7 Books in 21 Years: Lee's Tips on Creating and Revising

This week's tips are on Creating and Revising – things I wish I'd known back when I was starting out, and that I'm happy to pass along to you now.

1) What you bring is YOU. You are the special sauce.

It isn't having the best idea (ideas are important) but it's how you execute the idea that makes it work or not work.

Ultimately, the thing you're bringing to every project is the thing no one else has... YOU. 

So make your work as YOU as you possibly can. This is the secret to "voice." Tell your story in a way that is uniquely yours. That was the turning point with my own writing, and I wish I'd learned it sooner.

Cheers to Esther Hershenhorn, who asked me when giving me an incredibly kind critique of one of my first picture book manuscripts, which was about manners (with a burping frog and princess) if that was really what I was passionate to write. It wasn't. And I'm proud to now have three picture books (and counting) published about things I truly am passionate about.

Red and Green and Blue and White is about community.

Love of the Half-Eaten Peach is about love.

And 

Like THAT Eleanor is about allyship.

Those are all things I am really passionate about. 

And they're all uniquely "Lee" -- while each picture book is very different from the others, they all are stories told with my unique voice and take. Which is probably a big part of why they found publishing homes.

2) Collect the tips that work for you, and don't sweat the rest.

Everyone has a different take on how they approach doing their creative work. I've listened to so many different approaches, and over time I've figured out what works for me. 

Perhaps the best advice that's worked for me is from Linda Sue Park, who shared that when her own writing time got more limited, she started doing 12 min writing sprints. She sets her timer for 12 minutes on her phone, and then tells herself she just has to focus for 12 minutes. If it's going well, and she has the time, she'll do another 12 minutes. The most she'd done in a row was 5, meaning 60 minutes. 

This changed my creative life. I have a pretty demanding (and awesome) day job, and often I was holding off on writing until I had big blocks of 3 hours or more to really dig in. This meant, though, that I was only writing once every week or two. 

Doing the writing sprints, repeating it nearly every day, has made me SO much more productive. What I've found is that by doing a little bit, every day, it really adds up. Also, the project seems to always be in the back of my mind, with my subconscious working on it, and getting back into it is much faster.

The secret of this is that I don't have any internal resistance to 12 minutes. I can nearly always say, okay, I have twelve minutes to write. And I can sit and do it, even at the end of a long and challenging day. (Though I do much better work if I'm doing my 12 minutes before everything else.)

Also, I don't do this 365 days a year. My creativity needs time off, sort of like seasons. Sprout, grow, harvest, plant the seed and wait to sprout again...

It's what works for me. Figure out what works for you, and don't worry about the rest.

3) Know your category. Read books in the area you're working to publish in.

Credit another tip (or maybe it was a challenge) to Linda Sue Park. She said if you're going to write a picture book, you should read 1,000 picture books. That's a LOT, but when you are really well-read in your category, you start to understand it all much better.

You can see the structure behind the words, you can figure out which stories resonate, and why, you can see patterns.

And it helps you see how your own work might fit in, push the boundaries, be pitched and sold.

It's also really helpful when someone (agent or editor) asks for comps.

4) You can always learn more and get better.

I will never forget the moment at an SCBWI conference intensive when there were a whole bunch of famous authors teaching and giving us exercises, and after teaching her section, Jane Yolen comes and sits next to me to do the just-assigned-by-someone-else exercise, just like I was.

I looked at Jane and, knowing she had hundreds (no exaggeration) of books published, asked, "Why are you doing the exercise?"

And she said something along the lines of 'The minute I stop learning I'll be dead.' 

I can't recall the exercise we were doing, but I do hold onto this gem -- we can always learn more and get better at our craft.

5) The publishing business is cyclical.

"Picture books are dead!" ... "It's the golden age of picture books." ... "Picture books are impossible to sell right now."

"Middle grade is hot!" ... "You can't sell middle grade right now." ...

Just wait. It comes around. Work on what you're most passionate to work on. Let your agent sweat the merry-go-round of what's hot. 

Maybe a manuscript can't find a home now, but will find one in a few years.

Know that you're more than one story,.

And the business is cyclical.

6) Think of revision as Re-vision. 

This word play may come off a little corny, but don't get stuck in the words of your story. Allow yourself, in the process of revision, to pull back and see more than the sentences. Look at the story behind the words, the character arcs and motivations, the journey of the reader's emotions.

