For Writers

Interview with Michele Weber Hurwitz, author of ETHAN MARCUS MAKES HIS MARK!

By on November 29, 2018   /   Articles, Author Interviews, Writing  

Hello Mixed Up Filers!

Have I got a treat for you!

Today, I’m pleased to be joined by a former long-time Mixed-Up Files member, Michele Weber Hurwitz, whose book, Ethan Marcus Makes his Mark, came out this week from Aladdin.

JR: Hi, Michele and thanks for joining us today.

MWH: I’m happy to be back for a visit! I’ve missed you all.

 

JR: Before we begin, can you tell us a little bit about Ethan Marcus Makes his Mark?

MWH: Siblings Ethan and Erin Marcus are invited to attend a prestigious invention camp during winter break of 7th grade. The camp is run by the enigmatic, mysterious tech-entrepreneur sensation, Zak Canzeri, known to the world as Z. Fidgety Ethan wants to finally create a working desk-evator (a device to allow kids to stand at their classroom desks), which he flubbed at his school’s Invention Day, and perfectionist Erin wants to beat her archenemy Marlon Romanov, who’s also invited. Marlon thinks girls aren’t as good as boys at science. But at the camp, both Ethan and Erin question their abilities against a roomful of geniuses. On the last day, they team up with two new friends and think of a spectacular invention – if there’s enough time to create it and present to the judges.

JR: This is a sequel to last year’s highly entertaining Ethan Marcus Stands Up. Did you already have the idea for a sequel, or was this something that happened after the first book came out?

MWH: I worked on the first Ethan book for three years. I kept narrating the story solely in Ethan’s voice and it just wasn’t right, draft after draft. In the eleventh draft, I switched the narration to five different alternating viewpoints and it all came together, then sold quickly to Simon & Schuster/Aladdin. I felt there was more to the story, and asked my agent if we could pitch a second book. I wrote up a synopsis for a sequel, and the editor loved the idea. So the deal was made right from the outset for two books.

JR: That’s amazing! This story takes place in a camp, and I saw on your website that one of your favorite jobs was working as a counselor. I always loved my time working as a counselor, as well. Did you put any of your experiences in the book?

MWH: Not really, because I worked at a day camp in the summer, and this book takes place at a technology-invention camp inside a building during the winter. But I did research maker and invention camps and watch a lot of You Tube videos of them.

JR: Where did the idea for this series first come from?

MWH: I feel that so often, initial germs of ideas come from our kids, or kids we know, or things we experience in our daily lives. My son and several of his friends used to frequently complain about all the sitting they did in school. I listened to them, and couldn’t agree more. We’re seeing a lot of flexible seating now in classrooms, and hearing about the detriments of sitting too much during the day. But the spark of the idea came from a comment my son said while I was helping him review for a test. He needed to walk around our family room while I quizzed him. He told me that his “brain works better when I’m moving around.” I remember thinking, hmm…there’s a story there.

JR: Both books are done in multiple points of view. Was that fun or difficult?

MWH: I absolutely loved writing in multiple POVs. As I mentioned, I didn’t do that at first. But when I got into that rhythm, it felt like how kids talk in a group, or exchange comments on social media posts. It also made me realize how much people see situations and experiences from a different lens, and we need to appreciate that not everyone draws the same conclusions we do.

JR: You’re a multi-published author. How have you found the progression from book to book? Any easier or just as difficult each time?

MWH: Each book presents its own challenges. I thought it would get easier, but honestly, I can’t say that it has! Every time I’ve finished a book, I feel like I’ll never have the energy to write another one, and each time I get the revision notes from my editor, I don’t know how I’m going to possibly pull it all together.

JR: That sounds very familiar. What’s your writing process like?

MWH: I work at home, on my giant screen desktop computer. I’ve tried coffee shops but they’re too noisy and distracting. My office overlooks our tree filled backyard, and it’s only 23 steps to the kitchen pantry, so that can be detrimental at times. I usually write or revise most of the morning, then take a lunch break and walk, then put in a few more hours in the afternoon. As for my process, I think what’s worked for me is that I do a lot of thinking about a story before I start to write. I don’t outline but I have a beginning, middle, and end in mind. Not to mention pages and pages of notes on plot and character. Other than that, I talk to the walls a lot ?

