by Sara Shacter Ah, social media. A mere fifteen minutes on Twitter whips my insecurity demon into action: “Someone who’s not you just signed a multi-book contract and won a prestigious award and hit the best seller’s list with a debut title!!" (Demon rolls eyes.) “Loser.” In our heads, we all know that people trumpet their successes, not their struggles, on the Internet. But still our hearts ache. Well, ache no more! I give you…(drum roll, please) The Social Media Antidote: my 2019 picture book Just So Willow. The story of this book spans millennia. Literally! (Screen goes dark. Light comes up on a much younger Sara…) Just So Willow began as The Just So Hippo, featuring Greta the hippo instead of Willow the polar bear. It was the tale of a type-A hippo, trying to play in clean, freshly fallen snow without “ruining” it. I brought an initial draft to my critique group, made revisions, and was gifted with a stuffed hippo, as inspiration: Several versions later, during a professional workshop, an editor expressed interest. Wow! Would this be my first contract? Uh, no. The editor’s Editorial Director sort of hated Greta. Oof. I regrouped and considered the feedback I’d received. Revisions followed: I honed my word choice, sharpened the opening, and changed the format. I started to submit (via SNAIL MAIL – eek!). In 1999 (note all the work I’d done before this date!) an editor sent me a lovely letter, asking for revisions. Woo hoo! I knew how rare it was to get an editorial letter – she must really love Greta, right? To address her comments, I gave Greta brothers and sisters, amped up the humor, and changed the ending. I turned it around in only a month. Big mistake. I was under the faulty impression that the editor was sitting by her mailbox, waiting for my brilliant revision. So I rushed. Another no. Cue years of revising and submitting. Greta gained parents, lost parents, then lost her siblings. Word count rose and fell. I made dummies to get a feel for page turns. Yet, the stack of revisions and rejections grew: Finally, in 2014 (yes, 2014!!), I received a critique from editor Brett Duquette at SCBWI-Illinois’ annual conference, inviting me to revise and resubmit. His comments echoed some I had heard before: the manuscript was too quiet; Greta needed to interact with other characters; the ending didn’t quite work. But this time, I received a brilliant nugget: the ending didn’t work because it didn’t match the beginning in tone. The opening was funnier and punchier. Epiphany! I battened down the hatches and dove in, deleting everything but the first four lines – the strongest lines of the manuscript. I did not rush. My next version – substantially different from all the rest – took over four months. I did two more revisions for Brett, during which Greta became Willow, and in 2016 (note: two years after the conference) Brett offered me a contract with Sterling.
Finally, finally, my story was a book. To summarize:
If you saw my Twitter feed, with news leading up to Willow’s launch, it might seem like she rolled out of my imagination, fully formed. Hardly. There’s a story behind every story. It’s likely full of struggle and failure and frustration. That’s the story that matters. It’s what makes us better writers and what makes our stories shine. You are not alone. Don’t let the Internet fool you. Be sure to follow Sara on Twitter and Facebook!
51 Comments
Kathleen Mazurowski
9/19/2019 08:51:47 am
Thank you and Congratulations! I did need to read this today! WOW
Reply
9/19/2019 09:47:26 am
Thank you, Sarah, for bravely and boldly speaking The Truth!
Reply
Hannah Stark
9/19/2019 09:47:46 am
This post is not only funny but also so real. Here’s to being your authentic self all of the time and shining truth. I can’t wait for Just So Willow to be in my classroom for all of the little Willows finding their way.
Reply
Barb Ostapina
10/26/2019 09:26:05 am
Sara, Sara, Sara, thank you for sharing this experience! What an inspiration, and not just for writing picture books.
Reply
9/19/2019 10:24:29 am
That hippo!! I wish they'd let you keep the hippo. ;) I'm so glad you're my Sterling sibling!
Reply
9/19/2019 11:07:10 am
So glad that you persevered, Sterling sister!
Reply
Kathleen Weber
9/19/2019 12:13:34 pm
Oh my! I’ve only got 18 more years before my little beast gets published. I don’t know whether to laugh (hysterically) or cry (hysterically). Hurray for you for being so tenacious! Thanks, Sara.