Kate Messner shared a very cool spreadsheet she uses to track elements chapter to chapter, and for longer work I've found that really helpful.

For picture books, sometimes it takes coming at the story from a whole new angle.

Play with it. 

Revision is your time to make your story even more you, even more the story you want to tell.

7) Enjoy the adventure. Celebrate every moment you can.

There are going to be hard moments on this publishing journey, and in the face of our very human negative bias (where we focus on the bad rather than the good) it is so important to celebrate the wins.

The kind/personalized rejection.

The revise-and-re-offer request.

The expression of interest.

The manuscript going to acquisitions.

The offer.

The signed contract.

The editorial letter.

The revised manuscript sent in.

... all the steps towards the book being a reality: the editing, the interior and cover design, the marketing, the kind reviews, the accolades your book does get, and then your book reaching adult readers, and librarians, and booksellers, and teachers, and parents, and kiddos themselves...

and every so often, hearing from a reader, with their thanks and appreciation.

Take a moment to hold onto and celebrate those positive moments.

A reader I don't know called Like THAT Eleanor:

"A Perfect Pride Picture Book" and "a fantastic age appropriate story about how a kid can be an ally."

That's a win right there, and worth celebrating!

I hope you'll take the time to celebrate your wins, too. Every one of them. They'll sustain you.

I keep a file of nice things folks have said to me about my writing, with a few printed out and posted on my wall. Just to remind me: I've had wins. I can do this.

And you can, too.

**

That's this week's tips. Next week, my seven tips on getting published.

Until then,

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Your Book In The Spotlight. Two Minutes. What Would You Say?

Awards season comes with acceptance speeches for the lucky winners. Hands shaking with adrenaline and excitement as they unfold the paper so the winner can remember everything they wanted to say in the two minutes they have in front of the microphone before the orchestra plays them off the stage...

Which of course, inspires the exercise: what would you say?

You've worked so hard on your book, it's finally out in the world, and it has this moment in the spotlight.

And while your cheering section is watching, so are people who have never heard of you or your book before. What's your strategy?

Would you read a giant list of names to thank?

Would you share an anecdote about why this book is important to you – and hopefully others?

Would you acknowledge the other finalists?

Read the dedication?

Thank the judges?

Aim to make folks laugh? Cry?

Would you try to do it all?

Or would you do something else entirely?

Two minutes goes pretty fast, and while none of us control whether we'll have this opportunity, I hope it's a fun exercise for you.

Want to see how eight of your fellow #KidLit creators handle their book's moment in the spotlight? The online SCBWI Golden Kite Awards are this Friday Feb 21, 2025 from 4pm-5:30pm Pacific. You can attend for FREE – register here.

On a personal note, this exercise is real for me this year, with my The Gender Binary is a Big Lie a finalist in the Nonfiction for Older Readers category. So I have to prepare something to say... And yeah, that inspired this exercise for you.

Hope you'll join me and so many others in our #KidLit community for the online ceremony!

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Are You a Poet? (A suggestion for Poetry Month: say "yes")

Do you use words in creating your content for kids and teens? (Many illustrators do, so this is not just for writers and translators...)

Do you select those words carefully?

Do you use space, like line breaks and negative space on the page?

Are you thoughtful about punctation?

Poets do. And are. 

April, which here in the US is National Poetry Month, is a celebration of poetry, and I have two suggestions: 

1) For the month of April, read a poem a day. They don't have to rhyme. They don't have to be for kids. Just enjoy the power of words.

2) For the month of April, write a poem a day. They don't have to rhyme. They don't have to be for kids. They don't have to be crafted with the intention of being published. Just enjoy the power of words—your words.

Allow yourself to play. Allow yourself to be poetic...

See if that practice helps you with the art you're creating. It's possible you'll find creating poems is worth it in and of itself. And then maybe you'll allow yourself to say, "yes, I'm a poet."

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

The Journey of our Words - What Would You Write to Send On a Spaceship?

Ada Limón, the U.S. Poet Laureate, wrote a poem that will travel on the NASA Europa Clipper spaceship that will take off in October 2024 from our Earth en route to the planet Jupiter's moon Europa.

The journey is 1.8 billion miles, and will take five and a half years.

