Guest Post: Addressing the Monster in the Closet

Recently on L.E. Carmichael‘s Cantastic Authorpalooza blog, I talked about my inspiration for writing Monster vs. Boy. To check it out, go to “Karen Krossing: Addressing the Monster in the Closet.” Also, please check out L.E. Carmichael’s fantastic books!

To hear me reading from Monster vs. Boy, please check out this video.

For ideas about how to share Monster vs. Boy with young readers, please see this Discussion Guide.

Chat with Crystal Kite Award Winners

I participated in a picture-book chat with illustrator Dawn Lo about One Tiny Bubble, which won the 2023 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Canada. NYC indie bookstore Books of Wonder hosted us along with other talented picture-book creators who had won the Crystal Kite Award in their regions. This award is peer-selected, voted on by members of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, so it feels like a special honour.

You can watch our Chat with Crystal Kite Award Winners. Plus, there’s a link to buy signed copies of the books!

Upcoming Workshop: Social-Emotional Writing in Fantastic Literature

I’m happy to announce my next workshop with Whale Rock Literary Workshops. I’ll be co-teaching a workshop on social-emotional writing in fantastic literature with US author and poet Laura Shovan. Please check out her latest book – a children’s poetry collection called Welcome to Monsterville. My books with monstrous characters and social-emotional themes include my picture book Sour Cakes and my novels Monster vs. Boy and Bog.

Addressing the Monster in the Room: Social-Emotional Writing in Fantastic Literature

Dates/Times: Sept. 21 and 28 at 7:30 to 9:00 pm ET (two sessions)
Cost: $60 US
Delivery: Online with sessions recorded for later viewing

Ursula Le Guin writes in Cheek by Jowl, “What fantasy often does that the realistic novel generally cannot do is include the nonhuman as essential.”

Monsters of all sorts live in our dreams, embodying our deepest emotions. They are guides to our truth and, as such, they play a huge role in social-emotional development. While realistic fiction centers the intricacies of humans, fantastic fiction is the imagination on fire, exploring shadow versions of our world and breathing life into our inner monsters. Stories about monsters – whether they appear in a game of Dungeons and Dragons, in a poem, or in a work of fiction are essential, especially in our post-pandemic times. They help readers and listeners better understand how to manage emotions, develop healthy identities, feel empathy, and show support for others.

This two-session workshop will ask four key craft questions to help you incorporate the monstrous into your writing. What is your protagonist’s relationship to the monstrous? What are your monster’s physical, emotional, and/or magical character traits? What metaphors or image systems define your monster and why? Does your monster live alongside our real world or has the protagonist crossed into the monster’s world? Our goal is to deepen your work’s social-emotional themes, offering you and your reader an opportunity to better understand the heart, mind, and spirit.

This Workshop Is For You If

  • You are drafting or revising a picture book or novel with a monstrous theme and/or character.
  • You are seeking to deepen your monstrous character(s) (widely defined as invented creatures of any kind).
  • You’d like to explore how monsters in fiction support social-emotional learning and themes.

To register, go to the Whale Rock website. While you’re there, please also check out their many wonderful offerings for new, emerging, and established writers for children and youth. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Whale Rock newsletter!

Teaching Assistant at Vermont College of Fine Arts

I’m excited to be heading to the July 21 to 29 residency for the Vermont College of Fine Arts as a Teaching Assistant in the Picture Book Intensive semester! This will be the first time the residency happens in Colorado Springs – a huge transition for everyone. I’ll be working with faculty member Loree Griffin Burns to support the students during residency and for the rest of the semester too. I’ll also be delivering a lecture and reading. It’s a great opportunity for me to learn more about how to mentor children’s writers. I’ve been prepping my lecture, and I can’t wait to share it. Plus, it’ll be wonderful to soak up all the wisdom and creative energy of an in-person residency. I’m especially excited to connect with my fellow Teaching Assistant Laura Obuobi, author of the fabulous picture book Black Gold, and to see so many friends deliver their graduating lectures. These writers are brilliant, folks.

Here’s my lecture topic. If it’s available to the public, I’ll be sure to share a link:

Generating Story Approaches: How Else Can You Tell It?

You’ve written a good story, or you have a good story idea. How can you make it great? One way is to improve the writing craft skills you’ll need to write it. Another is to consider the optimal approach to writing it. Taking the time to generate and assess alternative story approaches at the start of your writing process and during revision can elevate a good story to greatness. This lecture will explore the process of generating alternative story approaches using mentor texts as our guides.


Reading in Colorado Springs: Monster vs. Boy

While I’m in Colorado, I’ll also be visiting local bookstore Tattered Cover for a reading and presentation of my new middle-grade novel Monster vs. Boy, which will be published on July 11. If you’re around and available, I would love to see friends there!

