Episode #114: Do you ever cry or get scared when you write your stories? -with Kathi Appelt

What a great kid question! We are thrilled to have Kathi Appelt join us today with Grace Lin as they answer the question; “Do you ever cry or get scared when you write your stories?”

TRANSCRIPTS:

Grace Lin: Hello, I'm Grace Lin, children's book author and illustrator of many books, including the middle grade novel, When The Sea Turned To Silver, and the picture book, A Big Mooncake for Little Star. Today, I am here with Kathi Appelt, the author of middle grade novels like The Underneath and Once Upon a Camel. Hi, Kathi.

Kathi Appelt: Hi, Grace.

Grace Lin: I'm so happy that you are joining me today. I'm excited too.,

Kathi Appelt: I couldn't be more thrilled and honored that you invited me. Thank you so much.

Grace Lin: Oh, I'm so glad. Well, are you ready for today's kid question?

Kathi Appelt: I think so.

Grace Lin: Okay. Today's question is from a kid named Marty and Marty asks.

Marty: Do you ever cry or get scared when you write your stories?

Grace Lin: Do you ever cry or get scared when you write your stories?

Kathi Appelt: I do, Marty. I do. Here's the deal. Whenever I'm writing a story, I really think about my characters and who they are. There are two great motivating emotions in the world. As humans, we experience these two opposite emotions and they're the kind of the basis for everything that we feel and everything that motivates us, and that's what we love and what we fear. You would think that hate would be the opposite of love, but actually fear is the opposite and hate actually emanates from fear.

Kathi Appelt: So whenever I'm working with a character, I ask the question, what is it that my character loves the most and would suffer if he or she or they didn't have that in their life, in their lives? On the opposite side, I ask, what is it that they fear the most? So I use those as motivations, the answers to those questions as motivations for my characters and so, but the thing is, here's the kicker, is that I also have to kind of tap into my own fears and loves.

Kathi Appelt: In The Underneath, for example, one of the things that I fear the most, and maybe because I live here in Texas, is snakes. They really, really scare me. I have like an almost an abject fear of snakes. So I really tapped into that fear when I was working with the moccasin, the water moccasin that appears in The Underneath. So there were times when I was writing that I could imagine being face to face with a snake and it really did scare me, so even though I was perfectly safe, right?

Grace Lin: And make you stop writing for a second, like, "Ah."

Kathi Appelt: Kind of. Kind of. I don't know about you, Grace, but when I'm working on a story, I often dream about this story. So having snakes in my dream was no real fun, no real pleasure, that's for sure. So, but the other thing, I think, when it comes to fear, our major fear, the fear that really drives us mostly is the fear that we're going to lose somebody, somebody we love or somebody we love is going to be harmed. I think those are actually are at the root of all of our fears. So in my work, when I'm working with a scene where somebody is lost, that affects me, because it reminds me of the own instances in my life when I've lost somebody that's important to me, somebody that I love. Or if somebody I care about harmed in some way, it moves me. So yes, I do find myself weeping sometimes.

Grace Lin: Yeah.

Kathi Appelt: The other thing, here's another side of that is sometimes I crack myself up. I'll write something and it just strikes me as hilarious. So I'll find myself laughing out loud. So I don't know what would be more worrisome for my husband if he came upstairs to my studio and found me weeping or rolling on the floor laughing. I don't know what would be more disturbing. So.

Grace Lin: It shows what a powerful writer you are. I agree with you so much. I know that I am doing good writing when I start crying when the character is crying. Even though I'll be writing and the tears will start falling and I'll be like, "Oh," for a second later, that detached writer comes back and you're like, "I must be doing great."

Kathi Appelt: That's true. Yeah. Because you realize that you finally tapped that emotion. I don't know about you, but for me, it's kind of like when I'm working on this story, I have to get the pieces into place, which you might call the plot. I have to kind of know what's happening. Then it's in revision that I find the heart of the character. Sometimes it takes several drafts for me to actually get deep enough into that character where I actually do feel those emotions. So that's always the challenge. But you're right, it's that eureka moment where you're like, "Oh my gosh, I have to go get a Kleenex and blow my nose and then I know I'm okay."

Grace Lin: I had a question with somebody else about procrastination. I realized that sometimes I think I procrastinate writing because I know I'm going to have to tap into these really deep emotions that sometimes you just don't feel like it. Things are going fine, you can just kind of coast by but you know when you start writing, you're going to have to really, really feel something. So sometimes I think that's why I procrastinate.

Kathi Appelt: Oh, I totally understand what you're saying. It's so interesting that Marty asked me this question. Because recently, I was visiting with a group of high schoolers in Canada, and virtually we're doing Zoom. One of the students asked me a little... It's a kind of a variation on the question. She asked, "What do you do if what you're working on makes you too sad?" I thought that was such an interesting question and I thought about it for a minute. I said, "Well, when that happens, I kind of have to walk away. I have to give myself, take a deep breath and walk away."