You can read Ada's poem, In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa in English, and the Spanish translation, Elogio al misterio: un poema para la astronave Europa, at this NASA website. NASA's even invited people to add their names as signatories to the poem, that as they explain, will be "stenciled onto a microchip" that holds the poem.

Consider it a creative exercise: what words and/or images would YOU want to send on a spaceship making that journey?

Where will your imagination take you?

And where will your words ultimately go?

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee 

Laini Taylor Shares a Fun Writing Exercise

So over on Instagram, Laini Taylor @lainit, author of the bestselling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy among other YA titles, shared this really fun writing exercise. With Laini's permission, I'm sharing it here:

"This was the writing exercise we did this morning at my weekly Zoom meeting (optional; some people just work on their wip’s):

Choose 1 word off list A and 1 off List B and use the result as a title or prompt for a freewrite, poem, brainstorm, story, or whatever. I posted a numbered version of the list too, since we’ve sometimes found it better to let a dice roll choose for you (there’s a virtual 20-sided die site if you don’t have one). I got “riot whisper” and gave it a quick 15-minute freewrite effort, which was fun! There are some good combos in there if you want to play!” —Laini Taylor

Here's the close-up on those lists:

Hope it inspires you as well! Thanks, Laini!

Learn more about Laini and her books here.

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

If Your Words Were Painted In Letters 4 Feet Tall...

In a powerful new installation at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, acclaimed artist Barbara Kruger's text covers the floor and towering walls of the Marron Family Atrium. Some of the letters are HUGE, making you swivel your head to read the phrase, the sentence, the paragraph.

A photo I took of the Barbara Kruger installation

And it got me thinking... What would I write if each letter was going to be 4 feet high and put up on a wall? Would I choose each word with more care? Each phrase? Each paragraph?

I know I would. 

I touch a single key on my keyboard that's just a touch larger than my fingertip to say:

I

Would that "I" mean something different, something more, if it was in a font that rose from the floor up to my chest?

What would I write, if it was larger than a billboard, writ huge across a museum wall that towers 40 feet from the floor?

Would would you write? What would you draw? What would you translate?

It's inspiring, and a fun exercise to try out!

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Laura Shovan on Creating a Mock Cover to Focus on Your Writing Project

 Over on Instagram, Laura shared:

“A few years ago, I started doodling a book cover for each work in progress. There's one for The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, one for Takedown. I remember showing @saadiafaruqi my sketches for A Place at the Table.

These are nothing like the actual covers of my books, created by professional designers and illustrators. I'm amazed at how well a good book cover can capture the feel of a story.

These doodle covers are for fun. They're a way to focus on whatever it is I'm working on. Does anyone else create mock covers for their writing projects?”

I followed up to ask Laura if there was an example she could share of a doodle along with a completed professional book cover for one of her titles that was out in the world...

Laura shared both the cover and the spine(!) doodles for Takedown, side-by-side with the published book's cover and spine. The published book's cover illustration is by Kevin Whipple.

Laura commented, "so funny that both versions have the blue and red striping."

This seems like an excellent left-side/right-side of the brain exercise to focus on what a project is really about...

Thanks, Laura!

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee

Advice from Natalie Goldberg in "Writing Down The Bones" (part 2)

There's so much that's worthwhile in Natalie Goldberg's landmark melding of Zen and Writing, Writing Down The Bones: Freeing the Writer Within.

Today, I'm sharing another resonant moment, from the chapter, Make Statements and Answer Questions (pg. 93 of the 2005 print version):

In the early seventies there was a study done on women and language that affected me very deeply and also affected my writing. One of the things the study said was that women add on qualifiers to their statements. For instance, “The Vietnam war is awful, isn't it?” “I like this, don't you?” In their sentence structure women were always looking for reinforcement for their feelings and opinions. They didn't just make statements and stand behind them: “This is beautiful.” “This is terrible.” They needed encouragement from outside themselves. (By the way, what they found to be true for women they also mentioned was true for minorities.)

Another thing women did in their speech was to use a lot of words like perhaps, maybe, somehow. Indefinite modifiers. For instance, “Somehow it happened.” As though the force were beyond understanding and left the woman powerless. “Maybe I'll go.” Again, not a clear assertive statement like “Yes, I'll go.”

