How a Writer Works

Daily Life
A Writers’ Group
Inspiration
What’s It Like To Be An Author?
Books that Massage a Writer’s Heart
Do You Want to Write?

Every writer has his or her own schedule and habits. I guess you could say we are all as different as our fingerprints. Some writers sit at their computers faithfully for 8-10 hours most days. Others work a few hours a week. Some writers work in waves – intensely for a few weeks, then a break of a month or two.

For me, I’m always trying to balance my writing and speaking life. I try to reserve 2-3 weeks each month as uninterrupted writing time, and yet it never seems to be enough.

My ideal writing day is waking up at 6:30 am and taking a cup of tea up to my office. At first I respond to emails, answer written correspondence, and reread what I’ve written the day before. Before long, my mind is whirring and I put a few words to paper.

Convinced that I will have a productive day, I dress and have a light breakfast. Returning to my office, I give myself a goal – perhaps polishing a picture book manuscript, or getting 3-5 pages of a first draft written. I work steadily for another 2-3 hours before I need to stretch. If it’s warm outside, I may prune bushes for a while, mow a section of grass, or plant flowers. I may hop on my bike and ride into our small town to run a few errands.

Refreshed, I can come back and work another hour or two before I fix myself a grand lunch. One of my favorites is an avocado, bacon, and tomato sandwich on toast. Yummmm! After lunch and a read-today’s-mail break, I return to the computer for another 3-4 hours of writing, depending on my personal schedule. If I’m lucky, I may have another 1-2 hours of writing time in the evening.

How many ideal writing days are there in a year? Not enough! Writers, like everyone else, have other obligations and appointments. But we’ve learned how to squeeze minutes of writing into our schedule waiting at the dentist’s office or cooking a casserole. We plan what we want to write while bathing, driving, or taking a walk. The writing is always with us, like a good friend. It talks to us in our sleep and wakes us with a nudge in the morning.

Writing can be an isolated craft. So, for me, it is especially rewarding to know and interact with others who write children’s books. For the past two years, I’ve been
meeting with Kathi Appelt, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Kimberly Willis Holt and Jeanette Ingold. We take a week away from our daily lives to come together to write, eat, discuss our writing, eat, critique our pieces, eat, relax, and write. The eating component is quite important as you can see. At the end of the week we are renewed in spirit and dedication to our craft.

We read each other’s current work, celebrating strengths and offering suggestions for improvement. We also share industry news and updates, as well as discuss current literature. With each meeting, we grow as colleagues, professionals and friends.

Inspiration – it comes to writers at all times. But it appears most often while we work. Like a runner who hits his stride and experiences that sensation of a second wind, an author can reach a point where the writing is no longer tedious, but flows effortlessly. His mind and fingers surprise him with great lines or entire scenes These words were with him all along, but he hadn’t identified them yet. And, then, voila’ – there they are!

But not all inspiration comes during work. For me, the initial inspiration for some of my books came during rest or play.

Of all my picture books, the inspiration for this one came complete and quickly. During a lunch break from teaching, I was planning ahead for a visit to my nephew’s second grade classroom. Even though I had many tried and true presentations for this age group, I wanted something new – something where children could participate by creating art. Out of nowhere came this line – This is the sunflower, tall and bright, that stands in my garden day and night. I turned my chair from my desk to the computer and typed as fast as my fingers could go. The entire cumulative story wrote itself in fifteen minutes.
The class enjoyed the story and created art for a large sack book. We had so much fun with it that I couldn’t let go of the story. Months later my critique group made suggestions for two word changes. I agreed, made the revisions, and mailed it out. Greenwillow Books fell in love with the story and Donald Crews graciously agreed to illustrate it. A gift from beginning to end!

Inspiration came in a real-life experience for this book. Years ago, the entire Schaefer clan rented beach houses in North Carolina. One night, while out crabbing, my sons, their cousins, and I witnessed a large loggerhead turtle coming out of the sea, digging her clutch and laying more than 100 eggs. Right away I wanted to write a book so that young children who may never have an opportunity to see this event firsthand could read about it. Two years later, Turtle Nest was published by Richard C. Owen as a book for early readers.