When: Saturday, July 29 at 6 to 8 pm
Where: Tattered Cover Book Store, 112 N. Tejon St, Colorado Springs

Drawing in the Reader into a Non-Fiction Picture Book

Many thanks to Anne-Marie Strohman for her insightful writing-craft review of my picture book One Tiny Bubble, illustrated by Dawn Lo. Anne-Marie and I both attended the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and she is certainly a writer to watch.

In her article, Anne-Marie looks at how my writing choices pull the reader into the story of LUCA – our Last Universal Common Ancestor – through the use of direct address, invitation to the reader, kid-friendly comparisons, alliteration, repeated sequences, and more. She begins:

“Non-fiction books are meant to provide information to young readers. But many non-fiction books also tell the reader a story. And some of the best non-fiction books go the extra mile to pull readers into that story. Exhibit A: One Tiny Bubble: The Story of Our Last Universal Common Ancestor by Karen Krossing.”

You can sign up for the KidLitCraft newsletter for more great content.

The Writing Quest: A Q&A with Karen Krossing

I first crossed paths with Anne-Marie Strohman when we both attended the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA), and I quickly learned that she is an insightful writer and a fabulous community organizer. It was an honour to be interviewed by Anne-Marie on KidLitCraft, especially because she asked so many thoughtful questions. We discussed writing inspiration, what I learned at VCFA, writing quests, and more. Please take a look, and don’t forget to sign up for the KidLitCraft newsletter for more great content.

Upcoming Presentation: How to Build Character Cultural Literacy

I’m happy to announce that I’ve joined Whale Rock Literary Workshops as faculty! Whale Rock offers MFA-level workshops and mentorships with impressive faculty that I admire. My first presentation will be a lecture with discussion and writing prompts about How to Build Character Cultural Literacy. This talk is based on the critical thesis I completed during my MFA at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and I’m excited to share it with the children’s literature community.

My 90-minute presentation starts at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 5, 2023, and the cost is just $30. The class will be recorded for those who can’t attend. Here’s what I’ll be speaking about:

Whether you are writing picture books, middle grade or young adult literature, to reflect the full and varied reality of human experience, you need to respectfully and thoughtfully depict secondary characters with a range of backgrounds and cultural beliefs. Even when your protagonists largely mirror you, can you say the same for all their friends?

Each character you create exists within a global village and within a particular nation, neighborhood, social class, and ability level. They also live within an ethnic, gender, sexual-orientation, family, and peer group—each with its own distinct culture. Awareness of your characters’ cultural beliefs will deepen their presence on the page.

Through a discussion of cultural elements in selected picture books and novels, Karen will introduce tools you can use to identify your characters’ deep-level cultural beliefs, offering insights into their motivations and story arcs. This class will focus on family culture as that’s where we first learn and express our beliefs, although these cultural tools can be applied to other cultural groups. You will develop awareness of your cultural beliefs as compared to your characters’ and consider how and when to write within your cultural elements, bridge cultural gaps and avoid bias through omission.

There are no pre-assigned readings for this class, but you will have on-the-spot writing prompts to explore.

Note: Karen speaks from her own identity elements and does not represent any cultural group. She will share her personal identity statement with the class and will encourage you to explore your own as a tool to understanding our cultural lenses.

To register, go to the Whale Rock website. While you’re there, please also check out their many wonderful offerings for new, emerging, and established writers for children and youth. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Whale Rock newsletter!

Cover Reveal: Monster vs. Boy

It’s cover reveal day! I’m thrilled to share Markia Jenia‘s cover art for my upcoming middle-grade novel Monster vs. Boy! Markia has perfectly captured the characters and mood of this story, and I can’t wait to share this book with you. It’ll be published by Charlesbridge Publishing in July 2023, and it’s available for pre-sale now!

© 2023 by Markia Jenia

Will you laugh if I tell you that Monster vs. Boy feels like it’s autobiographical? I have sometimes felt like the monster in the closet, and I’ve also been terrified that a monster might be living in my closet. Here’s an intro to the book:

No one in the ramshackle house knew that a monster—who was smaller than a bear cub—lived in Dawz’s bedroom closet. She called herself Mim.

Dawz wants to practice Recipes of Extreme Greatness for the Bakers’ Brawl competition and forget about his mom, who left him and his sister, Jayla, years ago. He does not want to see a monster that no one else can see.

Mim wants to explore her closet’s nooks and crannies, and listen to stories through the door. She does not want to share her space with the horrible boy outside the closet.

When Mim leaves Dawz’s closet for the first time, the two learn they’re connected in ways neither can explain. While Mim searches the wide world for a friend, Dawz searches for a way to get rid of her so that he can be normal. Can the two find a way to break their connection without losing who they are?