JR: What was your favorite childhood book and who’s your favorite author?

MWH: I read “Island of the Blue Dolphins” by Scott O’Dell over and over. I think mostly, I was enthralled with the concept of living on an island without my annoying two younger brothers to bother me. Now, I’m enamored of Katherine Applegate. Her writing is absolutely brilliant in its simplicity and power.

JR: Something people would be surprised to learn about you?

MWH: I love candy. I mean, borderline obsession. And not Godiva, I’m talking Butterfinger, gummy bears, Caramel Creams, M&Ms. As such, I’ve developed a very specialized palate in the candy department. I’m actually able to tell the difference between pink and white Good ‘n Plentys. My kids think this is an amazing talent. They ask me to close my eyes, then they put one in my mouth, and 95 percent of the time, I can guess the color. It’s a unique gift.

JR: You’re going to have to post a video of you doing that! And btw, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are like Manna from Heaven. But getting back, what’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve received and is there any advice you can give to writers looking to break in?

MWH: I love the Survivor series on the Cynsations blog: http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/  Each post is an interview with a longtime, successful author, and I’m often surprised to find out they still receive rejections and go through ups and downs. I thought that once I published my first book, that was it, I was an “author” and had it made. That wasn’t the case. After my second book was published, I wrote a novel that my agent sent out and it didn’t get an offer. I did a rewrite and it still didn’t sell. It’s hard, I think, to separate out the craft of writing and the business of publishing – they’re very different animals, and it can be easy to compare yourself to others, who seem so successful on social media.

So I’ve learned to put my head down and do the work, to focus on the writing itself – not the reviews, the Goodreads posts, the Amazon ranking. I’ve also learned to accept that this is a long road with many bumps, no matter how many books you’ve published. And much of that road is out of your control, so do what you do best – write. Same advice for writers looking to break in – study craft and learn from books you love before you think about publishing.

 

JR: What are you working on next?

MWH: I just sold my fifth middle grade novel to Wendy Lamb Books at Penguin Random House. It takes place in a small lakeside Wisconsin town and will publish in May 2020.

JR: Congrats, that’s great! Is there anything that else you want to share with our readers or perhaps tell them how they can follow you on social media?

MWH: Visit my website at micheleweberhurwitz.com. I’m on Twitter @MicheleWHurwitz and Instagram @micheleweberhurwitz. Two other lessons I’ve learned is that walking is a great help to my writing. Like too much sitting in the classroom, when I get up and move, I’m invariably able to work out a trouble spot in a story. (My son knew what he was talking about.) And, don’t be afraid to take risks in your writing. I made the leap to multi POV narration with the Ethan books, and it made all the difference.

JR: When you were here, I always said, that you had been my favorite Mixed-Up Files member. Now, in 10,000 words or more, tell me why I’m your favorite.

Ha! I’ve always enjoyed your posts ?

JR: Well, you’re only around 9,995 words short, but according to the text messages I’m receiving from Dorian Cirrone, I’ve gone over my allotted time again, but I sincerely want to thank Michele Weber Hurwitz for agreeing to be interviewed, and best of luck with Ethan Marcus Makes his Mark!

Get Ethan Marcus over at: IndieBound

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#KidsNeedMentors: Connecting Authors to Classrooms

By on November 23, 2018   /   Articles, For Teachers, For Writers  

Kids Need Mentors | Skype Visit | https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/

#KidsNeedMentors is one of the coolest things happening in the kidlit world this year! A new program, #KidsNeedMentors is connecting working authors to classrooms full of kids. I managed to snag Jarrett Lerner, one of the founders of #KidsNeedMentors, for an interview this month, so he could tell us more about the program and how it has managed to get authors and teachers working together in ways that are making a difference.

 

Introduce us to #KidsNeedMentors.

Kids Need Mentors | Skype Visit | https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/I was a book-loving, comic book-making, short story-writing kid, but I didn’t realize that I could actually be a professional creator until I was in my 20s. If I’d met an author or illustrator when I was younger, if I’d come to see that they were also just book-loving people who’d put in a lot of work to get where they were, if I’d been given even the slightest bit of acknowledgement, validation, encouragement – or even just information! – from them, it would’ve changed my life.

