Episode #75: Does writing energize you or deplete you? -with Varian Johnson
Welcome back to another great episode of Kids Ask Authors! What a wonderful kid question- “ Does writing energize you or deplete you?” Authors Grace Lin and Varian Johnson share their answers.
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'm here with Varian Johnson, the author of the middle grade novel, The Parker Inheritance, and the graphic novel, Twins. Hi Varian.
Varian Johnson: Hey grace, how are you doing?
Grace Lin: Good. Thanks for joining me today.
Grace Lin: Are you ready for today's kid question?
Varian Johnson: I think so. I guess we'll we'll find out.
Grace Lin: Yes. Today's question is from a young person named John and they ask-
John: Does writing energize you or deplete you?
Grace Lin: Does writing, energize you or deplete you?
Varian Johnson: Ooh. John is asking the heavy questions. I think it does both, depending on the stage. When I'm at the beginning of a novel, when it's fresh, I'm very much energized. I love getting up and working on it and getting to work on it as soon as I can. And that lasts until I get stuck for the first time. And then I start really questioning everything about the novel. "Is it the right novel? Should they be working on something else?" And that's when I kind of stopped thinking about, "Is this going to be a book or not?" And if I can work through that and become energized again, then I'm back riding high and I keep going.
Varian Johnson: And then those kind of ... Being drained, those feelings kind of come and go throughout the novel. But if I know I can get through it then and become energized again, then I'm usually feeling pretty good. My goal is to be energized by the time we get to the end of the book, and it's going through revisions. And if I'm feeling good there, then I'm probably going to feel good all the way through it.
Grace Lin: So it's kind of like a rollercoaster, you're saying.
Varian Johnson: Exactly. It's always a roller coaster.
Grace Lin: Can you give us an example of a moment in one of your books where you felt energized?
Varian Johnson: Sure. In Twins, the graphic novel that I wrote illustrated by Shannon Wright, I was really energized by the premise of the book, and starting out the book. And then at some point I got stuck in the middle of it, trying to figure out what should happen, how to make sure I got both ... The book is from one character's point of view, but I'm trying to get across things that are happening with both of them. And I really started to kind of get mired in the bog and question, "Should I be doing this book?" And then it got past that, and then it was okay again. And so, it's really-
Grace Lin: Well, how did you get past it? That's what I'm-
Varian Johnson: Huh?
Grace Lin: That's what so many of us want to know.
Varian Johnson: Oh, gosh, you know, well I think about it as kind of getting away from the book and doing something else. I think we get in our head sometimes. And we obsess about certain things in the book, at least I do. And it being perfect and right. And trying to remember it doesn't have the perfect or right this first time, or maybe even ever. But certainly that first draft, I just need to get through and do my best to get to the end of the book. And so it's kind of me thinking, "Okay, this is what I think should happen. Maybe I'm just telling myself what happens here and the actions in the book, what the characters do, don't really support that yet, but that's okay. If I can get past that, I can go back and fix some of those things later on. I just need to keep moving until I get to what I think is a satisfying ending. I have to give myself permission to sometimes tell the story instead of showing it. And so it can come back and show it later on the way I want to.
Grace Lin: Is there something specific in your writing that energizes you all the time? Like when you know like, "I'm going to write description, that's going to make me get excited," or "I'm going to write a certain scene like this." Is there something specific that really gets you energized?
Varian Johnson: For sure. I love when we first meet a character. I love when I'm introducing a character to the world and the book, right at the beginning of a story. I love that, love that, love that. I love also if whenever I'm running mysteries, whenever I'm teasing the mystery at the beginning, when I'm doing the big reveal. The big reveal is always fun. That is the most fun ever in the book. In The Park Inheritance, and even in my heist novels, like The Great Green Heist, at the end when I'm kind of revealing everything and like, "Oh, I'm so smart. I did this so well."
Varian Johnson: And sometimes that's not the case, but it feels like, "Oh, I did this thing that's really, really great. Oh, I figured this thing out." Well, I figured it out because I wrote it too. Right? But that always energizes me. I love, love, love that part of it.
Grace Lin: Yeah. You know what, all the things that you were saying about what energizes you, and what depletes you, it's really rings true to how I work too. Like though I think writing in general depletes me probably 80% of the time, but the 10% in the beginning is really energized at that first, "I'm going to start, and I've got all these great ideas and it's so exciting." And then it's that last scene that you've been writing and writing and writing towards, and the climax where it all comes together, that really energizes me too. So it's like that beginning and that end is so energizing. But for me, the rest is really depleting.
