Making Space for Growth and Inspiration

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on May 5th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

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"The book will tell you what to do, if you make space for it." 

That's one of the things Christopher Denise, author/illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Knight Owl (and illustrator of many other acclaimed children's books) shared during his keynote speech at the New England Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators conference last weekend—and it stuck with me. 

Christopher talked a lot about making space: for creativity, for productivity, for growth. He talked about being open: to sparks of inspiration, to projects that seem challenging, to new directions. The theme of the conference was "STRETCH," and many of the workshops were about pushing past boundaries and comfort zones, but Christopher also interpreted the theme as being able to step back—and being willing to go deep. 

Being at the conference was shoving me out of my comfort zone.

I was definitely stretching. 

The "stretch" wasn't the conference itself; I'd attended before, in 2014. I was pre-published. The Distance Between Lost and Found had sold to HarperCollins, and I'd completed my edits, but I was still 10 months away from the release date. I was there with my friend Janae Marks—and it was at this conference that I first met my eventual coauthor, MarcyKate Connolly, face to face!

Pardon the extremely fuzzy 2014 photo. ;) 

So, the conference environment itself felt familiar. But this was my first time being on faculty at any sort of professional conference, leading workshops for my peers. I felt confident in my knowledge of the workshop topics: planning and booking school visits (with Janae) and co-authoring a book (with MarcyKate). I didn't feel confident that anyone there would be interested in what I, a decidedly non-famous, solidly midlist author, had to say. 

My workshops were both scheduled for Sunday, and so on Saturday, I listened to Christopher's inspiring keynote speech, then popped back up to my hotel room to do a couple hours of work on the book revision that was due on Monday. After lunch, I sat in on MarcyKate's first workshop, about creating magic systems for fantasy novels. Then, I went to a workshop for published authors, led by a bookstore employee and a school librarian, with tips for connecting with independent bookstores and libraries. 

In the magic workshop, I came up with an inkling of a new idea—something that might just dovetail perfectly with another topic I've wanted to write about for years, but couldn't figure out how to tackle. In the bookstore/library workshop, I took pages and pages of notes on tactics I may implement to more effectively spread the word about my books.  

That evening, I thought about those two sessions as I went over my notes for my own workshops the next day. And when it was finally time for me to be standing at the front of the room, slideshow cued up, I felt ready. (Or at least, as ready as I could ever be...) 

The workshop on school visits was first, and it was a full house! Standing room only! The room was about 50/50 authors who'd done school visits before and those who hadn't, but wanted to dive in. Janae and I tried to be thorough and honest, particularly about the sometimes thorny topic of setting your fees. We took questions—and suggestions, when someone in the audience had a slightly different point of view based on their own experience. The thing about school visits is, every school is different. Every single one! Different budgets. Different culture. Different atmosphere. Different priorities. While there are definitely some tried-and-true tips for making school visits a part of your author platform, there are other elements that you have to figure out on the fly—every time. 

I finished that workshop feeling absolutely exhilarated. We'd made our points, we'd stayed open to audience participation and conversation, and we seemed to have genuinely helped especially the newbie authors start to think about how they could incorporate school visits into their offerings. 

But I still had one workshop to go!

After lunch, MarcyKate and I were set to talk about the co-authoring process. This workshop also went well—but it was very different. The audience was small, so we decided to go for a more casual vibe. We followed our presentation outline, but also went off on a few tangents based on what people were interested in hearing about co-authoring and about our upcoming book. It felt more like a chat amongst friends than a workshop. Which was fine, and fun! 

And then I quickly changed shoes, turned in my faculty lanyard, and speed-walked to the train station to catch my Amtrak back to NYC. 

Now, as I reflect on what ended up being a very successful weekend (even though I signed zero—ZERO!—books at the faculty book signing, haha...), I have a few more thoughts on making space for inspiration and growth: 

1) Sign up to do the scary thing. Presenting at this conference wasn't my idea; Janae invited me to submit a workshop with her, and then I asked MarcyKate if she wanted to submit a second one. I don't know if I would have had the courage or the confidence to do this on my own! But I am so glad I did. 

2) Take advantage of opportunities. Part of the compensation for being on faculty at the conference was getting to attend for free! I did have some work that had to get done, but I'm so happy I made time to sit in on a couple workshops. The info I learned in the bookstore/library one will be so valuable to me moving forward—and I made a personal connection with one of the presenters. Meanwhile, I can't stop thinking about the idea I had in the session on magic systems. I truly feel like I have cracked this other topic I wanted to write about wide open. (Sorry-not-sorry to be vague...) Would I have come to this new idea without having been in that room, with those people, thinking about that subject (creating rules for a system of magic)? I don't know—but I do know that an idea you can't stop thinking about is magic in itself. 

3) Make space to be in community. The official theme of the conference may have been "STRETCH," but it might as well have been "JOY." Everyone was just so happy to be with one another in person! And even though I wasn't reconnecting with as many friends (I'm technically a member of the New York chapter of SCBWI), I felt that joy as well. To be in a room filled with hundreds of storytellers, celebrating the stories that we create and the readers for whom we create them...it's a dream. Getting away from "real life' for a weekend isn't always easy, but I was reminded that I need that community—that space. 

