, students rotate to the other papers and leave feedback.

Then, they work on writing a few thesis statement attempts for 10 minutes. They pick their favorite and write it on the white boards, without a name. They then pair up and rotate through the statements leaving feedback.

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The feedback is valuable, but giving feedback and evaluating the work of others is equally valuable. It reminds them there are many different topics and arguments and they aren’t chasing the one, perfect topic.

I also want to make writing less lonely and emphasize the power and potential of collaboration in the writing process. I am a member of a few writing groups, and they are essential to development and growth.

Writing

Querying picture book agents and rejection

This summer, I pulled out a draft of a children’s book I had written in 2006, while I was getting my master’s degree in Educational Theatre from NYU.

This summer, I worked on the children’s book when I needed a break from revising my novel. I sent the picture book manuscript to friends and colleagues for feedback. One suggested I look into the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. I joined and signed up for the regional fall conference just outside of Nashville.

Once I joined SCBWI, I had access to a massive manual on publication, agents, and the market. There is an entire section on agents that represent children’s books and what they are looking for. I read through it in the semi darkness while rocking Matilda to sleep one night. I circled a bunch of agents I thought would be a good match. I spent a few days composing a query letter, and sent my manuscript to 6 agents.

As of mid-September I’ve received three rejections. My top choice agent, the one I really feel would be the best fit, has yet to respond, which means there is still a chance. (Although silence is usually a no.)

These are clearly form letters, but they are very kind.

I will say that I feel good about each of those rejections. It was confirmation that my work was received, and more importantly, that I am joining the ranks of Real Writers. Real Writers send out their work. Real Writers get rejected. It is a badge of honor and a sign that progress is happening. This feels very different to me than the years that manuscript sat as a file on my hard drive. This feels better, even if it is rejection.

After joining SCBWI, I have started to learn more about publishing picture books. You do not need an agent, and many smaller publishers will accept unsolicited manuscripts. The SCBWI manual also lists those, and I circled the ones that would be a good fit for my project. I opted to go the agent route more as an experiment. The larger publishers (Scholastic, Harper Collins, Random, etc.) do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. The agent route can get you access to more publishers, but then the agent collects a portion of any sales. Submitting directly to publishers can present its own challenges. How do you stand out among the other unsolicited manuscripts? Some writers argue that agents are unnecessary. Because I am also working on a novel, for which an agent is most definitely required, I thought I would take this opportunity to gain a new experience. If I hear silence or receive rejections from all six agents, I will submit directly to publishers who accept unsolicited manuscripts.

The SCBWI mid-south conference was last weekend, so please keep your eyes out for a post about the pile of things I learned and the changes I am making to my manuscript!