#KidsNeedMentors is a program aimed at increasing and enhancing both creator-educator collaboration and creator-kid interaction so that young lives can be enriched and bettered, if not dramatically changed, through the power and love of reading and books. Instead of creators doing a single visit (either virtually or in person), they are linked up with a single classroom or library for the duration of the school year – meaning multiple visits and a variety of kinds of interaction.

The overwhelming majority of kids’ book creators want to connect with kids. They want to make a difference in young people’s lives. That’s a large part of what drives so many of them. #KidsNeedMentors gives them yet one more opportunity to make those connections and differences.

The other side of this is the creator-educator collaboration. Along with the program’s other organizers, I believe that kids’ book creators and kids’ educators are colleagues. The more we collaborate, the more we share with and learn from and understand one another, the better we can all do our jobs.

Kids Need Mentors | Skype Visit | https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/


Like most good things, this was a collaborative effort. Can you tell us how you, Ann Braden, Kristin Crouch, and Kristen Picone initially connected and how #KidsNeedMentors came to be?

Ann, Kristen, Kristin, and I had already been connected online, and I knew them as three amazing, inspiring powerhouses in the kid lit community. And I came to know Ann’s talent for organizing after working with her on #KidsNeedBooks – which isn’t so much a program, but a rallying cry that we’ve been encouraging others to take up and spread, all in the name of flooding so-called “book deserts” with books and just generally getting more books into kids’ hands.

Not long after all of that got going, Ann and I spoke a couple times about the idea of creating a program that not only got more books into schools and libraries, but more book creators into those same spaces – all in an effort to change kids’ perceptions of books, book-reading, book-making, book-makers, and to boost their confidence in the power and value of their unique voices. One morning back in May, after a UK-based author launched an author-student pen pal program on Twitter, Ann and I got to talking about it all again. Kristen and Kristin — being the incredibly giving, caring, and student-focused individuals they are — immediately offered to be a part of the organizational team, even though they knew it would require a tremendous amount of time and effort! The four of us spent the rest of the morning hashing out ideas and talking about logistics, and after a few “Should we do this?” “We should do this.” “Should we do this?” back-and-forths, we finally said, Let’s do this. We put out some sign-up sheets and, within 24 hours, had hundreds of educators and authors on board.

 

Kids Need Mentors | Skype Visit | https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/The program has been up and running in schools for several months now. What impact are you seeing?

Ann, Kristen, Kristin, and I had high hopes for the program, but they have already been far surpassed. Self-described “non-readers” have become proud readers. Kids’ confidence in their own creativity and their own creations – their own voice – has been increased. By interacting with their mentees regularly, by sharing their work and lives and favorite books with them, our mentors are showing these kids that they matter to an adult other than their parent, guardian, and/or teacher – an adult whose name and picture is on actual, real-live BOOKS! That’s pretty cool. 10-year-old Jarrett is SUPER jealous.

To follow along with the program and see the impact it’s having, follow the #KidsNeedMentors hashtag on Twitter. Participants are posting about the amazing things they’re doing all the time!

 


Kids Need Mentors | Skype Visit | https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/In addition to helping create the program, you are personally mentoring classes. Tell us about your experience as a #KidsNeedMentors Mentor.

I Skype several times a week with different classrooms. These sessions typically last 30 minutes – enough time for me to do a very brief presentation and then take questions from the kids. But for some kids, it takes that long just to get comfortable, to work up the confidence to raise their hand and ask a question. And even if all the kids are engaged and actively participating from the get-go, often it’s at minute 28 that we land on some really interesting, fun, and/or productive topic. On my end, I’m lucky if I get to know a little bit about each kid in the room. But more often than not, that’s not the case.

So far this year, I’ve Skyped multiple times with my two mentee classes, and been lucky enough to visit each classroom once, and it’s been incredible. I really feel like I’m coming to know these kids – what they like to read and how they write, yes, but also who they are. Where their interests lie. What they’re passionate about. Who they want to be. Because of all this, when I, say, run a workshop for them on Creating Compelling Characters, we are hyper-productive, and I think (and hope!) that the kids get more out of such learning than they would if we’d all just met that day.