The world isn't always black and white. A person may not be sure if she can go some place, but it is important, especially for a beginning writer, to make clear, assertive statements. “This is good.” “It was a blue horse.” Not “Well, I know it sounds funny, but I think perhaps it was a blue horse.” Making statements is practice in trusting your own mind, in learning to stand up for your thoughts.

After I read the article, I went home and looked at a poem I had just written. I made myself take out all vague, indefinite words and phrases. It felt as though I were pulling towels off my body, and I was left standing naked after a shower, exposing who I really was and how I felt. It was scary the first time, but it felt good. It made the poem much better.

So important to hear, to consider, to look at our own words and consider if we're avoiding the truth of what we want to say. And then being brave enough to take the towels off, one indefinite modifier and qualifier at a time.

Thank you, Natalie!

Check out the whole book, in print or audio, and Natalie's website here.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Goals for 2019: Gratitude as Preparation

There's been a meme going around on social media, list five things you love about your current work-in-progress.

I think this is a great exercise to remind ourselves about the heart of our story, and to keep us on-track as we go through the process of conceptualizing, drafting, and revising!

To not ask you something I wouldn't do myself, I'll go first — oh, and remember, there's no right or wrong answer. This is for YOU, and you don't even need to share it (but, of course, you're welcome to share it here in comments or on social media if you'd like.)

Lee's List of 5 Things I Love About My Current Work-In-Progress

1. I love the multiple meanings of my working title
2. I love that it's an action-adventure with gay teen main characters
3. I love that there's a romance
4. I love that it references a genre I love
5. I love both of my main characters, and for different reasons.

It's a useful compass for the journey ahead.

So, as we look forward to our creative work in 2019, consider making a list of the five things you love most about your current work-in-progress.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Exercise Part Two: Advice on Writing a Synopsis of Your Novel

If you played along earlier this week, you have a plot outline. Now, you can take that and create a synopsis!

Synopses can be tricky, but this article by Glen C. Strathy on "How to Write a Synopsis of Your Novel*," based in part on Dramatica theory created by Melanie Anne Phillips and Chris Huntley, has some smart insights.

A highlight:

What makes a hockey game or a novel mesmerizing is not a step-by-step description of what happens, but the emotions that accompany the actions, the anticipation, fear, hope, excitement, and disappointment at each turn of events. The elation of victory at the end, or the agony of defeat. It is the emotional twists and turns that make a novel or a hockey game appealing. Just as a good sports writer can describe a game in terms that capture the emotions, the secret of how to write a synopsis is to incorporate the emotional twists and turns of your characters – especially your main character – at the same time as you describe your sequence of plot events.

and then Glen walks us through a seven-step process (24 index cards) that sounds like not just a great way to write a synopsis, but also a pretty powerful way to diagnose what might be amiss with a work-in-progress.

It's well-worth reading, fun to try, and might help you write a synopsis of your novel.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Exercise Part One: An Eight-Part Way To Outline Your Plot

This week, we have two exercises to challenge us and enjoy, posted by Glen C. Strathy on "How to Write a Book Now."

Today, we dive into "How To Create A Plot Outline In 8 Easy Steps*," based on the Dramatica theory of story created by Melanie Anne Phillips and Chris Huntley.

With the challenge (and assurance) that the whole plot outline can be completed in less than an hour, Glen lays out eight basic plot elements.

The first one is choosing a Story Goal, and then Glen takes it somewhere interesting:

After we have chosen a Story Goal, we will build a world around our protagonist that includes many perspectives on the problem and makes the goal important to everyone in that world.

The second plot element is Consequence.

Once you have decided on a Story Goal, your next step is to ask yourself, “What disaster will happen if the goal is not achieved? What is my protagonist afraid will happen if he/she doesn't achieve the goal or solve the problem?”

The answer to these questions is the Consequence of the story. The Consequence is the negative situation or event that will result if the Goal is not achieved. Avoiding the Consequence justifies the effort required in pursuing the Story Goal, both to the characters in your novel and the reader, and that makes it an important part of your plot outline.

The combination of goal and consequence creates the main dramatic tension in your plot. It's a carrot and stick approach that makes the plot meaningful.

Check out the next six plot elements and the full article/exercise here.

No matter where you are in your work-in-progress, this may be worth trying out.

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Which 2017 books got YOU to read them as soon as they were published?