And now I'm home, processing everything I learned and thinking about what could be next! (And getting tons of snuggles from my kiddo!) 

What do you do to make space in your creative life? It doesn't have to be as big as a conference or retreat. Do you have everyday ways of feeding your creativity and giving yourself room to grow? 

~Kathryn 

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What I'm: 

Reading: After spending the weekend with Janae, I picked up her third novel (and the sequel to her debut), On Air With Zoe Washington. I don't want to spoil the events of the first Zoe Washington book for those who haven't read it, but I do want to say that I love Janae's writing. She has such a perfect middle-grade voice: able to tackle tough topics while also staying in the sweet spot of tween/young teen interests and drama. I can't wait to read Janae's next book!

Working on: I turned in my revision of the write-for-hire book on Monday, and on Wednesday, MarcyKate and I received our first-pass pages for The Thirteenth Circle. First-pass pages are basically a final proofread, after the manuscript has been formatted for printing. Once we approve this version, it won't be terribly long before advance copies start making their way out into the world.

Loving: An attendee at my school visit workshop with Janae took this picture, as we were each introducing ourselves and our books. While it's admittedly not the most flattering picture that's ever been taken of me, I love having this record of what turned out to be a pretty cool "first" in my career! 

Notes from Deep Inside a Book Revision

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on April 28th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

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I've been submerged in book revisions. Or, as my husband who works in tech calls it, I've been "heads-down." 

This is for the first book on my write-for-hire contract, and I knew from the start that the turnaround times would be quick. I submitted my first draft on March 27th, and my editor was hoping to have the manuscript completely finalized by the end of April! I received her notes, along with the client's, a little over a week ago, and dove right in. 

What kind of edits are we talking about? One secondary plotline is being removed (and possibly saved for a future book). Another plotline is being enhanced slightly to take its place. A few characters' details (age, interests, backstory) are changing. I'm strengthening and sharpening the friendship dynamics in the story. None of this is overwhelming—but as I said, the timeline is tight. 

I've never completed a book under contract, from writing early sample chapters to polishing the final manuscript, this fast. In fact, in my experience, months can pass between sending in a draft and receiving notes from the editor. Also, I'm used to a process that has three revisions: the first draft gets global, structural notes, the second draft is more about refining arcs and characters, and the third draft is where line editing happens. Perhaps because we spent so much time up front on the synopsis and character sketches, this time, most of that draft-one work was done before I wrote the actual draft. The edits I'm working on now feel like second-draft edits, with a bit of line editing thrown in. 

There are pros and cons to working this way. On the plus side, I am deep in the headspace of this book. Because I'd just turned in my first draft, when I received my edits, I was able to jump straight back in. It can take longer to find your way into the story after a lengthier break. But at the same time, those breaks between drafts can enable you to see what's in front of you with clearer eyes. You're almost like a fresh reader. What's not working—and what is—comes into focus. 

The other interesting thing about these edits is that I am working as a contractor: the creative vision is not mine alone. There are a few choices being made that I would not have chosen. This DOES NOT mean I think they are bad choices! They're just not the way my instinct would naturally guide me. Every writer—every creator—is different, and this write-for-hire process involves being open to others' opinions and preferences. There is a lot of me in this project, but it's not entirely mine. 

I'm heading to the New England Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators annual conference this weekend. I'll be presenting two professional workshops, along with two friends: a session on successful school visits with Janae Marks and a session on co-writing a book with my Thirteenth Circle coauthor, MarcyKate Connolly. When I'm not presenting, I'm planning to attend other workshops...but I'll also be spending time in my hotel room, heads-down in book revisions. My goal is to get the manuscript back in my editor's hands by Monday or Tuesday. 

Then, in another few weeks, I'll probably start working on book two! 

Tight deadlines can be difficult, but most of the time, I'd rather be writing than waiting. (This is why you'll often find me playing around with new ideas in between drafts of books that are further along...) Give me something to work on, a way to make forward progress, and I am a happy writer. 

(Though I will be glad to come up for air next week!) 

~Kathryn 

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What I'm: 

Reading: the third Thursday Murder Club book, The Bullet That Missed. I love this series about a set of octogenarian crime-solvers living in a British retirement community. What are your favorite cozy mysteries? 

Listening to: My kiddo's new favorite song is Katy Perry's "Roar." She asks to listen to it over...and over...and over. I think it may have taken up permanent residence in my head. Luckily, it's pretty cute when she sings along at the top of her lungs...

Loving: Spring weather. Here's my girl in one of her new spring dresses, showing off her arabesque. Look at those straight knees, that pointed toe! 

What Do You Want to Know About School Visits?

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on February 17th, 2023. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

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As you may have noticed, I've had school visits on the brain this month. Not only did February kick off with World Read Aloud Day, and not only did I welcome a picture book author to my daughter's school, but I've also been in planning mode for tons of future author presentations myself.