This moving middle-grade novel is about found family, facing our fears, and mental health. It asks the question: What if the monsters that haunt us aren’t monsters at all?

One Tiny Bubble a Best Informational Book from the Chicago Public Library!

Today is Evolution Day, which marks the anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, published on 24 November, 1859. So it’s a great day to share that my evolution-themed book with Dawn Lo –  One Tiny Bubble – is included as one of the Chicago Public Library’s Best Informational Books for Younger Readers in 2022. Thanks, CPL!

Nonfiction Book Launch and Panel Talk

Local book friends: Please save the date! You’re invited to an in-person book launch with Heather Camlot, Mireille Messier, and me. Please join us for readings and book sales by Mabel’s Fables Children’s Bookstore. Plus, we’re thrilled to announce that our nonfiction panel discussion will be moderated by award-winning author and editor Mary Beth Leatherdale.

Guest Post: Sparking Connections With One Tiny Bubble

Today on L.E. Carmichael‘s Cantastic Authorpalooza blog, I talk about my childhood love for science, which grew into my first nonfiction STEM book One Tiny Bubble, illustrated by Dawn Lo. I discuss:

  • how I saw my role as a translator of high-level scientific concepts into child-centred language and experiences.
  • how I used my fiction-writing skills to craft nonfiction.
  • how I helped to connect the child reader to the content.

To check it out, go to “Karen Krossing: Sparking Connections With One Tiny Bubble.” Also, please check out L.E. Carmichael’s fantastic books!

Praise for Sour Cakes

I’m thrilled with the positive response to my debut picture book Sour Cakes, illustrated by Anna Kwan and published by Owlkids Books. Since its first review in Publishers Weekly, it has received many lovely reviews that point to the same thing: this book provides a wonderful way into conversations about emotional health and acknowledging difficult feelings with compassion.

“This sensitive narrative shows the significance of empathy in meeting people where they’re at.” Publishers Weekly

“An ode to sibling relationships and how, in particular, a sibling can lift you up when you are in the stormiest, heaviest of moods.” Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

“Empathetically acknowledges children’s big feelings and engagingly models emotional health.” Kirkus Reviews

“A wonderful antidote to … toxic positivity…. An uplifting and meaningful story about difficult feelings, the strategies we use to express them, and a reminder that there are supportive people you can turn to.” Canadian Children’s Book News

“By accepting big, negative emotions without condemning them or dismissing them, this book is great for launching discussions about when and how to express moods and feelings.” School Library Journal

[5/5 Stars] “Sour Cakes, a sensitive story, presents a great opportunity for discussing feelings, how we can express them, and the importance of empathy. Highly Recommended.” Canadian Review of Materials

For suggestions on how to use this book as a discussion starter, please see the Discussion Guide and Colouring Pages.

My Journey to Becoming a Picture-Book Author

In a few weeks, my debut picture book will be published by Owlkids Books. I’m counting the days!

It’s a journey that began years ago, when I first fell in love with picture books as a child and, later, when I fell in love again as I read them aloud with my daughters. I adore how picture books are kind of like poetry—simple and short, yet layered and deep. How they’re a read-aloud delight of rhythm and patterns, repetition and humour, colour and wonder. How they’re a way to connect to a child reader, heart to heart, with great authenticity and emotion.

I began my quest to become a picture-book writer by analyzing picture books I adore. How did they work their magic? Later, I started critiquing the manuscripts of friends, applying what I was learning to understand how they were written. I’m grateful, in particular, to Frieda Wishinsky, who patiently taught me much during our coffee dates. Finally, I began to write my own tentative picture-book manuscripts, celebrating my messy experiments and learning from trial and error.

I became more and more excited by the possibilities of the picture-book format, so excited that I enrolled in an MFA program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA). My first semester was a Picture Book Intensive with wonderful faculty advisor Liz Garton Scanlon, and it was an explosion of growth and learning.

I read and analyzed over 220 picture books during that semester, and I wrote critical essays to gain more insights. You can read my articles on “How to Revise a Picture Book” (Part 1 and Part 2), which I first wrote at VCFA and later published in CANSCAIP newsletters.

And I wrote and revised 12 picture books during my first semester, including metafiction, fiction, narrative nonfiction, concept books, rhythmic/lyrical, dark/difficult topics, and wordless. I explored how to limit my words so that the illustrations could take up more space in the story. How to set up highly illustratable moments with my text. How to build a frame for my story that supports the characters and plot. How to hold a manuscript lightly so it can grow and change into what it wants to be. How to write narrative nonfiction using fiction techniques. How to rewrite a single spread twenty or thirty times until I found what works. How to play with strong verbs, rhythm, and repetition. How to cut, cut, cut words to distill my manuscript into its essence.

