A month ago or so, Janie tagged me for the writing process
blog hop. Thank you, Janie and the Groggers, for inviting me to share the Grog
blog!
Depending on the day, if you ask me what I’m working on you
could get the following answers: a picture book, fracking, an article about a
town meeting, haiku, mud pies, a book review. Or maybe I’m researching the best
way to do in the Bad Woodchuck who keeps eating my kale. And broccoli. And
beans and lettuce and chard….
I am an accidental journalist who would love to ditch my
press pass and write more for kids. I have picture book ideas scribbled in
composition notebooks, on index cards and cash-register receipts tacked to the
wall above my (very) messy desk. But every time I’ve tried to quit reporting
the community news, a “must-write” story comes my way.
My passion is science. I’ve written a smattering of articles
for Ranger Rick, Boys’ Quest, Highlights,
and just turned in something to Odyssey.
I write about science for a parenting newspaper called Ithaca Child, where my focus is on sharing hands-on stuff kids can
do to learn about physics, chemistry, math, architecture, engineering, biology
and insects. I write a lot about insects.
A couple years ago I started a blog for kids and parents
called Archimedes Notebook (yes, I know there should be an apostrophe there,
but it fell off when I was cutting and pasting….).
Because science is about doing
and exploring, I try to make that central to what I write. Even when I post
book reviews I’ll often include an activity to encourage kids – and their
parents – to get up off the chair and go try something.
I write because I love to learn new stuff. Like, if you tape
washers on a Frisbee, how will it change its flight? And will pulverized garlic
scapes mixed with tabasco sauce and steeped for a few days really keep the
woodchuck out of the garden? Writing is my path to discovery; it’s how I map my
world.
So how do I do this writing? Process-wise? I generally pull
on my pink rain boots and head out into the field with a net. I sweep it back
and forth, collecting ideas like butterflies. Then I entice them into a crystal
goblet filled with chardonnay and chocolate. When they’re pleasantly
inebriated, I gently turn them belly down on a piece of Styrofoam, spread their
wings, take a pin and aim straight for
the heart.
What that looks like in practice is this: scribble idea in a
notebook. Decide it’s a cool idea. Create two files: one the manila kind that
goes on my “working” shelf and one a digital file. Begin research. Read.
Interview scientists, kids involved in cool science. Do experiments. Make
messes. Eat chocolate. Drink chardonnay. Write an outline – usually bare bones.
If it’s a picture book I sometimes start writing and then storyboard it as an
outline. Crumple up pages & toss them into the recycling bin. Then find a
thousand ways to NOT write: shovel the walk, clean the toilet, count bees….. eventually
I sit down and resume writing. Sometimes the words come. If not I go back to
step 3: eat chocolate… and repeat. I should probably patent this process before
someone else does.
The answers to other oft-asked questions are Yes1,
Yes2, and No3.
Footnotes:
1. Do you write with
a pencil?
2. Do you type out
your stories on a computer?
3. Are you rich?
It’s my turn to tag, so let me introduce you to one of the
fantastic writers in my critique group, the Narrative Ark:
Johanna van der Sterre is a children’s picture book and
magazine illustrator. Even as a young
person, she loved to draw, paint, and look at art. As she grew older, she met a number of
professional artists (painters, potters, costumers, designers, and
illustrators) who inspired and encouraged her.
Johanna took visual art classes in college. Telling stories with
pictures became her focus, so she went on to get her M.F.A in
illustration. Johanna finds ample
challenge and joy illustrating the writing of others, but she feels she has
some stories of her own to tell. She
has recently been crafting and submitting picture book manuscripts. Click here for Johanna's website.