I've got a trip down to Tennessee coming up in March, and potentially another one in August (for two schools that want me to come, but aren't free in March). I've also just scheduled a visit with a school in Manhattan for April. For each presentation successfully scheduled, there are half a dozen emails to try to book with other schools and librarians. Since I'm doing this all myself, it's a bit of a hustle. I have to accept that not every feeler I put out will garner a response. 

Lately, I've started tracking my school visit booking process and success rate, because I have another fun announcement to share: I'll be joining fellow author (and friend) Janae Marks to present a workshop on school visits at the New England Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators regional conference at the end of April! (More on this soon; I think registration for the conference goes live in March.) 

Janae asked me back in the fall if I'd be interested in pitching a workshop together, after she read my newsletter recapping my first in-person school visit since 2016. Janae has also been finding her way back into in-person visits, though for her it's been more of a post-Covid phenomenon, as her first book came out in January 2020. We compared notes, and the two of us have a lot to say on the topic. We wrote up a proposal, and were thrilled earlier this month to learn that it had been accepted. 

Since finding out this workshop was definitely going to happen, I've had it at the back of my mind whenever I do anything school visit–related. This includes while I'm actually on a school visit. 

For example, one of my virtual visits recently went wrong in just about every way that a virtual visit can go wrong. It was almost funny! And when I hung up, all I could think was, well, that's a story for the workshop. 

This visit: 

• Had to be rescheduled from its original date due to bad weather shutting down the school. 

• Started late (which always leaves me wondering if I've messed up the date/time). 

• Had tech issues from the moment I logged on. Now, I'm not complaining about the tech issues. Whenever you involve technology, there's a chance something won't work quite right! But in this case...

• One teacher didn't (or didn't know how to) mute herself. So, as I started my presentation, I could hear her talking to her students, telling them to be quiet and listen. (For the record, I didn't hear her students chattering. I only heard her.) Also, at one point she had two separate devices signed onto the call, which caused a distracting echo effect. 

• That teacher ended up leaving abruptly halfway through my presentation. 

• The other teacher on the Zoom couldn't figure out how to UNMUTE herself! She also didn't know how to use the chat feature. So, at the point in my virtual visit when I ask for student questions...I simply couldn't. I was talking to a silent screen. 

• I had to pivot. I read another chapter. I asked them questions that they could answer with raised hands and thumbs up/down. I told them facts about myself and my books—the things kids usually want to know. I gave them my email in case they wanted to ask me questions that way. 

It was a learning experience. 

I'd had one or two of these issues on virtual visits in the past. Like I said, stuff happens. You have to be able to pivot and adapt. But I'd never had this many things go wrong in a single half hour. I left kind of shaking my head—and hoping that the kids had gotten something out of it. Because yes, school presentations are about spreading the word about my books, but they'realsovery much about giving the students a meaningful experience. I'm the presenter, the guest, but it's not about me. 

(Later that same afternoon, by the way, I had what I'd consider a gold-standard virtual visit! The tech worked perfectly! The kids asked amazing questions! The librarian was a delight! But that experience wasn't any more valid than the School Visit That Went Wrong.) 

So yeah—this is what I'm thinking about as Janae and I start to plan our workshop for April. And now I want to throw it to you: 

- If you're a newer author or on the cusp of publication, what do you want to know about planning, booking, and actually doing school presentations?

- If you're an experienced author who's done tons of visits, do you have any tips and best practices you'd like to share with me and Janae, to pass along to our workshop participants? 

- If you're a teacher or librarian, what do you want authors to know about what you want from an author visit? What makes you more likely to book an author as a guest speaker at your school? 

Thanks in advance for chiming in! 
~Kathryn 

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What I'm: 

Reading: I read Tae Keller's Newbery-winning book When You Trap a Tiger at the start of the week. It was so wonderful. (As I'd expected! It won the Newbery!) Now I'm reading The Change by Kirsten Miller, which is about three middle-aged women in a coastal Long Island town who develop magical abilities during menopause—and use those abilities to right wrongs being done to other women. This book is FASCINATING. One of the blurbs I saw described it as a "gutteral rage scream (and somehow a soft, tearful hug) of a book," and that is so spot-on. 

Writing: This week, I've been hammering away at the first draft of my write-for-hire project. I've passed 8,000 new words since Monday, and if I meet my goal today, I'll break the 10K mark. That's a lot of words to write in a single week! I'm honestly feeling pretty pleased. 

Celebrating: Speaking of my friend Janae Marks, it was a joy to get to go to her book launch party last night at Books of Wonder! On Air With Zoe Washington is her third book, and she hasn't been able to have an in-person book launch since her debut in January 2020, so this was such a lovely moment.  

Loving: We are going on a family vacation to Disney World TOMORROW! We've had a countdown calendar on the door for our daughter, and now it's officially "one more sleep until Disney."

Is Imposter Syndrome Just Part of the Process?

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on December 9th, 2022. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

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Recently, I posted a slightly vulnerable Instagram caption about experiencing imposter syndrome. I'd spent the past couple days trying to draft out a virtual writing workshop I will be leading (Writing Fun and Feelings in Chapter Books) in January for the Metro NY chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators. I'd brainstormed pages and pages of ideas and tips and recommendations, but it wasn't coming together as a workshop. It didn't flow.