One of my manuscripts during this semester was titled If I Wrote You a Poem, and it went on to become Sour Cakes, wonderfully illustrated by Anna Kwan.

This manuscript began as a collision of two ideas: writing about creativity and a sibling who supports another during a low time. When I let go of it being a manuscript about creativity, it became a conversation between the siblings. I wrote the first six lines and had to let it sit. Then I wrote the next twelve lines and let it sit. Then the whole story emerged. I needed to respect the creative process, not force it to be about a theme I’d predetermined, and I needed to find the characters’ voices. I did plenty of exploratory writing on the characters so I could deepen the story.

It’s been an honour to collaborate with Owlkids and Anna Kwan on Sour Cakes. It’s become all I’d hoped for when I first typed my tentative words into a blank file – a conversation between two siblings, a big one who wants to play and a little one who feels sour. Sour Cakes is told only in dialogue as Big and Little navigate how to acknowledge one’s difficult emotions and how to support someone who’s feeling those big feels. It springs from my family experiences with mental-health challenges, and it’s a deeply personal book.

I look forward to writing picture-book manuscripts for years to come, some that will find a publishing home and some that will not. In fact, I have two more picture books under contract, which I’m excited to share. Still, it’s the writing journey that calls to me. The open-hearted wildness of writing in this format that I treasure for a child audience who I value.

New Book Deal: Fantasy Novel for Kids

Exciting news! I’ll be publishing a new fantasy novel for kids with Charlesbridge Publishing. Thanks to agent-extraordinaire Ginger Knowlton of Curtis Brown for her support. Thanks to Alex McKenzie and Charlesbridge for seeing the potential in this novel. Here’s the official announcement:

I’m grateful to the Ontario Arts Council for awarding a writing grant to this project when it was a newly hatched idea. I’m also grateful to my creative community for feedback and encouragement while writing and revising.

Monster vs. Boy includes a character who might be my personal favourite among all those I’ve written so far. But I don’t think an author is supposed to have a favourite, so let’s just say that I adore writing this one.

I’m looking forward to sharing this story!

An Interview on Side-Writing

Ever since I first heard Erin Nuttall read from her works-in-progress during our time together at the Vermont College of Fine Art’s Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA program, I was a fan. She is a writer to watch, and I’m sure we’ll be reading her middle-grade and young-adult novels in the future. Thanks to Erin for interviewing me about side-writing on KidLit Craft – a terrific blog you’ll want to explore. You can check out Erin’s thoughts on side-writing in her inaugural post on KidLit Craft, and stayed tuned for more side-writing exercises on the blog all month.

And if you want even more on side-writing, you can sign up for my workshop Fresh Stories for a New World: Finding Your Stories Through a Practice of Side-Writing with SCBWI Canada East on April 10.

Upcoming Talks

CANSCAIP Monthly Membership Meeting: Panel Discussion

In a virtual meeting for CANSCAIP Members and Friends across Canada, I’ll be speaking with panelists S.K. Ali and Nadia Hohn as well as moderator Glen Huser about our faculty and student experiences in writing programs and schools.

Have you considered a degree in creative writing? What degrees are out there? What is the workload? What can you gain? And – is it worth the money?

Date and Time: March 10, 7 p.m. ET
Guests are welcome, and can contact office@canscaip.org to request the Zoom link.


Fresh Stories for a New World: Finding Your Stories Through a Practice of Side-Writing

As part of SCBWI Canada East’s Digging Deeper series, I’ll be delivering a virtual workshop.

Our world has been going through extraordinary changes, and so have we as writers. Who are you now? What stories are currently simmering within you, waiting to be told?

In this hands-on workshop, I’ll explore how to tap into ourselves and our stories through the practice of side-writing, which refers to stepping away from the story on the page to explore the raw heart of it through creative exercises. You’ll explore how side-writing can help us to write true to ourselves, plumb the emotional depths of our characters to better connect to readers, and spark joy and play in our writing.

Date and Time: April 10, 1 to 2 p.m. ET
Cost for members:
$15
Registration closes at noon on April 8.

My Interview on Cabin Tales

Last year, author Catherine Austen began a spooky new podcast for kids and adults called Cabin Tales, which I highly recommend. Catherine is a Canadian author of many excellent books, including including Walking Backward, My Cat Isis, 26 Tips for Surviving Grade 6, 28 Tricks for a Fearless Grade 6, and All Good Children. Please check out her books!

Now, you can listen to Catherine’s interview with me on Cabin Tales. It includes my advice to young writers with writer’s block, and tales of terror from my childhood. (Yes, I was afraid of closets. Maybe I still am.)