Varian Johnson: Grace, I'm curious though, when you're working on a picture book, or even a chapter book or whatever that you've written and illustrated, do you find if you weren't working on the text first and then do the illustration later, does that re-energize you? Or is your process totally different? Do you separate one from the other?
Grace Lin: Oh, I definitely separate one from the other. The art is so different because for me it's when I get to the painting ... What energizes me when it comes to the art is the idea in my head, but what depletes me is doing the sketches, the actual sketching. But then when I do the painting, it's completely energizing. So the painting part is the part that I really love. So it's like this. But I guess it's similar because it's kind of like when I write the beginning it's energizing, but writing that first draft is so depleting. But then revising is actually really energizing. Because it's like I can see where this is going, and it's really exciting. So, maybe it's something like that. The revision is energizing to me, but the actual first draft is not.
Varian Johnson: Yeah, yeah. I think about it that way too, I think. That makes sense.
Grace Lin: But anyway, well thank you so much Varian for answering this question. It was such an interesting question. So thank you John, for asking it.
Varian Johnson: Yeah, thanks John, and thank you for having me Grace.
Grace Lin: Thanks, bye.
Varian Johnson: Bye.
Grace Lin: Wasn't that great? If you would like to learn more about today's author, please go to our website. Kids Ask Authors for more information. Grownups, remember if you know a kid that has a question, a book review, a poem, or even a joke they would like to share on this podcast, please submit it to kidsaskauthors.com. If you'd like to reach me, Grace Lin, you can sign up for my author newsletter by clicking on the little link icon at the top of the Kids Ask Authors page, or follow me on Instagram, where I use the handle @PaceyLin. Also, please consider becoming a patron of this podcast. If you become a patron, you'll keep our podcast running, help pay for transcripts, which helps keeps our podcasts equitable and also help expand our kid book reviewer club, which had more than 200 applicants.
Grace Lin: We were only able to take six, but your help will let us take more kids. And if you become a patron, there are some great perks, like exclusive access to our special Patreon podcast, Random Questions. Lastly, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. That really helps me know that you like what we're doing so we can keep doing it. Thanks.
Today’s BOOK REVIEW comes from Jordan. She is reviewing “For Black Girls Like Me” written and illustrated by Mariama J. Lockington.
My name is Jordan Thorby. The book I would talk about is For Black Girls Like Me, written and illustrated by Mariama J. Lockington. This book is about Makeda and her family. Makeda is a Black girl who is adopted by a White family, and she wonders what it would it be like to find her mom or connect with other Black people, especially when she gets teased for being a Black girl with White parents.
Makeda has a good friend named Lena, who is also a Black girl who is adopted by a White family, but Makeda had to move away. Before Makeda and her family moved, her friend Lena gave her a notebook so that they could write back and forth, and support each other. One day Makeda’s mom finds the book, and learns that some of the other kids had been calling her the “n” word at her new school. Her mom pulls Makeda and her sister out of school, but her sister feels as if she was the one who lost the most, because she can’t hang with her friends.
Makeda struggles to make everybody else feel better, including her White family, whenever bad things are said or done to her about being Black. Makeda and her sister begin homeschooling, and she finally makes a friend with a boy who likes geography and music as much as she does. After a scary summer, where Makeda’s mom tried to hurt herself, she finally begins to connect with new friends, and to connect with herself. She finds ways to push back against questions about her not belonging, and begins to notice that she looks like herself. I liked this book because it talks about how to keep loving yourself in spite of racism, and how to ignore people saying mean things. This book also reminds me about the value of friendship and chosen family.
Thank you Jordan!
More about today’s authors:
Varian Johnson is the author of several novels for children and young adults, including The Parker Inheritance, which won both Coretta Scott King Author Honor and Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor awards; The Great Greene Heist, an ALA Notable Children’s book and Kirkus Reviews Best Book; and the graphic novel Twins, illustrated by Shannon Wright, an NPR Best Book.
Varian was born in Florence, South Carolina, and attended the University of Oklahoma, where he received a BS in Civil Engineering. He later received an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is honored to now be a member of the faculty. Varian lives outside of Austin, TX with his family.
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.
Special thanks to the High Five Books & Art Always Bookstore, Ms. Carleton’s 2nd grade class at Jackson Street School for their help with our kid questions and reviews.