I was floundering. 

Meanwhile, I'd just seen a post in a chapter book writers Facebook group I'm a member of alerting people to this upcoming workshop. "Anyone going to this?" the poster asked. "It sounds great!" 

The workshop did sound great—based on the synopsis I'd pitched months ago. (Yes, I pitched this workshop! All of the stress I've felt about it is completely my own fault!) But as of last Friday, I simply couldn't make it work. That's where the imposter syndrome slithered in. A useful topic idea, sure to be informative and engaging...but what makes you think you're the right person to teach it? 

I hit a wall. I closed the document on my computer. I didn't look at it over the weekend, or during my workday on Monday. And then, on Tuesday (admittedly after a bit of nervous procrastinating), I opened up a new presentation on Google Slides. I started trying to find the bullet points in the mess of brainstorming I'd done last week. I looked for themes and highlights. Big-picture advice, and then the more granular tips and specific examples and personal anecdotes that would fit under each umbrella. 

By Wednesday, I had an outline—which meant I had a workshop. 

I still have a lot more to do, of course. Now that I know the basic structure of my talk, I need to script out what I want to say for each slide and bullet point. And then I need to loop in my Class Critters editor; the workshop will be a conversation between the two of us, albeit with me taking the lead. I'm sure she'll have some points I haven't thought of. And then...I have to practice the thing, so I'm not looking at notes the whole workshop! 

But right now, a week after feeling like there was no way I could do this—I know I can. I just have to make it happen. 

Why share this process? Because it is not at all uncommon, in my writing career as well as for just about every writer (and creator) that I know. 

Every single time I revise a novel—and my husband will attest to this!—there is a point where I throw my hands in the air and shout, "I broke the book!" It is officially too much of a mess to clean up. Too difficult of a puzzle to solve. 

Until, eventually, I figure it out. 

This happens with my freelance writing too. My dance articles, for instance: some of them practically write themselves (I've been doing this for 15 years, after all). But then, every once in a while, I encounter a story that just will...not...come...together. The interviews were productive. I know my subject matter. But it won't turn into a cohesive, concise story. 

Until, eventually, I figure it out. 

Why would crafting a writing workshop be any different? 

And yet, in that moment of crisis, I'm always certain that this will be the one I can't figure out. This will be the deadline I miss, or the piece of writing that gets rejected—or the workshop that flops. So I'm documenting my latest dive into imposter syndrome here, as a reminder to myself the next time I'm in the weeds: I do know what I'm doing. I've been here before, and I've found my way through to the other side. 

~Kathryn

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What I'm: 

Reading: I finally got around to reading The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton, after having it on my list for months—and it did not disappoint! Dhonielle has written a vibrant new take on the magical school genre. Ella Durand is the first Conjuror child allowed to attend the Arcanum Institute for Marvellers. As she's trying to prove that her magic is every bit as valid as theirs—that she fits in and belongs at the Institute—a mystery unfolds involving a criminal from decades ago escaping from prison. With whimsical writing, an evocative and fully fleshed-out world, and diverse characters, this series is definitely going to be a new kidlit classic. 

Watching: "Wednesday" on Netflix. There were a few plot holes, and the dark tone was pretty different than past "kooky" entries in the Addams Family canon, but overall, we liked it! 

Listening to: Did you know there is a Hanukkah rip-off/parody of "Shake it Off"? I found this when my daughter wanted to listen to Hanukkah music the other night. Here it is. You're welcome.  

Loving: This picture of "Santu," as lovingly depicted by my 5-year-old.  

Let's Talk About "Writing for Hire"

This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on October 21st, 2022. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.

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This week, for the first time in a very, very long time, I started writing something completely new. I opened a blank Scrivener document. I wrote "1" at the top of the first page. And then I stared at the blank screen.

And stared. And stared.

Starting a new book from scratch is a bit daunting. It's hard to know exactly where to begin—and in many cases, writers begin at the wrong spot entirely and end up cutting the first few pages or even chapters down the line. I've heard this referred to as "clearing your throat," a.k.a. getting some stuff out of your system and out of your way before reaching the nitty-gritty of the story. Some level of throat-clearing is necessary, of course. Chances are, you aren't going to write the perfect first line on Day One, so you might as well write forward. It's better to get words on the page than to be paralyzed from the start.

If I were working on something that's entirely for me, this early-drafting phase would be like messing around. Playing in the sandbox. Seeing what feels right.

But, as it turns out, this new thing I'm starting is not entirely for me. It's an audition for a write-for-hire project, a sample chapter that will help the editor and the creator of the project decide whether I'm the right writer to make their vision a reality. So, strangely, a lot more is riding on this first chapter than if I were starting a book of my own. Even if it were to change entirely in edits, it has to be solid enough now to land me the job!

I've auditioned for a write-for-hire gig before, and I've also done some freelance ghostwriting. The previous WFH tryout was back in 2018, and it was for a chapter book series about animals that had various jobs. I wrote a sample about Chef Cheetah and his search for his missing mozzarella. (I think I can talk about this now because, as far as I know, this series never actually became a thing? At least, not in the way it was described to me at the time...) After I'd turned in my sample, I found out that at least one other children's book author in my immediate network had also auditioned for the job. Neither of us got it...and, as I said, I don't know if the series ever saw the light of day.