New Book Deal: My Third Picture Book

This week, I signed a contract for my third picture book! I’d like to share all the details, but for now, I can tell you that it’s a nonfiction picture book scheduled for Spring 2023 with Groundwood Books. Oh, the anticipation!

This manuscript took 28 drafts (so far) to find its path, and it’s had plenty of help along the way. A shout-out to my critique groups and partners for all their insights. A special shout-out to the Vermont College of Fine Arts, which helped me learn how to write this new-to-me genre. And much gratitude to my agent Ginger Knowlton of Curtis Brown for her support, as well as Groundwood for seeing the potential in this manuscript.

Writer’s Block

No one wants to visit writer’s block. But it happens, especially after months and months of a pandemic. The world can be distracting and disturbing. My brain and body can become too out of kilter to write. I get stuck. I doubt myself and my stories. It happens to all creators at some point.

It can feel like I’m wandering in an endless loop. Or like I’m trapped and unable to move.

When I visit schools, I often get asked how I overcome writer’s block. Here are a few ways that have worked for me. Hopefully, you’ll find something that’ll work for you when you get stuck.

Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block

  1. Set a daily word count.
    Sometimes, I need to push my way through a writing block. By writing a little bit every day, I keep my story in my head. I like to set a low daily word count, like 200 words/day. I often write more, but my goal is to get started each day.
      
  2. Put the manuscript in a drawer.
    When I’m not sure what to write next in a story, I write down the unanswered questions I have about the manuscript, then I put it away for a few days, weeks, or months. My subconscious writer’s brain will work on answering the questions while I’m doing other things. When I come back to the manuscript, I’m often surprised to discover that I have the answers to my questions.
      
  3. Get feedback from trusted critique partners.
    I’m a big fan of writing critique groups and partners, partly because it’s hard to be objective about our own writing and partly because I adore spending time with other writers. When I’m stuck, fresh eyes on my manuscript can help me find new ways forward. And helping other writers makes me a better writer too.
      
  4. Re-read what I already wrote on a story.
    When I sit down to write each day, I usually re-read what I wrote on it the day before. Sometimes, I need to re-read an entire draft of a novel to be able to see how to write the next part.
      
  5. Talk with a friend about why I’m stuck.
    I often talk to a friend or family member when I’m stuck. As I talk, the problem usually comes into focus. Sometimes, they have ideas that spark me. Either way, I feel supported and ready to dive back in.
      
  6. Write outside of the story.
    Some people call this “side writing,” and it can take many forms. For example, I might write a scene from a different character’s point of view, write a letter from one character to another, brainstorm ideas for what might happen next, ask my character a series of questions to get to know them better, write a poem about my story, and so on. There are a million ways to do side writing, but basically, the goals are to play with your story, to loosen up, to get to know your story and characters better, and to re-kindle your writing.
      
  7. Take a writing class or read about writing craft.
    When I’m struggling with a manuscript, sometimes I need to learn more about how to tackle a particular writing challenge. For example, I took screen-writing courses when I had trouble with plotting, and I regularly read books about writing for tips and techniques.
      
  8. Take a break.
    Not every day is a writing day. It’s okay not to write for days or even months at a time. Sometimes, I need to get away from my writing desk to rest and recover or to experience the world. So if writing is slow, consider taking a nap, going for a walk, or even launching a grand adventure! Of course, these days, that will be six-feet apart and wearing a mask, but we can still find ways to adventure.

If you have other suggestions for overcoming writer’s block, please let me know. I’d love to hear them!

New Writing Space, New Beginning

My writing space has been in transition for three years as I’ve moved from home to home to home. And during this time, most of my books have been in cardboard boxes, shuffled from place to place. I’ve missed them.

One great thing about writing is that it’s accessible. Anyone can do it with only a pen and paper. On a phone. On the back of a grocery bill.

I’ve learned to write in cafés and libraries. While I’m walking or lying in bed. Even in doctor’s waiting rooms. It’s good to know that I can write wherever I am.

Now, I’m in a fresh, new writing space with a new desk and – best of all – bookshelves. Right now, they’re empty, ready to welcome my books. I don’t want to rush this unpacking. I want to figure out how to organize them. By genre? By size? By colour? So many possibilities.

What will I write in this space? What new stories will come to be? What frustrations will I face? I can only imagine the possibilities. But at least I’ll face them with my books, spines out, pages full of facts and stories that are my old, familiar friends.

Cabin Tales: A Spooky Podcast for Kids

It was great fun to be part of Cabin Tales, a spooky new podcast for kids and adults.

It’s a new project from Catherine Austen, author of many books including my personal favourite All Good Children.

Each episode of Cabin Tales focuses on one aspect of creative writing, such as setting. They include original spooky stories, excerpts from creepy classics, and writing tips from authors like me. The stories are deliciously monstrous – ones you might tell around a campfire to scare your friends – so Catherine warns that they’re not for very young listeners.

