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Writing and Speaking > Writing > The Secret of My Success: An Interview with Childrens Writer L.D. Harkrader
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Article rating : 0.00, 0 votes. Author : Suzanne Lieurance
Is there some secret for success as a children’s writer? Inquiring minds
(i.e., yours and mine) want to know, so I interviewed L.D. Harkrader
whose first middle grade novel, Airball: My Life in Briefs, was recently
released by Roaring Brook Press.
Harkrader doesn't seem to have any real secrets, but she does offer
some insights into the writing process and a look at what an author
needs to do to promote a book once it is published.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your writing background. What kinds of things
did you write along the way to publication of your new middle grade
novel, Airball: My Life in Briefs?
A: I've been writing seriously for thirteen or fourteen years. My first short
story, "Prunella Thigpin," was published in Guideposts for Kids in 1994.
Since then I've published over 200 short stories, poems, and articles in
magazines and anthologies, as well as eight nonfiction books and three
ghostwritten novels in the Animorphs series.
Q: How long did it take you to write Airball? What was the most difficult
part of the writing process for you?
A: I started Airball in 1998, and it was published in 2005, which adds up
to seven years. I'm a slow writer, it's true, but in my defense, I also wrote
seven nonfiction books and three Animorphs books during that time!
The most difficult part of writing the novel, besides all the stopping and
starting between other projects, was maintaining confidence that I could
actually finish it. First drafts are always the hardest part of any writing for
me. I second-guess every word, sentence, comma, keystroke I make,
which is something all the how-to-write experts tell you not to do, but
something I can't seem to avoid. On top of that, I knew that this story
walked a thin line between reality and fantasy, and I worried that I
wouldn't be able to make it enough of either to be believable.
Q: Many writers stress the importance of a regular, daily writing
schedule. Is that how you work? Why or why not?
A: Well, I certainly get more written when I maintain a regular, daily
writing schedule. Unfortunately, it's not always possible. I also have to
be the mom and chauffeur for my kids, as well as my son the sports
addict's main cheering section. I'm a substitute teacher one or two days
per week and also take on other writing and design projects
occasionally just to pay the bills, so my time is not always (and
sometimes not ever) my own. Plus there's that whole procrastination/
avoidance problem I battle constantly. But work on my fiction definitely
suffers when I don't write every day.
Q: What kinds of promotional activities has your publisher expected you
to do to promote Airball? Have you found it helpful or necessary to do
other promotional activities in addition to the ones the publisher sets
up?
A: Roaring Brook has been great at promoting Airball. Their publicist
has set up
local booksignings and radio and newspaper interviews for
me, which are things I probably wouldn't have been able to do (at least
not as successfully) without them. My publisher also sent out review
copies so that Airball has been reviewed in all the major children's book
review sources, of course, and they also sent reviewers and book
buyers a calendar that includes excerpts of all the books, including
mine, they're publishing this year.
On my own I've done a couple school visits and spoken at local writers'
conferences. I sent copies of Airball to local reviewers and to the director
of the Kansas Center for the Book, an organization affiliated with the
state library that promotes Kansas books and authors. I've talked to local
independent bookstores, such as The Raven in Lawrence, to let them
know about the local appeal of my book. Approaching bookstore owners
face-to-face took courage for this not-always-recovering shy person, but
turned out to be one of the most enjoyable things I've done.
When Airball came out, I overwhelmed myself for a few days trying to
think of all the ways I could or should promote it. I realized I could spend
an awful lot of money and time on promotion, and much of it could be
ineffective. I decided the smartest thing I could do for my career and for
Airball was to do local promotion that only made sense for me, rather
than my publisher, to do and concentrate on finishing the next book.
Q: You have an agent, but do you think it’s absolutely necessary for
today’s children’s writer to have an agent? Why or why not?
A: I think it's more important today for a children's writer to have an agent
than it was even ten years ago. It's still possible for children's writers to
be published without an agent, but more and more houses are closing
their doors to unagented manuscripts, and it's difficult for a writer to
figure out which editors are open to which kinds of stories. Plus, selling
the manuscript is only the first step. An agent then negotiates the
contract, retains and markets sub rights, and generally looks out for the
writer's interests.
Q: What advice do you have for beginning children’s writers who want to
publish a MG novel?
A: First of all, read MG novels. They've changed a lot since most writers
were middle graders themselves. Then start and keep going. The first
draft won't be perfect, no matter how much you try to make it that way, so
be completely open to changing what you've written for the better.
Q: Could you share your best writing tip?
A: My best writing tip is to remember that a story is a journey, one that
will change your main character forever.
Suzanne Lieurance is a children's author, freelance writer, and owner of
the Three Angels Gourmet Co. Visit her writing website at http://www.suzannelieurance.com or read her daily food tips at http://www.threeangelsgourmet.blogspot.com
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