But! My agent loved what I'd written. She suggested I try my hand at an original chapter book idea. I was into that suggestion—and what resulted was Tally Tuttle Turns into a Turtle. So, while that particular WFH audition was a bust, it did ultimately send my career in a new direction!

On the ghostwriting front, I spent 2019-2021 working with an adult science-fiction writer who self-published a series on Amazon. Some ghostwriting jobs involve writing books from scratch, but in this case, he wrote first-drafts that I then edited and enhanced, in some instances almost doubling the word count. I worked on seven books with him, over three years, and each time he trusted me to fill in more story and characterization. (The first book was already published when I got my hands on it; it hadn't been selling well and he wanted someone to beef it up. By book seven, he was sending me slim chapters one or two at a time, as he wrote them, and I fleshed them out into a full story arc!)

With the ghostwriting gig, my name is not attached to the work. I was hired in a strictly behind-the-scenes role. And that's fine! These books are this guy's thing, and I don't need credit! I was paid for my time and effort.

With writing-for-hire, there are a number of ways in which the writer can be acknowledged and/or credited (or not). You might be working with a celebrity author, and that's whose name will be on the cover. (Yours won't.) Or you might be published under a pseudonym. Or you might be listed as a "with"—i.e. BIG NAME AUTHOR, with Kathryn Holmes. Or you might get to be the actual author, on the cover and title page! Contracts (and fees) will vary.

What matters with writing-for-hire is that the concept and outline/story are someone else's intellectual property. Someone else—a celebrity, a book packager, the publisher—has an idea that they are hiring you to execute. You might have some freedom within that template, but the book is not your baby. Someone else has the final say on what gets sent to print.

A lot of authors do write-for-hire work in addition to publishing their own books, and a lot of books are published each year that you might not know are IP projects! (IP = intellectual property, for those paying attention.) It's not just Star Wars and Marvel novelizations—some books that have original concepts fall into this category, simply because the publisher or a book packager had an idea that they hired a writer to write.

So back to my sample chapter! I can't say what it's for, other than that the client is a nonfiction writer who wants to branch into fiction. I don't know if I'll get the contract, and if I do, whether I'll be able to speak about it publicly. But I wanted to write about it here because WFH is an increasingly large part of the publishing game—and a great way for authors to earn some extra money in between solo deals.

That said, I really do want this—the subject matter and ethos of the project are a great fit for me—so please cross your fingers the client likes what I've done!

Until next week...

~Kathryn

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The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is running its BookStop promotion until December 5th! I've got pages up for all three Class Critters books. You can check them out here:

• Tally Tuttle Turns into a Turtle

• David Dixon’s Day as a Dachshund

• Madison Morris is NOT a Mouse!

Chances are, if you're a regular reader of this newsletter, you have already bought a book or two...but if you're so inclined, you could share these BookStop links with your friends and family! You can also leave a comment in the Guest Book on each page, to tell anyone who browses the BookStop how great the Class Critters kids are.

We're launching into holiday gift-giving season, and BOOKS are one of the best gifts any kid can receive!

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What I'm:

Reading: As promised last week, I'm reading the third American Royals book, Rivals. (To be honest, I've been too busy to do a ton of reading this week, so I'm not very far into it! But that has nothing to do with the quality of the book.)

Watching: "Floor is Lava" inexplicably has a third season on Netflix. Even more inexplicably...my husband and I have already blazed through it. ;)

Dancing to: Who remembers Ray LaMontagne's peak in the 2000s? My dance teacher brought another blast from the past (i.e. my mid-20s...) into class this week by setting choreography to "Duet," sung by Rachel Yamagata and LaMontagne. I definitely felt some feelings to this song circa 2008...

Loving: It finally feels like fall!

New England SCBWI Conference Recap

Last weekend, I went to the New England SCBWI conference in Springfield, MA, with my writer-buddy Ghenet Myrthil, and on Monday I promised you a quick recap…so here it is! I had a blast.

…okay, I'll tell you a little more than that. The weekend was a great mix of networking, listening to industry experts share their wisdom, and honing my craft. On the networking side, I made a bunch of new writer friends. They crossed the spectrum from aspiring authors to those with relatively new book deals to veterans with one or more books on shelves already. We talked about our processes, our current projects, and our paths to publication. We compared notes from the different sessions we attended and talked about our lives outside of writing. And of course, I added quite a few books to my TBR (to be read) pile. The best part? Since we pretty much all followed each other on Twitter right away, I can easily keep in touch with all of them going forward.

As far as the sessions themselves, I truly lucked out in my choices. I attended some great workshops. I learned how to craft my brand as an author—without putting myself in a box. I got tips on refining my characters and on adding suspense to my narratives. I took a close look at the first page of my new work in progress, to make it the best it can be. I learned ways to draw on my personal history in my fiction without getting bogged down in "what really happened." Nova Ren Suma gave a fabulous talk on crafting a memorable first-person voice—and then signed my copy of her novel 17 & GONE. Julie Berry (who blurbed my book, something I still can't stop smiling about) and her editor Kendra Levin gave advice—and a ton of writing exercises—for getting outside of the writing comfort zone. All of that…on top of the various publishing panels that everyone attended! Is it any wonder I came home with my head spinning?