One day, I was walking out behind my garden when I inadvertently stepped on the top of a mole tunnel. Immediately the language, What’s up if you’re a mole? came to me. While standing in my yard I kept thinking up, up, up until I was at the moon. I decided that the words and visuals would make a good book for children. I typed it and let it set. Days later, I typed another manuscript coming down from the moon. I submitted two separate manuscripts to Greenwillow Books. The staff thought that combining the two ideas into one book would be dynamic. They were right!

Inspiration arrived this time in my garden. I was picking a red pepper and noticed how many white flowers were still on the plant. I thought back to my 4th grade students who were always amazed to learn that fruits and vegetables began with a blossom. As I twisted the pepper from the plant, I heard the line Where Once A Flower Bloomed. Months later, I had a complete manuscript that told the story of pollination and fertilization for peas, raspberries, peanuts, corn, a peach, and a pumpkin.

In 1998, my fourth and fifth grade students and I followed the weekly news articles about a red-tailed hawk that had been struck by an arrow in southern Michigan. The bird’s courageous struggle to survive captured our attention as well as the rural community’s efforts to locate and rescue the injured bird. Since my students considered this a riveting story, I thought that other children would like to know about Arrowhawk’s journey. With firsthand information from Janie Fink, the raptor rehabilitator who helped Arrowhawk regain his strength, I wrote his account. Audience response has shown me that some of the best stories can come from everyday events.

Children and adults often ask, "What’s it like to be an author?" Most weeks it’s a roller coaster ride – complete with ups, downs, and sharp curves.

Working hand-in-hand with a respectful editor is one of the greatest rewards of this job. Besides receiving encouragement and guidance, I improve in my craft, while watching my manuscript evolve into a book.

Struggling with a story line or a series of scenes can be agonizing. Sometimes I can see the pictures in my head, but I can’t find the words to paint those pictures. ARGHH!

Sharing one of my books with children and hearing their responses is the best! Or seeing a child walk out of a library with my book under his arm – heaven!

WAITING! Waiting to hear if a publisher is as thrilled with my work as I am,
waiting to see those first samples of art that will complement and enhance my words,
waiting for 2-4 years to see one of my books published. For an impatient person, this is NOT FUN!

But having the ability and opportunity to express what’s important to me and provide entertainment for thousands of children – that’s wonderful. I’m so honored that children, parents, and teachers read my books again and again. It’s a gift that makes me want to work harder at my craft.

Writers love books! I know that my husband can’t build the bookshelves fast enough. And, of course, there are a few books that we read and reread to build confidence, gain insight, stay true to our course, and become better writers. Here’s a short list of some of my favorites. If you’re a writer, or contemplating writing, you might enjoy a few of these, too.

Dillard, Annie. The Writing Life. New York: HarperPerennial, 1990.

Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York: Doubleday, 1994.

LeGuin, Ursula K. Steering The Craft. Portland, Oregon: The Eighth Mountain Press, 1998.

Murray, Donald M. Shoptalk: Learning to Write with Writers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1990.

Oates, Joyce Carol. The Faith of a Writer: Life, Craft, Art. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003.

Paterson, Katherine. Gates of Excellence: On Reading and Writing Books for Children. New York: Lodestar Books, 1988.

Paterson, Katherine. The Invisible Child: On Reading and Writing Books for Children. New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 2001.

Ueland, Brenda. If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit. Saint Paul: Graywolf Press, 1987.

Wolitzer, Hilma. The Company of Writers. New York: Penguin Books, 2001.

Yolen, Jane. Take Joy: a book for writers. Waukesha, WI: The Writer Books, 2003.

Dictionaries – I have seven in my office behind my computer. I own the basic Webster’s and American Heritage, but I also have international dictionaries, illustrated dictionaries, science dictionaries, rhyming dictionaries, and more. Unfortunately, one word leads to another, and I often get lost in their pages. But I can’t imagine a day without studying words – after all, they are the tools of the craft.

Do it. No more excuses. Carve out a few minutes each day with no interruptions. Treat your writing like a paying job. Be on time, organize, stay on task, and write a few words. A few words will grow into many words, and many words will become a story, a chapter, or a book. But it all starts with the first word. You will never have more time, or a better day – start today! Good luck!

People who are serious about writing or illustrating books for children usually join SCBWI - the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. This organization offers a wealth of knowledge and guidance to writers who plan to navigate the children’s publishing industry. Visit the SCBWI web page www.scbwi.org and learn about the membership benefits of this professional group.

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