I hope, by the end of the year, that the kids come to see me as a friend (if they don’t see me as that already!), as another adult who cares about them, their well-being, and their future.

 

I know more teachers and authors would love to take part in #KidsNeedMentors. Can you let them know how they can sign up for next year?

Toward the end of this school year, we’ll make some announcements and open signups, so I guess the best thing to do would be to keep an eye on our social media feeds. We’ll definitely be nice and loud about it! We also have a large waitlist of educators who signed up for this first year but didn’t get matched, and it will be our top priority to get them and their students involved in the second year. Our hope is that everyone who wants to be involved, can be involved.

 

Kids Need Mentors | Jarrett Lerner | https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/Jarrett Lerner is the author of EngiNerds and its forthcoming sequel, Revenge of the EngiNerds (Simon & Schuster/Aladdin). He cofounded and helps run the MG Book Village, an online hub for all things Middle Grade, and is the co-organizer of the #KidsNeedBooks and #KidsNeedMentors projects. He can be found at jarrettlerner.com, on Twitter at @Jarrett_Lerner, and on Instagram at @jarrettlerner. He lives in Medford, Massachusetts, with his wife, his daughter, and a cat.

Jarrett and Ann are the author masterminds behind #KidsNeedMentors. Their books are:

Kids Need Mentors | Jarrett Lerner | https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/

Kids Need Mentors | Jarrett Lerner | https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/

Kids Need Mentors | Ann Braden | https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/

 

 

 

 

 

Ann can be found on Twitter at:

Ann Braden — @annbradenbooks

 

You can find Kristin and Kristen, the teacher masterminds behind #KidsNeedMentors, on Twitter at:

Kristin Crouch — @KCreadsALOT

Kristen Picone — @Kpteach5

 

Thanks for sharing the program with us, Jarrett. Are any of our teacher or author readers participating in #KidsNeedMentors this year? If so, please comment below and tell us about your experience.

 

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In Writing About Characters, Are We Neglecting Relationships?

By on November 19, 2018   /   For Writers, Writing  

I’ve been thinking lately about how much craft and practice I’ve devoted to characters—their traits, their goals, and their development arcs—compared with how little I’ve ever pre-planned the relationships that tie these characters together. In my experience, fictional relationships seem always to arise organically from a given configuration of characters, setting, and plot, although there’s no reason to expect that this would always have to be the case.

What would happen, I’ve been wondering, if I created a set of relationships first and built the characters afterward? Could I plan a series of relationship arcs first and most importantly, and then build a plot to bring those relationships about? What would such a story look like if I set aside my character profiles and worked instead from a set of relationship profiles?

One result would be that things get complicated quickly. You can see why by drawing character dots and relationship lines to connect them. Two dots can be connected with one line, representing two people connected by a single relationship. But three lines are required to connect three dots, six lines to connect four dots, and ten lines to connect five dots. A story with even just a dozen characters would contain over sixty relationships among them!

Now, consider that each of these relationships is an entity that evolves and changes over time, and plays off of other relationships in the same way that characters play off of other characters. Friendships are strained. Romances blossom. Family dynamics turn this way and that. And each character is defined by multiple roles in an interactive social web that’s larger than the sum of its parts.

If that’s not enough to make your head spin, think of the null relationships, representing strangers. Every pair of characters who pass on the street will have second- or third-level social connections in common. A character on the bus is connected in some way or another with each of other passengers without even knowing it. But once we’ve mapped those connections, we can develop the scene in a more realistic manner.

Relationships exist at a higher level of abstraction. But I suspect that if a writer were able to work effectively at that level, the payoff would be a more emotionally satisfying story. Some authors may already do that, at least subconsciously. But if this were common practice, writing manuals, workshops, and teachers would focus more heavily on relationships rather than just on characters.

Or maybe a relationship-based story would be unwritable or, worse, unreadable. Maybe the better solution is a hybrid approach that sees in each character the effect of numerous relationships, and develops the more important relationships as characters in their own right, born in a first meeting, growing and maturing over time, and possibly dying through neglect or trauma.

If you write, do you focus primarily on characters or on relationships? If you teach writing, do you encourage your students to develop the relationships between their characters? Let me know in the comments!

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