Welcome back to our series, 20 QUESTIONS!,
where we answer questions about writing, reading, and author life.
This month’s question:
What’s your top piece of advice for aspiring authors and illustrators of all ages?
Darshana Khiani
Follow your curiosity.
—Darshana Khiani, author of HOW TO WEAR A SARI, illus. Joanne Lew-Vriethoff (Versify, 2021)
Kelly Carey
It’s very easy to get stuck in the “thinking about” phase of becoming a writer. To get over that hurdle, aspiring writers need to build intention and structure around their writing. This can mean committing to writing at least twenty minutes a day or devoting a specific day a week to writing. I’m partial to Writing Wednesdays—it has that nice alliteration. Your writing dream needs a concrete plan and goals. For help with that check out www.24CarrotWriting.com, a goal-setting blog I host with fellow authors. It’s full of good advice and help as you kick off your writing journey.
—Kelly Carey, author of HOW LONG IS FOREVER?, illus. Qing Zhuang (Charlesbridge, 2020)
Kim Rogers
My top answer will always be this: READ, READ, READ, and READ some more. It’s the best way to see how books are written, which ones work and which ones don’t, and what is currently selling in the marketplace.
—Kim Rogers (Wichita), author of JUST LIKE GRANDMA, illus. Julie Flett (Cree-Métis) (Heartdrum/HarperCollins, winter 2023)
Anna Crowley Redding
Run your own race! It’s easy to compare yourself to others, but then you aren’t focused on what you need to do. And you can end up feeling like your efforts/talents/etc. are not enough. Wake up each day and focus on what YOU need to do to take the next step in your journey. Run your own race.
—Anna Crowley Redding, author of COURAGE LIKE KATE, illus. Emily Sutton (Random House Studio, August 2022)
Colleen Paeff
Keep a toe in the water. Life will throw situations at you that can make it hard to stay focused on building a career in writing, and during those times you may be tempted to get out of the pool completely. Don’t do it! Even if you aren’t writing, keep reading like a writer, watch writing-focused webinars, listen to podcasts about publishing, take the occasional writing workshop, jot down story ideas. When life eases up and you’re ready to dive back into writing, you’ll be a much stronger swimmer—er, writer—than you were before.
—Colleen Paeff, author of THE GREAT STINK: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem, illus. Nancy Carpenter (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2021)