I also got the chance to spend a little time with my editor, Alexandra Cooper, who was on faculty at the conference. She was part of a general publishing panel, as well as doing critiques for conference participants. For me, it was great to catch up with her in kind of an informal setting, since for the time being, all of my work on THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND is done. (Though of course, I begged her for details about what's next in the process for my book…which you'll have to wait just a little longer for me to be able to share online!)

So would I go to this conference again? Definitely! It's smaller-scale and more intimate than the Los Angeles one I attended last August, while still having an array of amazing resources and workshops available for attendees. I met some awesome people and learned a lot. And it was only a short trip away from NYC!

Now… I have to start packing to go out of town again tomorrow. I'm headed home to see my family, including my brand-new nephew who was born yesterday. And I promise I'll try to get some writing done while there!

~Kathryn

YAB Bootcamp Check-In: OMG, it's May!

How are we in month three of Bootcamp already? I truly don't know where the spring has gone. That said, the weather keeps getting nicer and nicer, so I definitely don't want to go back in time (or temperature). Plus, I'm still making great forward progress on my first draft of EVERYTHING'S BEAUTIFUL, and I don't want to lose momentum in the slightest!

So what's the current status?

Last week I moved forward another three chapters. The manuscript total is now 58,500 words! I have another four to six chapters to go (one of which is written but needs revision), so I think I will end up with a 65-70K final word count. Right on target! Beyond that, I'm excited to be on track to finish my draft this month, as I'd hoped. Woohoo!

This past weekend, I was at the New England Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference in Springfield, MA. I'll cover the amazing conference in a separate post later this week, but I did want to say that it was fun to go to a conference while in the throes of a first draft. I was able to apply a lot of the in-session writing exercises we did to EVERYTHING'S BEAUTIFUL. I figured out some key character details I want to add during revisions. Plus, remember last week, when I mentioned my ongoing struggle to find a balance between my personal experiences as a teen in the ballet world and my character's separate journey? I attended a great workshop yesterday on how to draw from your real life experiences and personal history in your fiction, and I can't wait to put the tips Karen Day shared with us into practice in my manuscript.

This week I am going to write, write, write—before I head out of town on Friday for all of my family travels. Wish me luck!

Oh, and don't forget to send good vibes to the rest of Team Mazama as we head into the Bootcamp home stretch. The YA Bucklers are: Kate Scott, Emma L. Adams, Winter Bayne, Angel Leigh, Riley Darkes, and Tonette de la Luna.

~Kathryn

YA Buccaneers Spring Writing Bootcamp: Week Six Check-In

It's the YAB Bootcamp halfway point! If I'd had one big goal for the three months, I'd be excited to see if I was halfway there. Since I didn't start with one overarching goal, all I have to report is that I met last week's goal: to finish my WIP synopsis and send it to my agent. I have also started changing the rest of the existing draft from 3rd to 1st person. So what's next? I checked my stats in Scrivener this morning and discovered that I have approximately 49,000 words of this rough first draft. That's actually about three-quarters of a manuscript! However, since most of it was written in 3rd person, and before I changed the role of a major character, I have to do some serious revising before I have a draft that's even remotely ready to show to beta readers. What I would LOVE to be able to do is finish the rough draft by the end of the Bootcamp—i.e. by the end of May. Given that that's six weeks away, and I have a mix of revising and new-drafting on my plate, I think it's doable...

Except for the tiny issue of how crazy the month of May will be for me. The first weekend in May, I'm going to the New England SCBWI conference with my friend Ghenet. Then I'll be back in NYC for a few days, only to fly to Nashville the following weekend. I'll be in Nashville for a week, and while I want to work (actually, I'll need to work at least a little) while there, I'll also be getting in some much-needed family time. My brother and sister-in-law are expecting their second child, and I'm hoping to be there when he arrives! And of course, I want to spend as much time as possible with my adorable nephew Turner, who is about to become a big brother. But back to travels: from Nashville, I'm flying to the DC area for a weekend with my husband's family. We'll be attending birthday parties for both of our nephews on his side—the seven-year-old's on Saturday and the four-year-old's on Sunday. Then it's good old Amtrak back up to NYC for a week at home in Brooklyn, followed by a road trip to Massachusetts over Memorial Day weekend for a dear friend's wedding.

Basically, by the time June 1 rolls around, I'm going to be ready to collapse. So much revelry! So many trips, and different modes of transportation! Will I have time to crank out the rest of a first draft? That remains to be seen.

I'm not going to be too hard on myself if I don't make it. All of these trips are for good reasons, and they all involve activities and people and events that are just as important as word count—especially since Justin and I don't get to see our families as often as we'd like. That said, I'm going to work toward a May 31 goal! Each week, I'll share my progress toward the finish line, whether that's word count or chapters revised.

How's everyone else doing with writing goals and such? Go Team Mazama!