This idea came from a comment left by blog reader awesomeMT...

Look at the books you've read in 2017. How many were published in 2017?

Consider which books got you to read them as soon as they were published (or at least in the same year they were published.) Why?

Can you make a list of those qualities?

We all have huge to-be-read piles... how does a book make it to the top of your pile? (Confession: I've bought books that have waited a very long time (I'm talking years) to be read, and I still haven't done it... But I haven't put a lot of thought into why other books jump the waiting list because I'm more excited to read them.

Word of mouth? Super-cool concept? Cover feels compelling? Opening lines grabbed you? Cover blurb from an author you love? A review that made you take notice? Something else?

Once you know how a book gets YOU to prioritize reading it, the question becomes: How can you reverse-engineer those qualities to be something your book has when it is published?

That wish-list of qualities? That's a marketing check-list for you...

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

What's Your Favorite Book(s) of 2017? A twist on the question...

It's that time of the year for all the best-of lists, which always brings up the comment, "Well, choosing favorites is very subjective."

YES! And that's a great thing.

Here's a challenge. Put together your own personal "Best of 2017" book list, but make it for books in your category/genre.

Illustrate graphic novels? What's your best recommendations for other people's graphic novels from the past year?

Write and illustrate picture books? What are your top three picture books by writer/illustrators?

Write funny middle grade? What are your top three middle grade comedies?

Write YA contemporary? What's your short list of favorites?

You get the picture... As we create, we also need to know what's going on in the marketplace - what books do we imagine on either side of our own book on the shelf of our ideal reader?

Knowing this helps us:
• talk about our own book,
• better engineer our marketing efforts by studying how these other books we love in the same category as our own are promoted,
• see how we might join in the conversation about these books wherever those conversations are happening. Because their audiences are our audiences, too.

And that's a great thing to know.

So, what are YOUR favorite books of 2017, in the same category/genre where you create content?

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Thanksgiving Craft Exercise

If Santa Claus is in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, what's your character up to? (Photo by By tweber (Santa Claus arrives.) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Okay, it's not building a turkey out of construction paper and feathers (not that there's anything wrong with that!) but consider taking a few minutes over this holiday weekend, and imagine what your character in your current work-in-progress would be doing on Thanksgiving. Who are they spending it with? What are they dreading? What are they excited about?

Are they going to a sports game? To a protest? Will they eat turkey? Are they going to get the wishbone? What's their wish?

Whether you're an illustrator or an author (or both) this can be a fun way to better understand your main character, and get those creative juices flowing on a day that doesn't always allow for lots of sit-down-and-be-creative time.

So when you're passing the mashed potatoes, or watching your kids squirm under Aunt so-and-so's kisses, invite your character to join you... and see how your creativity is yet another thing to be grateful for!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Character Development Through Music - An Excellent Exercise By Alison Green Myers At The Highlights Blog

I thought this exercise was great in how it took the idea of music and your character beyond the simple, 'what's your character's playlist?'

The idea of identifying the song that your character can't stand,

the song that breaks your character's heart,

the prompt a simple lyric can be to reveal your character through their emotion,

and music as a way to reveal how your character interacts with the world around them...

With some nice examples from Julie Murphy’s Dumplin, Meg Medina’s Burn Baby Burn, and Pam Muñoz Ryan’s Echo. Great stuff!

You can read the whole piece here.

Thanks, Alison and Highlights!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee

Publishers Weekly "Books I Love" Series... and an Exercise!

Publishers Weekly has started a column where authors like Libba Bray share the books that have been important for them... and why.

Books I Love: Libba Bray is, like Libba herself and her books, searingly honest and funny (or is it searingly funny and honest?) It's her takes on ten books that made her laugh, made her wistful, made her love gothic, and made her "understand the power of story to witness, to fight back, to unite, to heal, and to transform."

It's an exercise well worth doing:  What are the ten books that have shaped YOU as a writer?  As an illustrator? 

PW describes the series as: "Books I Love is a series where writers talk about the books that inspired them, the books they keep coming back to, and the books they'll always remember."  

Write out the list of your favorites (and why) and see what you learn about yourself as an artist.  Then let us know here in comments how it went.  Did you learn anything?  See a pattern you hadn't considered before?  Is there something your favorite books share that you could add to a work-in-progress?  Let us know!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee