After a bit of a hiatus, I’m happy to present to you another Writers on the Rise interview with writer and illustrator Wendy Martin! Please give her a warm welcome and visit her website.
Hello, Wendy! Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am both writer and illustrator. As far back as I can remember I have been writing stories for my art and vice versa. My first “published” works all appeared in a Jr. High Arts & Literature Yearbook. All the students in the school were eligible to submit to the publication but only a couple of dozen students had their works included. I had both a poem (with someone else’s illustration on it.) and two line drawings included.
Do you still have some of the art and stories you created when you were a kid? Every once and a while I come across some of mine, and it can be amusing to see how similar (and different) they are from what I’m creating now.
I am an unrepentant pack rat. I have art and writing from as far back as elementary school. I also managed to accumulate some of my mother’s college and high school literary attempts.
I think my writing and style have matured over the years. Stylistically, there are certain themes that reappear throughout my fiction stories. I write what I read. I have always been drawn to fantasy and magic. Over the years, as what is acceptable in commercial fiction changes, my writing has changed to conform to the trends. One thing that still holds true today as it did yesterday is writing what you know. I use my experiences in life to fill out the lives of my characters. I am lucky to be able to eavesdrop on my teenager and friends when they are hanging out here. It has helped me capture a true MG and YA voice in my work.
What are you currently writing?
I am in the middle of several projects. A picture book in its bazillionth revision, I will also work on the art for this project. Two MG/YA fantasy thrillers, both in the early stages. And an adult non-fiction parenting book I am collaborating with another author. I also try and keep up the half a dozen blogs/newsletters I have committed myself to writing. Maybe I should be committed for thinking I can do all this and still find time to sleep and eat.
About how much time do you spend, on average, writing daily? Also, how do you find the time to write? I know this is a perennial problem among writers.
I am self employed at the moment. I had a part time job up until Feb 2008, but with touring, I got too busy to do my writing, my touring, taking care of my family AND dealing with an hour commute to a job I was terribly over-qualified for. So, after sending the husband and kid off for the day, I am at my computer and at work by 7:30 am every morning. I try to keep regular hours. I make a list before quitting for the day about my goals for the next day. And Sunday evenings, I make a weekly goal list. I “officially” stop work at 3 pm when my teenager arrives home from school. Sometimes, though, if I have a deadline looming or am having a particularly productive day, I’ll continue working until I can’t keep my eyes open. I try not to do that too often because the rest of my life rapidly deteriorates from neglect. It’s all about balance.
What else have you written?
I have written articles for non-fiction adult publications, crafts and stories for children’s e-zines, book reviews for other publications, as well as my own book review blog. Many times I also include art for the articles, crafts and recipes.
Where are you at on your path to publication?
My first picture book was published in 2005, the second and third came out last year. A fourth picture book came out in February, but I am only the illustrator on that one.
I’ve been bitten by the novel writing bug, (Actually, the characters came to me in my dreams and demanded I tell their stories.) so I feel like I am beginning all over again since the rules for picture books and novels are entirely different in many ways. I’ll never be bored, that’s for sure.
My characters only drop by my dreams occasionally, and I can’t say they have ever been so cooperative as to tell me their stories. What sort of dreams have you had, and how in particular have they inspired you?
That’s a hard question to answer. After all dreams are so often lost after the moment of waking up. I only know when I am stuck in a story my characters will invade my dreams and show me where they want to go. I only have to be strong enough to let go of the control of where the story is going. I never actually know where a story will go or where it will end up until it comes out of the keyboard.
I went to a lecture at a writing workshop where the presenter said the best stories come from the subconscious. The trick as a writer is to let go of our consciousness and let the sub conscious take over. It’s a learned skill like any other. Once I learned it, going along for the ride became a bit like riding on a roller coaster. Exhilarating and scary all at the same time. And sometimes at the end of the ride, I feel like I might need to throw up.
What advice do you have for writers?
Write everyday, even if you don’t feel like it. I really like the “Morning Pages” idea from the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Clears out the muck and monkey chatter so there is room in the brain to move forward on real projects. I have to confess though I don’t do the morning pages as much as I used to back before I was first published.
Good advice, though sometimes I have trouble sitting down and writing something every day. Do you think that writing while inspired comes out any differently than writing while not?
If I waited to write until the Muse hit me, I’d never sit down at the keyboard. I find if I sit down and start typing, even if I start out writing garbage, eventually the Muse will kick in and things will start to flow easier. It all goes back to getting out of my own way.