Cabin Tales also encourages young writers to share their own stories with fun weekly prompts. I hope you check it out!

Kan’t Draw Komics: Happiness is…

A global pandemic. Self-isolation. Health worries. No work. Too much work. Unsafe work. Unsafe streets. Blatant racism on display in the most gut-wrenching ways. These days, it can be hard to concentrate. Hard to sleep. Hard to see the way forward.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had trouble reading and writing over the last five months. My mind races from one dire situation to the next. I’m easily distracted. And if you’re one of those people who can’t concentrate, who can’t read right now, that’s okay. However you feel, that’s okay.

When I’m awake at night worrying and wishing I could get back to sleep, I remember when I was a kid, when I used to stay awake on purpose, vowing to read the whole night through. Sometimes I would set a stack of comic books beside my bed, determined to read them all. Other times, I’d read a novel under the covers. Reading has always been a joyful escape, and writing too.

Is there a book that might help you escape right now? That might bring you happiness?

Or maybe you have a story inside you that wants to be written? That helps you move forward? If you do, I hope you write that story.

New Book Deal: My Second Picture Book

A year ago, I announced my debut picture book – a story of two siblings told in just 230 words to be published by Owlkids Books in Fall 2021. Yesterday, I reviewed the illustration roughs for it by Anna Kwan, and they were brimming with life and emotion. I can’t wait to share more about this book!

Now, I’m excited to announce that I’ve signed a contract with Owlkids Books for a second picture book! I’m thrilled to be working with the talented Owlkids team once again. This time, it’s a nonfiction picture book, and I’ll share more about it later. The germ of the idea began when I was watching a documentary, and after much research, I wrote my first draft in my third semester at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Fifteen drafts later, it was accepted for publication, which is scheduled for Fall 2022.

A special shout-out to my critique partners who patiently read many drafts, to VCFA faculty William Alexander and Cynthia Leitich Smith for critiquing early drafts, and to my agent Ginger Knowlton of Curtis Brown for her support.

Time to celebrate!

Agent News

Although our world is horribly out of sorts right now, I’d like to share some happy news. On Friday, I signed an agent contract with Ginger Knowlton of Curtis Brown! I’m super excited to begin this next stage of my writing journey with such a talented agent. Thank you, Ginger!

I’d also like to acknowledge that I didn’t get here on my own. My critique groups and partners have always been both tough and kind with their feedback. My east-end café writers helped to create a comfortable place to write when I didn’t have one. The students and faculty at the Vermont College of Fine Arts were instrumental in supporting and encouraging me, particularly my Writers Without Borders, my Goodnight Noises, as well as my faculty advisors:

  • Liz Garton Scanlon, who guided me into the world of writing picture books with a rigorous attention to language and a steady, nurturing hand.
  • A.M. Jenkins, who helped me move beyond planning-type thinking to tap into my characters’ deepest, rawest, primal feelings.
  • William Alexander, who encouraged me to balance intense focus with play, fun, and whimsy. Will, I vow to “trust my wyrd”!
  • Alan Cumyn, who taught me how to plumb the depths with each successive rewrite.

Special thanks to Martha Brockenbrough, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, and Cynthia Leitich Smith for going the extra mile to help me.

I raise my morning dark roast to you all!

My MFA Journey (the Final Chapter)

Note: I’ve been writing about my journey during my MFA at the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) in Writing for Children and Young Adults. You can read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8 as well. And now, for my final MFA post…

I graduated! Two years went by so fast. I can’t quite believe I’m done.

My final residency was a celebration from start to finish as each grad in my cohort delivered a lecture as well as a reading from their creative thesis. It’s fascinating to witness the growth of writers through this program and how it radically and fundamentally changes them. Add to that the usual workshops, faculty lectures, plus specialty seminars, and this residency was jammed-packed writing fun.

Relaxing before my lecture. Notice my light-bulb dress? It made my lecture illuminating!

It’s hard to explain how this program has changed me. It’s like it disassembled then re-assembled me as a writer. It expanded my scope in terms of genre and form, and it helped me plumb emotional depths to find my stories and characters. It also gave me the language to identify where a story isn’t working yet and the techniques to re-imagine it.

Dorm life.

But even though I now have an MFA in Writing, I’ll never finish learning how to perfect this thing called writing. It is impossible to perfect, which is one reason why I adore it so much.

My Hogwarts.

Before I began this program, I had to think long and hard about why I was taking it, and I decided that it couldn’t be because of the promise of whatever publishing contracts may come. It had to be for the sheer joy of building my writing craft and community. This program delivered that and so much more.

My brilliant cohort. I’m grateful to know them.