Kathi Appelt: But the other thing I want all of my readers to know is that if you are feeling too sad, it's a good time to talk to somebody. I do not hesitate to contact my therapist if that happens. Sometimes what we're reading or what we're watching on television or hearing about can be a trigger. So I think it's really important to say that out loud, that if something does become a trigger like that and makes you too sad, be sure and reach for help. There are people to help. Don't be shy about it. I think, for example, what Simone Biles has done has really been important. I think more of us need to say that.

Grace Lin: Oh, you're talking about Simone Biles. Just in case, because people listen to these podcasts sometimes years later.

Kathi Appelt: Right.

Grace Lin: So Simone Biles decided to withdraw herself from the Olympic competition because she felt like she could not compete safely.

Kathi Appelt: Right. She was having some mental health issues. So yeah, and that happens. When we're writing a story that means a lot to us, we can find our way in too deeply. Then we have to take some measures to get back on track.

Grace Lin: Yes. I completely agree. I think writing and art can be a great way if you have deep emotions that you need to get rid of, kind of maybe not get rid of, but you need to express. I always tell my daughter, "It's completely fine if you're angry, if you're upset, but it's not fine to take it out on people that don't deserve it." So one way that you can get it out is by writing or painting or drawing. Art is such a wonderful way to get those things out. But also don't let it trap you into not getting-

Kathi Appelt: Exactly. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It's such a great refuge. I mean, when I'm working on a project, it's like I can leave the world behind. It's where I find some solace. It's encouraging, I think.

Grace Lin: Yeah. It's a refuge, not-

Kathi Appelt: Yeah. It's a refuge.

Grace Lin: Yeah. I think that's what the point is. Always ask for help when it becomes... When the refuge does not become a refuge anymore.

Kathi Appelt: Exactly. When you need somebody to open the door and say, "Come on out. The water's fine."

Grace Lin: Exactly. Exactly. Well, thank you so much, Kathi, for answering Marty's question in such a deep and meaningful way. I hope that, Marty, you found this answer very helpful. So thank you Marty for asking it.

Kathi Appelt: Thanks.

Grace Lin: Thanks Kathi.

Kathi Appelt: Thanks, Grace.

Grace Lin: Bye.

Kathi Appelt: Bye.

Today’s KID BOOK REVIEW comes from Iris! Iris is reviewing, Once Upon a Camel by Kathi Appelt and illustrated by Eric Rohmann.

The book I would like to talk about is Once Upon a Camel by Kathi Appelt and illustrated by Eric Rohmann. This book is about Zada, an old camel who roams Texas. She has two kestrel friends named Perlita and Pard, and they have chicks. A kestrel is a type of bird of prey. But one day, a dust storm rises, and Perlita and Pard get seperated . Zada takes care of the chicks and goes across the desert, searching for their parents. While they search, Zada tells them the stories of what she has been through, such as meeting a mountain lion, winning races, and exploring new lands.. I liked this book because Zada's adventures and stories are very fascinating, and the chick's antics are funny. It got very interesting when Zada told the story of the mountain lion, Pecos de Leon. I couldn't put this book down!

Thank you so much for your review Iris!

More about today’s authors:

Kathi Appelt’s books have won numerous national and state awards, including the Irma and Simon Black Award, Children’s Choice Award, Teacher’s Choice Award, the Oppenheimer Gold Award, Parent’s Choice Award, Storytelling World Award, Growing Good Kids Award, Texas Writer’s League Award for Children’s Literature, the Texas Institute of Letters Award, Best Books for Young Adults, VOYA Top of the Shelf Award, and a host of others. Her first novel, The Underneath, was a National Book Award Finalist and a Newbery Honor Book.  It also received the Pen USA Award and was a finalist for the Heart of Hawick Children’s Book Award.In 2009, she was named “Texas Distinguished Writer” by the Friends of the Abilene Public Library. Her novel, The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, was a National Book Award Finalist in 2013. In 2016, Maybe a Fox, co-written with Alison McGhee, won the Texas Institute of Letters Award for Middle-Grade Literature, and was named to the Texas Library Association’s “Texas Bluebonnet Master List.” Her first young adult novel, Angel Thieves, was published in 2019. She is married to Ken, a musician, and all-around nice guy. Together they have two grown sons, Jacob and Cooper. Both of them are musicians too. They also share their home with six cats: Jazz, Ace, D’jango, Peach, Mingus, and Chica.

Grace Lin, a NY Times bestselling author/ illustrator, won the Newbery Honor for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and her picture book, A Big Mooncake for Little Star, was awarded the Caldecott Honor. Grace is an occasional commentator for New England Public Radio , a video essayist for PBS NewsHour (here & here), and the speaker of the popular TEDx talk, The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child’s Bookshelf. She is the co-host of the podcast Book Friends Forever, a kidlit podcast about friendship and publishing (geared for adults). Find her facebook, instagram , twitter ( @pacylin) or sign up for her author newsletter HERE.

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Episode #115: Did your parents tell you stories when you were young?-with Sayantani DasGupta

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Episode #113: How do you come up with such imaginative plots?-with Nidhi Chanani