The fabulous YA Bucklers are: Kate Scott, Emma L. Adams, Winter Bayne, Riley Darkes, Angel Leigh, and Tonette de la Luna! Visit their blogs or follow them on Twitter to see other writers in action. And if you're new to this bootcamp business, learn more at the YA Buccaneers' website!

~Kathryn

It's Fearless Friday!

So guess what? Tonight I get to meet a group of my fellow 2015 debut authors face-to-face for the first time! This weekend is the NY Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference, and while I'm not attending the conference itself, many writers I've gotten to know online over the past few months will be there. And, because I'm lucky enough to live in NYC, it's the perfect excuse to meet authors who live elsewhere but who are sharing this crazy debut publishing experience with me! There seem to be about 15 of us meeting up tonight, so it should be a good time. Lots of talking about books, books, books, I'm sure—the perfect evening for a writer. I'll try to grab some group photos, so that when everyone's books come out in a year, I can point at the pictures and say, see, I know him/her!

But this meetup isn't the only fun writing-related event that I've gotten to attend recently. Last night, my Write Night friend Rebecca Behrens held a launch party for her debut, WHEN AUDREY MET ALICE, at Books of Wonder in Manhattan. (I wrote about Rebecca's book HERE.) It was so fun to hear Rebecca read from the book, to get her to sign my shiny new beautiful hardback copy, and to envision doing something similar for my own book in a year or so. It was also awesome to see my Write Night crew out of our usual Panera/Cosi context, and to catch up with a few other authors I know, and to meet ones I hadn't met yet. An all-around great evening!

So what's next for me and my book and such? I've just about finished my copyedits on THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND, which means the text will go into design pretty soon! Meanwhile, my agent has the opening chapters of my potential next project, and I'm waiting with bated breath for her response.

What the past few weeks of wonderful writer community (I'm including last week's reading under this umbrella) have reminded me is that while writing can feel pretty solitary sometimes, when you do get out into the world, there is a great group of people out there who are in the boat with you. Waiting for feedback, pushing through a first draft, battling tough revisions, anxiously waiting for the publisher's side of the process (cover designs, release dates, etc.)—we've all been there, or will be there, or are currently living in it, and the fact that we aren't alone makes the good parts better and the frustrating parts not quite as bad. That's a remarkable thing.

~Kathryn

Looking Back at 2013...

As you're reading this (if all goes well with the scheduled autoposting on Wordpress…), my husband and I are touring around Israel! This amazing trip, which I'm sure you'll hear all about on the blog in a few weeks, was my parents' wedding gift to us, and we're finally able to go (we just had our two-year anniversary in November). An adventure like this feels like a fitting way to end what turned out to be a pretty great year! 2013 had its ups and downs, for sure, but the ups were, well, very up. :)

• I started this blog! I'd been wanting to blog for years, and hadn't gotten around to it. Now, with almost a full year of blogging under my belt, I'm so glad I took the plunge.
• My newest nephew was born! He's almost a year old now, and he is a delight. You can see some pictures of him HERE and HERE.
• I signed with a fabulous literary agent! This was the culmination of several years of blood, sweat, and tears, and when it finally happened, I was over the moon. Of course, that was only the first step along a journey that included...
• Selling my debut novel to HarperCollins! And I thought signing with an agent felt good. 2015, when my book is slated to be released, can't get here soon enough.
• I attended my first writer's conference, SCBWI LA! It was fabulous to meet more kidlit writers, as well as to hear some true legends in our field speak. Also, my husband and I took a fun vacation in California when the conference was done.
• I revised my book. And revised it. And revised it again. That might sound frustrating, and at times it was! But my editor pushed me to make the book the best it can be, and it has become something I'm so proud to send out into the world.
• I had a dance performance that was fun and challenging and really well received by our audience—all you can ask for, really!
• I joined the Fearless Fifteeners and the YA Buccaneers!

My word for 2013 was PATIENCE, and I couldn't have chosen a better one—because even as I'm working to be more patient with myself, I've seen my patience pay off in some big ways. And I'm not just talking about the book deal, though that's the obvious one. I've also, in the past few weeks, finally hit some of those yoga milestones I've been chasing. Remember when I posted about trying to be patient as I worked toward arm balances? I now have Crow Pose and Headstand in my bag of tricks! Am I perfectly stable in those poses every single time I attempt them? No. But after spending a year building toward being able to do them consistently, I know that with patience, I'll get there. Oh, and here's the photo evidence of a year's work:

A few other random blog-related stats from 2013:

• My most popular post ever is, to the surprise of probably no one, the post in which I announced my book deal (see link above)!
• My second most popular post, to my great surprise, is… *drumroll* THIS ONE: my thoughts on Lauren Oliver's Delirium series. This is the Energizer Bunny of blog posts! Just in the past week, it surpassed my agent announcement post, my "About Me" page, and a few other key pages in number of views. So, Lauren Oliver fans who keep finding their way to me: Welcome! Look around. Stay awhile.
• I reviewed about 50 books on the blog this year, and you can scroll through those posts using the Friday Reads tag. You can see my top 10 out of all of the books I read this year HERE. I'm going to continue reviewing books on the blog in 2014, though I probably won't be as formal with my Friday Reads posts… so keep an eye out!
• I have 83 blog followers—not too shabby for my first year! I'm happy so many of you are interested in what I have to say.