Reply
9/23/2019 05:40:22 pm
Don't despair! My journey is not everyone's. :) Besides, it's all about perspective. It took me a rather long time to get a stand-alone title at at NY publisher, but I published elsewhere before that -- magazines, educational publishers, etc. It's all about relishing each step as much as you can.
Reply
9/19/2019 04:37:12 pm
The path to publication can be a long lonesome road. Thank you for easing our loneliness!
Reply
Ellen Pridmore
9/19/2019 08:28:28 pm
Thanks for sharing, Sara. This came at the right moment.
Reply
Eileen Meyer
9/20/2019 06:17:42 am
Thank you, Sara! This STORY is the story of so many of us. And it is so important that you share. (I have the same reaction to social media - too much comparison, and as T Roosevelt said, "Comparison is the thief of joy.") Perseverance, passion, patience ... and our hard work pays off! Can't wait to get my copy of Willow!
Reply
Cathy Chester
9/20/2019 10:08:55 am
Thanks, Sara...there is always hope and another day. Words for writers to live by. I loved the picture of the overflowing folder, makes it real. Cathy
Reply
9/20/2019 10:54:59 am
Thank you, Sara, for your kindness in letting us in on the real story behind your book! I often feel like other writers are dancing past, while I'm stuck in the mud. Your experience shows that talent (whatever that is) is not as important as tenacity. "The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running."-[-author unknown
Reply
Bennett
9/20/2019 01:51:00 pm
Some much-needed inspiration, Sarah—thank you!
Reply
Sarah Tobias
9/28/2019 07:50:16 am
Thanks for sharing the long history of your story. I love that Greta unscrambles her spaghetti. I love that you took the story back to the bones and created what is now your new book, Just So Willow. I can't wait to read it. Congratulations on your publication.
Reply
10/26/2019 08:20:33 am
Thank you for your honesty. I'm buying your book for my newest grandchild. You give me hope that if I keep on working, listening and revising one my middle grade novels might be published... by the time he's 20 ! xo
Reply
9/11/2022 03:15:42 pm
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://kurma.website/
Reply
9/12/2022 12:12:52 am
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://odemebozdurma.com/
Reply
9/14/2022 03:54:07 pm
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://bit.ly/site-kurma
Reply
10/4/2022 05:32:08 pm
I think this post is useful for people. It has been very useful for me. Looking forward to the next one, thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/ardahan-escort/cildir-escort/
Reply
10/5/2022 09:29:12 am
It was a post that I found very successful. Good luck to you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/nevsehir-escort/avanos-escort/
Reply
10/5/2022 07:40:59 pm
I follow your posts closely. I can find it thanks to your reliable share. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/balikesir-escort/edremit-escort-balikesir-escort/
Reply
10/7/2022 06:25:49 pm
Thank you for your sharing. I must say that I am successful in your content. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/agri-escort/taslicay-escort/
Reply
10/8/2022 08:12:32 am
Thoughtful and real content is shared. Thank you for these shares. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/kars-escort/
Reply
11/22/2022 07:48:18 am
Sitemizi ziyaret et ve evden is imkanina bak: https://sites.google.com/view/evden-ek-is/
Reply
12/10/2022 08:42:36 am
Tiktok takipçi satışı burada: https://takipcialdim.com/tiktok-takipci-satin-al/
Reply
12/10/2022 08:48:01 am
instagram beğeni satın al: https://takipcialdim.com/instagram-begeni-satin-al/
Reply
12/16/2022 02:57:41 am
takipçi satın al ve sitemizi ziyaret et: https://takipcim.com.tr/
Reply
1/8/2023 10:17:26 pm
100 tl deneme bonusu veren siteleri öğrenmek istiyorsan tıkla.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Notable19sWe are a group of writers and illustrators who have debut books (actual debuts , debuts as author-illustrators, or debuts with medium/large publishers) forthcoming in 2019. Thank you for joining us on our exciting journey! Archives
April 2020
Categories |