What has been the best part of writing?
Email from fans thanking me for what I’ve written and how it has helped them or their kids.
And what has been the worst part?
Dealing with the business end of things like contracts, royalty statements and setting up appearances as an unknown.
What advice do you have for authors who are planning appearances?
Be prepared for an empty room. Sad, but it happens to almost everyone.
Make sure you know what you plan to talk about and that it will fill the allotted time.
Figure out how you will deal with the inevitable wanna-be who asks about self-publishing. It never fails. Also, the newbie who wants you to “put a good word in with” you publisher, agent, publicist, etc.
Bring handouts like book marks for people to visit you later. A place where people can sign up to join a mailing list is also good, but not all venues are appropriate for that.
Remember to smile. Smile until it hurts. Smile even if you don’t feel like it, or your feet hurt or someone isn’t being nice.
I was lucky enough to have one of my first book signings with a fellow (experienced) author. He told me an event was a success if I spoke to one person or signed one book. Everything after that was bonus points. I’ve kept that in mind at all my other appearances. After the first one, I label the event a success and can relax and enjoy myself.
Where do you hope do be in a year?
I hope to finish one of my current projects and be picked up by an agent who will shop it to the well-known publishers who are closed to unagented materials. The picture book is the closest to being finished, but I may end up shopping my MG/YA first.
And here’s a teaser from Wendy’s Add a Pinch of Anger:
They edged round the teacher’s desk and Becca looked closely up and down the space besides the desk to find the spot she’d first seen the smoke. At first she saw nothing. Then a greenish glow caught her eye. She elbowed Sam and pointed. “There.”
Sam looked. “Where? I don’t see anything.”
“It’s right there, about the size of a dime! It’s floating there in the air.” How could he not see it? It was so obvious to her. She jabbed her finger in the direction of the glowing hole.
“What’s floating? I don’t see anything, Becca. Stop fooling around. We’ll get caught and get detention. Let’s get out of here.”
She grabbed his head and pushed it down to her eye level. Her finger so close it was almost touching the floating green spot in the air. “There, Sam, there! Don’t tell me you can’t see it. It’s so bright in this dark room. You have to see it!”
Sam looked where she pointed. He was scrunched over almost double to have his eyes at the same level as hers. He was about to straighten up when he thought he saw – what? – something. He closed his eyes and opened them again to get a good look. Becca was right. About 4 feet off the ground in the middle of the air there was a glowing green spot the size of a dime. Weird. He bent down further and got close to the spot. “Hey! You can look right into it like a window,” he exclaimed. He got on his knees to take a closer look. Putting his eye to the spot like it was a keyhole he looked inside. Then he jerked back and looked around the room. He moved to the other side of the green spot and looked around. Then he returned to the front and placed his eye on the spot again. He whistled softly in amazement.
“What? What is it?” She shoved at him to move aside but couldn’t budge him.
“It’s amazing, Becca. There’s a whole world in there. The most beautiful place I’ve ever seen in my life! And there’s this really hot chick wearing next to nothing. It looks like she’s gathering flowers or something. Only they can’t be flowers because she has to catch them because they are trying to fly away from her. But she’s stuffing them into a basket with a flap when she does catch ‘em and they aren’t trying to escape when she puts new ones in with the others.” He was silent for a time.
“Let me see!” Becca nudged him. He didn’t pay any attention. She glanced at the clock. “Come on, we’ve got to get out of here before the bell rings for next period.” She started to walk back to the door to unlock it and check that the hallway was clear. Sam screamed. Becca swung around in time to see Sam hitting the ground holding his eye with his hand. Tears were streaming down his face hidden behind his hand as he squirmed on the ground in pain. “What happened? Are you okay?” Becca raced to his side. Sam groaned.
“She saw me. She turned around and saw me watching. Then she poked me in the eye. Hard.” He wiped his leaking nose and eyes with the edge of his sweatshirt sleeve. “It was worth it though.” He made a lopsided grin. “She had the most amazing butt cheeks.” He ducked as Becca took a swing at him.
“You are such an idiot sometimes,” she said in disgust, “Let me see your eye.” She took his head in her hands and looked carefully at the tearing eye. It was all red and looked as if it might be starting to swell. “We’d better get you to the nurse and get an ice pack on this.” She helped him to his feet and worked her way with him toward the door. On the way, she glanced back at the green spot. It was gone, but there was a small puff of smoke where it had been. The smoke dissipated quickly. Then there was nothing. She unlocked the door and headed out into the hall once more filled with students.