For one thing, I have access to future VCFA lectures and critical theses, so I can continue to learn and grow. And the VCFA community is warm and welcoming even beyond graduation.

Now, I begin the next stage of my journey with my post-MFA plans firmly in place. I plan to continue to put writing first, and strive for goals that are within my control. I plan to play with words, and make time for pondering and self-exploration. I plan to revise and re-imagine till my word shine. And I hope to share my new craft knowledge through workshops and classes.

My costume for our Space Disco dance included a homemade
jet pack. To VCFA and beyond!

My MFA Journey (Part 8)

Note: I’ve been writing about my journey during my MFA at the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) in Writing for Children and Young Adults. You can read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7 as well.

I’ve just finished my final semester! What a journey it’s been! Next stop—graduating residency!

For the last six months, I’ve been working with my fabulous faculty advisor Alan Cumyn, author of a slew of wonderful novels, like his latest one, North to Benjamin, about a boy named Edgar and the farty, lovable Newfoundland dog he cares for. My overall creative goal this semester was exploring how to write emotionally rich characters who compel readers to turn the page and publishers to say, “Yes!” Alan provided in-depth responses to my work through on-page comments, editorial letters, and video calls. His big-picture comments prompted deep revision while his enthusiasm and kindness celebrated what worked.

Fourth semester is all about writing a creative thesis, which is submission-ready creative work, and well as an academic lecture. For my creative, I revised twenty-two chapters of a middle-grade novel, and I wrote eight new chapters to complete a full draft. Through discussion with Alan, I have a plan for another round of revisions. I also revised three picture books, and my creative thesis is a combination of a fiction picture book, a nonfiction picture book and chapters from my novel. I leave this program with a pile of manuscripts to continue to work on as well as a writer’s toolbox that’s overflowing!

My lecture is titled “Peeking Beyond Our Cultural Blinders,” and I’ll be delivering it at my graduating residency in January 2020. I plan to talk about how our cultural blinders can get in the way of understanding our characters. Using insights from contemporary cultural anthropologists and touching on the #OwnVoices movement, I’ll introduce tools we can use to identify our characters’ deep-level cultural beliefs as compared to our own. I’ll focus on family culture since that’s where we first learn and express our beliefs, and show how cultural orientations provide motivation for how characters feel, what they do, what they say, and how they change. Writing this lecture has given me more confidence as a speaker and mentor, and I hope I’ll get the chance to share more of my new writing-craft knowledge with others.

At my graduating residency, I’ll also be delivering a reading from my creative thesis. And I’ll be celebrating the many talented writers I’ve been lucky enough to share this journey with. VCFA is a caring, supportive community, and I’ve met so many incredible people who’ve become lifelong friends. Here are a few friends from my class, who I’ll miss seeing at residency every six months!

Want more? You can read my final MFA post.

My Latest Komics

I’ve been having fun drawing my Kan’t Draw Komics, which I started because I’m a terrible artist. You can read more about that in this post. Here are my latest ones.

As author Jane Smiley said, “Every first draft is perfect, because all a first draft has to do is exist.”

May your story garden thrive!

Personally, I’m not sure the revision stage ever ends. That’s one of the wonderful and challenging parts of writing.

You can read more of my comics on my Kan’t Draw Komics page.

My MFA Journey (Part 7)

Note: I’ve been writing about my journey during my MFA at the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) in Writing for Children and Young Adults. You can read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6 as well.

I kicked off my fourth and final semester with a two-week residency that left me inspired and emotional. I was touched by how many faculty and students read or lectured on topics that left them open and vulnerable. I’m reminded yet again how deeply creators must connect to their characters in order to encourage readers to care for them as well.

A highlight of my residency was a workshop on writing within and across identity elements, facilitated by the inspirational Cynthia Leitich Smith, who’s latest YA novel Hearts Unbroken dismantles stereotypes. In it, Louise Wolfe deals with the challenges of “dating while Native.” She also attempts to uncover who’s behind a coalition against the school musical director’s ethnically inclusive approach to casting. From our workshop, I’ve culled a list of strategies, techniques and issues to ponder when writing within and across identity elements. Thank you, Cynthia!

Now I’m back home and writing my creative thesis, which means I’ll focus on how to use my newly developed skills to bring creative pages to a professional polish. I plan to revise a middle-grade novel as well as several picture books – both fiction and nonfiction. I also hope to explore some new, fledgling ideas.

And I’ll be preparing an academic lecture based on the critical thesis I wrote last semester. I want to help writers, including myself, peek behind our cultural blinders to identify our characters’ deep-level cultural beliefs as well as our own. I’ll touch on the #OwnVoices movement and explore how to develop culturally rich characters.

