Oh dear…I am so sad! Today is my last post here as a guest
blogger for the Official SCBWI Blog. A huge thank you to Lee Wind who gave me
this opportunity…and to his team who faithfully runs the blog and ensures that
articles of interest circulate every week!
During Ask-Me-Anything Zoom chats and at writer conferences,
I hear a lot of questions regarding process: Do I write every day? Do I reserve
a set amount of time to devote to writing? Do I have a magic formula that
guarantees my manuscripts will be acquired? The answer to all of those questions is…no, I
don’t. But what I do is to follow my five P’s!
Remember I mentioned that becoming a published picture book
author or illustrator was just like making a pizza? Here are the 5 P’s – 5 things
I did (and still do) on my path to publication because just like when you make
a pizza, there are ingredients you need to use and steps you need to take…and
pursuing a career as an author or as an illustrator requires ingredients and
steps, too.
PASSION: I think that a hearty dose of passion is needed…because
the publishing industry is a tough one, with a lot of hard work and often, a
lot of rejection with very little reward even when you get a yes. This is a
career like teaching, you don’t go into it for the money…you follow it because
you have a calling, a mission, a story to share that you hope will inspire and
inform young readers. And you need to be passionate about each project because
you will be revising it over and over and over again – and if you don’t have a
higher purpose, it’s easy to get discouraged.
PRACTICE: I remind kids that if they want to become a great
soccer player, they need to kick the ball around a lot. If they want to give a
great performance at a dance recital, they need to do the steps many times. For
writers, the first rough draft is only the beginning – and it takes many
revisions to achieve a manuscript that is the best it can be. Writers need to
be writing…illustrators need to be illustrating. As the tagline for the
#50PreciousWords contest says: Magic Happens When You Make Every Word Count.
Each word in your story and each line in your illustration must fight for the
right to remain and prove they deserve to be there.
PREPARATION: Just like taking a class in pottery to learn
how to work with clay, writers can take classes that can show them how to work
with words and help them craft stories
in the genre they choose. They can attend webinars and conferences to listen to
industry professionals. And they can join critique groups where they will get
feedback on their manuscripts, as well as support and encouragement.
PATIENCE: This is one of the most important ingredients because,
for the most part, the publishing industry moves slowly. It takes time to research
your story, even if it is fiction. And write it. And revise it. And receive feedback.
And revise it again. And, when it is finally submission-ready, it takes time to
query agents and editors…and even more time to hear back from them. And then,
if your manuscript is acquired, it takes time for the manuscript to become a
book – and picture books usually take the longest time because of all of the
illustrations. And revisions with the editor take time – plus, especially if it
is nonfiction, fact-checkers to make sure everything you’ve said can be
verified. And then time for printing – and shipping! I’ve learned to keep busy
at each step of this process – and that outlook worked really well when I had
to write the nonfiction picture book stories for the book in the photo, FROM
HERE TO THERE: Inventions That Changed the Way the World Moves, illustrated by
Gilbert Ford and published in 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. We signed the
contract in the summer of 2017, and the deadline for all nine manuscripts was
only nine months away. As I researched one story, I’d be writing the rough
draft of another, sending a third to critique buddies, and working on editor
revision suggestions on a fourth. It probably sounds like an assembly line, but
the process unfolded smoothly – and the stories are engaging and inspiring. It’s
actually a wonderful book to use as a mentor text if you are writing nonfiction
picture book biographies.
PERSEVERENCE: It’s true that the previous four P’s are
important…but without this one, even if you have the other four, you might not
succeed. Why? Because if you give up on your stories, no matter how good they
are, they won’t be acquired. It’s definitely frustrating to receive rejection
after rejection…but truly, it only takes ONE YES! No matter how beautifully
your manuscript sings, no one will hear the symphony if you don’t keep sending
it out.
Einstein said, “Genius is 1% talent and 99% hard work.”
Dear friends, let’s do the hard work…incorporating the 5 P’s…and
I can’t wait to read the wonderful books that will come out of that!
Writer for
children—reader forever…that’s Vivian Kirkfield in five words. Her bucket list
contains many more words – but she’s checked off skydiving, parasailing, and
going around the world in less than 80 days. A former educator, Vivian inspires
budding writers during classroom visits and shares insights with aspiring
authors at conferences and on her blog where she hosts #50PreciousWords and
#50PreciousWordsforKids. Her nonfiction narratives,
including SWEET DREAMS, SARAH, illustrated by Chris Ewald (Creston Books),
MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and
Marilyn Monroe, illustrated by Alleanna Harris (Little Bee Books) and her
latest from Calkins Creek/Astra Books for Young Readers, PEDAL BALANCE, STEER:
Annie Londonderry, the First Woman to Cycle Around the World, illustrated by
Alison Jay and ONE GIRL’S VOICE: How Lucy Stone Helped Change the Law of the
Land, illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon, bring history alive for young readers and
have received the Silver Eureka, Social Studies Notable Trade Book, Best STEM
Book K-12, Bank Street College of Education Best Book, and Junior Library Guild Selection.
You can
connect with her and find out more about her books, contests, and school visits
on her website: www.viviankirkfield.com
