“A Day in the Life of a Children’s Writer” By Beth Anderson

​Coming off the Olympics, the life of a writer probably won’t sound very exciting. But actually, it’s much like figure skating with its subjective judging, slalom with obstacle after obstacle, and the half-pipe with its ups and downs. A typical day, though, sounds more like curling.
 
After I exercise, eat breakfast, and attain an acceptable level of presentability, I fill a mug with coffee and head to the study. I’m a list person, so I’ll give it to you straight.

1. Check email. (Then try to avoid the DING distraction as notices proceed to pop up throughout the day. There are a few that get immediate attention…from my agent, an editor, a resource like Library of Congress…)
2. Get busy…what I’m doing depends on what stage of an idea or manuscript I’m on.
   1. If I’m in the research phase, I’m googling, reading, adding notes to my spiral (with my ever evolving special organization method J), brainstorming, printing off articles,  requesting books from the library, contacting various organizations, searching for and studying mentor texts. Brain is roiling as one thing leads to another…. [DING! Rejection: “nice writing, but just not in love with the idea.”]
   2. Drafting – I compose on the computer, but find that brainstorming on paper at various times is beneficial. The different processes bring out different ideas. Then I battle with myself over each line, finding it impossible to resist changing words, revising sentences as I write. So, for me, getting that messy first draft down doesn’t happen quickly. Generally, I’m trying to incorporate research and story points and probably way too many things. But, try as I might, that’s how it plays out. It’s a slow process and may take a few days to complete or revise a draft. Sometimes I get midway and decide the structure isn’t going to carry me through, or the focus is wrong, or ….you know…[DING! Rejection: “Just not for me.”]
   3. If I’ve got feedback to work with or am revising, I often print a copy – 2 pages per sheet, one-sided. Then I can lay it out and see the entire story at once and begin marking points to work on with varied colored highlighters – conflict, characters, opening, ending, arc sections, whatever I need to focus on. [DING! “Needs tighter focus, premise isn’t highly marketable.”]
3. Lunch hits when my husband emerges from the workshop (where he’s building acoustic guitars). Some days or afternoons are taken up with lots of little things - doing critiques for others, blog posts, reading articles on writing, etc., and now I’ve added other tasks related to a the release of AN INCONVENIENT ALPHABET. I keep thinking I should probably set aside a day for random tasks, but the reality of things popping up whenever makes that difficult. When something needs to be done, I’d rather just do it than schedule it for another time. Though I usually work on writing tasks until 4 or 5, my best creative hours are in the morning. A walk in the afternoon helps rejuvenate the brain. (Ooh, great idea floated up, make a note on phone)
4. I NEVER work on a current manuscript in the evening. It’s worse than a double espresso. I’ll be tormented all night with ideas rolling around in my brain. Even if I stop earlier, there’s always a risk. (Ooh, title idea…will I remember it? What if I repeat it a few times to my groggy self? No, scribble on the bedside note pad in the dark and hope you can read it in the morning.)

 
Such is the life of a children’s writer. But, in reality, I get a handful of responses to submitted manuscripts each month. And… [DING! Yay? Someone is interested? WooHoo!] and, if I’m lucky, that long-awaited, much-hoped-for “someone loves it!” happens a few times a year.
 
And so it goes…all because there’s something about the thought of a child
pulling that “idea that became a real book” from the shelf,
laughing,
learning,
asking questions...
and the ultimate win - the elusive “read it again.”
 
AN INCONVENIENT ALPHABET, BEN FRANKLIN & NOAH WEBSTER’S SPELLING REVOLUTION by Beth Anderson, illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley
Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Sept. 25, 2018
Now available for preorder.
https://bethandersonwriter.com