 John August  Kathryn Ormsbee  Daniel Jose Older |
What: Texas Book Festival 2018 program Fantasy Meets Reality Subject: In fiction, there is some fantasy and some reality in all writing. Three authors talked about their writing and how they dealt with reality. The panel consisted of: John August (Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire) Kathryn Ormsbee (The House in Popular Wood) Daniel Jose Older (Dactyl Hill Squad) Their bios: Born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, John August earned a degree in journalism from Drake University and an MFA in film from USC. As a screenwriter, his credits include Big Fish, Charlie’s Angels, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, and Frankenweenie. In addition to his film career, he hosts a popular weekly podcast, Scriptnotes, with Craig Mazin. He also created the Writer Emergency Pack, an educational storytelling tool that was distributed to over 2,000 classrooms in partnership with non-profit literacy groups like 826LA and NaNoWriMo. John and his family live in Los Angeles. Visit: www.johnaugust.com K. E. Ormsbee writes books for children and young adults. Her debut novel, The Water and the Wild, a children’s portal fantasy, was published in 2015 by Chronicle Books and followed by sequels The Doorway and the Deep (2016) and The Current and the Cure (2018). The House in Poplar Wood was published by Chronicle in Fall 2018 and is a Junior Library Guild Selection, as well as the recipient of starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. Ormsbee’s next Middle Grade novel, The Sardines of Strange Street, will be published by Disney-Hyperion in 2019. Ormsbee is also the author of YA contemporary novels Lucky Few and Tash Hearts Tolstoy, and the upcoming The Great Unknowable End (Simon & Schuster BFYR). She lives in Austin, Texas, where she writes all manner of stories and produces two weekly podcasts. You can find her online at www.keormsbee.com Daniel José Older has always loved monsters, whether historical, prehistorical, or imaginary. His debut series for young adults, the Shadowshaper Cypher, has earned starred reviews, the International Latino Book Award, and New York Times Notable Book and NPR Best Books of the Year picks, among other accolades. He has worked as a bike messenger, a waiter, a teacher, and was a New York City paramedic for ten years. Daniel splits his time between Brooklyn and New Orleans. |
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Comments they made in response to questions: Revising a Manuscript: John August – When revising your story, see what gets you excited as the scenes develop. But don’t revise so much that you lose the spark that made those scenes special. Kathryn Ormsbee – Before you sit down to revise, go for a walk, make some tea. If you have time, see a movie and talk to people. That’s a way to get input that you never thought of. Daniel Jose Older – Before I start revising, I write in a journal, even writing boring thoughts. I’ll listen to a song. It helps me center. Can’t be in a hurry about it. Once centered, I can attack the problem of revising. How did you do in school? Older – I had a hard time in school. Some subjects I couldn’t figure out why it was necessary to learn a particular subject. When I trained as an EMT, I did well in the training, because I saw the need for what an EMT does. An EMT saves lives. The reason to do well in school was to pass the course, and that’s not sufficient motivation. Ormsbee – I loved music and dance in school. I checked out a lot of books. I didn’t see how math applied to life. When I saw that my father used math in his engineering work, I understood the need for math. I wrote my first book when I was 12. It was 1.5 pages long. August – I loved math. It had rules. I loved to write and read. My mom read what I wrote when I was growing up. As an audience, my mom inspired me. Dealing with Rejections: August – I get a lot of rejections as a screen writer. When we write a book, no one can stop us. Ormsbee – I am an English major. Rejection is tough. It’s good when you get the same criticism, because you learn the hard way that you must be doing something wrong. I got an agent at age 19. Older – My first book was rejected 40 times. But the book did get published and ended up being a NY Times Bestseller. The rejections prompted me to make changes that improved the book. We all get rejections. Rejections hurt our feelings. But you get over it and go on. Many of my books were rejected first before being published. About Writing: August – You can’t force kids to write. They will write when the time is right. Ormsbee – I write what I want to read. Older – The definition of writing is too narrow. Cartooning is writing. Music is writing. It’s good to look for non-traditional ways of writing. About Editing Ormsbee – You've got a book in at the publishing company. You don't hear from the editor for months and then all of a sudden you do. They have edits and suggestions and then there is a crunch to get it done. You just have to make the time. August – You've got that first book in the editor's hands and you are waiting for them to get back to you. You just have to go on and write on that second or third book until you hear from them. What book do you want to write? August - Write the book you want to read. Then share it. Let people see it and see if they love it, too. Ormsbee – When I started writing, I started writing fan fiction. That gave me feedback. Then focus on your story. If people talk about your book, that's good. Word of mouth is still the best advertising. Older – Be in a community of other writers. Support other writers because that's what writers do – support each other. You've also got to think of the business of writing, what you have to do to promote your book. But don't let all that business distract you from your next book. Making stories is the best thing you can do. Regrets? Ormsbee –Once my book is published, I don't read my book – because I'll end up finding something that I regret doing. |