And lucky me! I get to do all this with my new faculty advisor Alan Cumyn! If you haven’t yet read his latest, North to Benjamin, you’re in for a treat. In it, Edgar moves to Dawson City with his mother so she can start over yet again, but this time their new home comes with a dog-sitting job. As Edgar’s mother starts to upend the lives of those around them one more time, Edgar takes refuge in his friendship with the farty, lovable Newfoundland dog, Benjamin, so much so that his words come out as barks. I love Edgar’s doggy traits as he tries to figure out what to do next.

Wish me luck as I start my deep dive into my semester work!

Want more? You can read Part 8 and my final MFA post.

How to Revise a Picture Book (Part 2)

During my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, I wrote about how to revise picture-book manuscripts. I’m happy to share this as a two-part article in the CANSCAIP News.

The first part was published in the Spring issue, and it focuses on beginnings and endings. Now, the Summer issue includes the second part on how to revise the messy middle.

For the article, I visited my local archive—the Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books in Toronto—to seek original manuscripts that became acclaimed picture books. I then analyzed how three authors revised their manuscripts, including Kathy Stinson’s Red is Best (illustrated by Robin Baird Lewis, published by Annick Press), Linda Granfield’s The Road to Afghanistan (illustrated by Brian Deines, published by Scholastic Canada), and Paulette Bourgeois’s Franklin in the Dark (illustrated by Brenda Clark, published by Kids Can Press).

Many thanks to the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers for publishing both parts. Thanks also to Kathy Stinson, Linda Granfield, and Paulette Bourgeois for permission to quote from their archived material. Happy revising!

My MFA Journey (Part 6)

Note: I’ve been writing about my journey during my MFA at the Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) in Writing for Children and Young Adults. You can read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 as well.

I’m finishing my third semester with my fabulous faculty advisor Will Alexander, author of fantasy and science fiction for young readers, including his most recent book, A Festival of Ghosts, which you must read if you haven’t already!

This semester, Will suggested on-point mentor texts and critical essays that shaped my thinking, he provided writing exercises that gave me techniques to address challenges, and he provided feedback that inspired and challenged me to succeed. He confirmed when I was on track and guided me with enthusiasm when I was not. He celebrated successes with me, both big and small, and truly cared about my development as a writer. Will, I’m so very grateful!

The third semester is all about the critical thesis, which is actually more fun than it sounds because you pick a writing-craft topic that you want to learn about in more detail. For me, that topic was culture and character development.

My premise was that cultural development is not only for characters who are labeled as diverse; it is for all characters. I limited this exploration to family culture, which shows where our characters first develop their beliefs, and peer culture, which shows where they apply those beliefs. I demonstrated that our characters’ cultural orientations provide motivation for how they feel, what they do and say, and how they change—all of which are basic building blocks for story. I developed character cultural development tools that writers can use to gain story insights as well as insights into how they relate to their characters, and I connected this topic to the #OwnVoices movement.

This topic is personally important to me because I want to authentically portray the diverse community in which I live and write. As writers, we’re familiar with how to integrate surface-level cultural elements into a story, perhaps by using slang, describing food or fashion, or using a festival as a setting. However, we should also understand the deep-level beliefs behind those elements. In addition, awareness of how our own cultural orientations differ from our characters’ will help us identify beliefs, feelings, and behaviours that come from ourselves, rather than them. It can also help us identify if we are the ideal writer to tell a particular story.

Now, my critical thesis will join the many others at VCFA’s Gary Library as part of their canon of critical thought on children’s literature. I must be a geek because that makes me excited!

This semester, I also read and analyzed books in a wide range of genres — picture books, chapter books, poetry, novels for kids and teens, graphic novels, novels in verse, short stories for kids and teens, fairy tales, nonfiction, memoir, and essays on writing craft. I listened to 21 audio-recorded VCFA lectures and read many critical theses.

For my creative work, my overall goal this semester was to explore the micro-level craft techniques for emotional depth on the page and macro-level techniques for the emotional structure of a story in both short fiction and novels. Here’s what I wrote over the last six months:

  • I wrote three flash fiction stories to play with how to generate emotionally deep characters.
  • I revised several picture books, and I’m thrilled that one of those now has a contract with Owlkids Books!
  • I wrote and revised a new narrative nonfiction picture book, which I’m super excited about!
  • I wrote a solid draft of over three-quarters of a middle-grade fantasy novel that I can’t stop thinking about!

I can’t begin to explain all the ways this program has changed me as a writer. With one more semester to go, it’s not over yet.

My fourth semester starts in July with a residency filled with workshops, lectures, and readings — and a new faculty advisor. In my final semester, I’ll be completing a creative thesis and preparing a lecture. But first, I need a few weeks to rest up for the fun and hard work to come!

Want more? You can read Part 7, Part 8, and my final MFA post.