So I guess all that's left to say is, thanks for a great 2013, and here's hoping that 2014 brings even more good times and good news! Happy New Year, everyone!!

~Kathryn

SCBWI LA Recap — Sharing the Inspiration!

In looking back over my notes from the Los Angeles Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators conference, I started getting inspired all over again. Not only is that a good mindset for writing a recap blog post, I think it's a sign of an excellent conference! I had such a blast over the conference's three days of speeches, workshops, networking, and parties. I met a lot of wonderful people, both aspiring authors and published ones, and I left feeling more excited about writing than ever. Yay! I got into LA in the late afternoon and immediately headed to dinner with a fabulous group of writers—some of my Write Night buddies from NYC, and a group of super-cool west coasters I am glad to know now. After an early bedtime (after all, to my east coast body, 10pm was 1am!), I was ready to get up Friday morning and absorb everything the conference had to offer. And I knew from Laurie Halse Anderson's inspiring opening keynote speech, in which she gathered us around her "fire circle" to talk about being storytellers and pushed us to "be brave today," that I was in the right place. I was surrounded by my people: writers (and visual artists, though I am not one of those!) who can't help but create, and who truly love our audience of kids, tweens, and teens (and the grownups who love books for kids, tweens, and teens).

Over the course of the weekend, I giggled through speeches by Jon Scieszka (author of The Stinky Cheese Man and many, many other hilarious and subversive books) and Mac Barnett (a McSweeney's alum who writes hysterical and inventive kids' books). I pondered putting fantasy/sci-fi elements into contemporary worlds in a workshop with Mike Jung (author of Geeks, Girls & Secret Identities—and a talented ukelele player!) and listened to Matt De La Peña (author of Mexican WhiteBoy, We Were Here, and other amazing YA novels) talk about writing with patience and restraint and trusting your readers. I heard Middle Grade author Kirby Larson speak about books as palimpsests, each carrying the whispers and pencil tracks of the authors and books that came before. I dug deeper into the plot mechanics of my current work-in-progress in a workshop with editor Krista Marino and I laughed along with SCBWI founder Lin Oliver and her writing partner Henry Winkler in a session on writing humor. (Yes, that Henry Winkler—and yes, he did the Fonzie voice!)

Every speech or session I attended was relevant to me in some way. It didn't matter that I don't write picture books, that I'm not a visual artist, that I already have an agent and an editor and am about to start my revisions on my debut novel. Everyone said something that stuck with me, and I want nothing more than to carry this momentum on through the next phase of my writing life!

And now, a few photos from the weekend:

Now that I'm back, I'm kicking myself a little that I didn't take more photos in the various sessions—or grab pics with more amazing authors! But at the same time, I was busy soaking it all in and enjoying myself, and not worrying about photo documentation. You'll just have to take my word for it that I met and/or sat in a room with all of the above-mentioned people. :)

I'm so glad I made time and budget room to attend this year, and I'm already thinking about and looking forward to next year's conference. I hope I can make it! I know I'll have a whole new perspective (and a host of new things to learn) as I get closer to the publication of my own book. At the same time, no matter how many books you've written, there's always room to grow and there's always the need to be inspired and renewed. So thanks, SCBWI, for an absolutely wonderful experience!

~Kathryn

California, Here We Come!

On Thursday, I'm hopping on a plane to Los Angeles to attend the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators summer conference! And I can't wait. It's not only my first SCBWI LA conference, it's my first conference of this sort PERIOD. I am excited to meet lots of other aspiring and soon-to-be-published writers, to learn from and be inspired by the roster of amazing speakers, and to come back to NYC energized and ready to tackle my own book revisions. I'm also expecting to be a little overwhelmed, which is why I am thrilled to be going to LA with most of my Write Night crew. Several are conference veterans, but a few are relative newbies, like me, so we can figure everything out together.

After I've absorbed every bit of knowledge the conference has to offer and have networked my buns off, I'll be heading up the coast for a little R&R. Justin is flying over to meet me and we'll be driving from LA to San Francisco, with a couple stops in between. I'm more than ready for a vacation, and I know we'll have so much fun. Not only will Justin and I get to spend some time exploring the West Coast, I also have a close friend from college, Caitlin, who lives in San Francisco, and who I don't see nearly often enough. So I am over the moon to get to spend time with her.

What does all this mean for my dear blog? I most likely won't be posting from the conference or while on vacation (though if you know me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you'll probably see your share of updates). But I WILL be writing up a most excellent recap of this California trip when I'm back! Probably two recaps, actually — one for the conference and one for the vacation part. Full of photos and other good stuff. Check back two weeks from today for my next update.

And thanks, as always, for stopping by my blog. This is my 51st post, which is another milestone (like the blog's six-month birthday) that I am so happy to have hit. While it's nice to have a place to jot down my thoughts, it's even nicer to know that there are a few people reading!

Happy Tuesday, and see you in two weeks,

Kathryn