Freaky Friday-Interview with aspiring children's author Amy Sundberg
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If you’ve seen the movie Freaky Friday, you know that its premise is about change and growth through role reversal. For my Friday Blog entry I thought it would be interesting to interview aspiring authors; writers who spend lots of time reading the interviews of published authors and dreaming of the day when they might get their book on the shelves...
Today's Freaky Friday interview is with Amy Sundberg. I recently met Amy at the 2010 SCBWI NY Conference, but I'm so excited about this interview, not only because she is awesome, but because she shared so much information that is helping me with the revisions I'm currently working on. Get out your paper and pen because you're going to want to take some notes.
Amy, can you tell me a little bit about how you got started writing?
When I was in second grade, we had to write and illustrate our own books for National Book Week. I finished creating "The Princess and the Cave" in record time and loved writing it so much that I wrote a second book, something about too much candy. That's when I decided I wanted to be a writer. I wrote a lot of stories and read Writer's Digest religiously, and one year for Christmas I wrote my mom twenty-four stories, one to read for each day of Advent. The summer before high school began, I started my first novel, but about halfway through I got stuck! I didn't know anything about outlining ahead of time back then.
By that point, I had decided that I needed to do something else besides writing because writing wasn't practical enough. Ironically, I decided to become a musician instead, which is probably equally impractical! I loved musical theater in particular, and I started studying singing seriously, and learned how to compose and write songs. I always thought I'd come back to writing at some point, but I felt like I didn't have enough to say yet. So I went out and collected experiences instead.
Eventually, I sat down and wrote the rough draft of a complete musical, which is something I'd been wanting to do for a long time. I wrote everything: the music, the lyrics, the book. And it was based on an original story as well. Writing that musical taught me two important things: one, that I had the ability and self discipline to complete a large project, and two, that I had plenty of things to say after all. So not quite two years ago, I started planning and writing my first novel. Ever since that time, I've been voraciously learning everything I can about writing: writing short stories, joining a critique group, reading tons of books in my genres, reading blogs and articles about the craft and business of writing, going to conferences and conventions, racking up the obligatory rejections. And I'll the rough draft of my second novel in a few weeks. *Amy has finished her rough draft. Woot!!!!
This is why I love doing these interviews...I learn so much more about the people I already know. I had no idea about your musical talent. I'm so impressed and lets face it jealous. I've always wanted to be more exposed to music and singing. Can you tell us a little bit about your first novel and your work in progress? I also need to know...Do you watch Glee?
When I was writing it, I thought my first novel was YA urban fantasy, but I guess it actually falls under the paranormal umbrella. It's a story of a girl grieving the death of her mom, when she discovers that her mom has a secret magical past and might not be dead after all. She spends the rest of the book searching for the truth about her mom while being hunted by her mom's past enemies. It's about family, about how the past changes based on who's telling the story, and an exploration of how much choice we have as to whether to follow in the footsteps of our parents. I learned a lot writing and revising this book, but for now it's trunked.
The novel I'm working on now is a contemporary YA with a working title of How to Get Over Stage Fright. It's about a teenage girl who is passionate about musical theater but has developed stage fright (and a host of other problems) as a result of the traumatic divorce of her parents and her dad's across-country move. Most of the book takes place during a summer musical production of Les Miserables. I've had a blast working on this project; it was a change for me since I usually identify myself as a writer of speculative fiction (fantasy and science fiction). I'd been waiting for the right idea to come along so I could take advantage of my love for music (and my background in it), and it's been as interesting and entertaining to write about as I thought it would be.
As for Glee, I don't have network T.V., so no, I haven't watched it yet. I've also avoided it so it won't influence my WIP-- the premise is different, of course, but just similar enough that I thought it would be better to wait. Besides, if I wait for the full first season to come out on DVD, then I don't have to wait to find out what happens next... at least until the end of season cliffhanger, that is!
Your first story sounds really interesting but your second one sounds like something I would have eaten up as a teen reader. Interestingly my fear of having stage fright gave me a "pre-stage fright". I never really did the play thing even though I secretly wanted to soooo bad. I did dance, so I wasn't a complete nervous wreck LOL! I know that Molly O'Neill at Harper Collins is looking for a MS just like yours, so be sure to look for her when your ready to submit.
We got to know each other at the recent NY SCBWI Conference. Yay! Most people know the standard perks of attending a conference, what do you think are some of the lesser known advantages that you've experienced?
Thanks for the tip! I'll be sure to follow up on it.
I have to start with the caveat that I don't think conferences are essential. Don't get me wrong, I think they're helpful and great fun, but if a person was unable to go to such events because of financial reasons or life responsibilities, I don't think it would make the difference between getting published and not getting published. We're really lucky right now to live in a time when there are so many resources on the internet for learning about both the craft and business aspects of writing.
That being said, one thing I've enjoyed through conferences and conventions is being able to belong to two different communities of writers: the speculative sf/f community and the kidlit community. For me, nothing replaces the face-to-face experience of hanging out with other writers and people with similar interests. Having two communities is even better because some of their benefits are different! For instance, you can't beat the kidlit community (SCBWI etc) for sheer friendliness and helpfulness. I didn't know anyone at either of the two SCBWI conferences I've attended thus far, and people went out of their way to make me feel included and involved, which was fabulous. But on the other hand, the spec fic community so far has tended to talk a bit more about craft and to be really supportive of new writers developing their craft as they attempt to write fantasy and/or science fiction. And they have a much greater understanding of how fantasy and science fiction really work from a writer's perspective, so you find a much greater understanding of issues that are especially important in those genres, like world building and developing rules for magic. In both communities, I've met people who have changed the way I think and feel, who challenge assumptions I might be accidentally making, and who are lots of fun to spend time with.
I like that a lot. You CAN write an amazing book without ever going to a conference. I also agree that they're wonderful experiences and have enriched my writing life and my personal life. I've never really thought much about "other" writing communities and how they might bring different information to the table. I'm working on revisions for my first novel now, any favorite tips for world building that you'd like to share? I'm also a little curious about your thoughts on e-books. Do fantasy/sci-fi writers get more excited about the budding technology?
A few general resources for world building are SFWA Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America and Orson Scott Card's book on writing called How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy.
I think the very most important thing to remember about world building, particularly if you're new to the fields of fantasy and scifi, is that it's important to do a thorough job of it. For me, it can be really tempting to figure out a few exciting aspects of a world, and then do a lot of hand-waving in the hopes that the reader won't notice any gaps. Unfortunately, this almost always reads as sloppy. Doing good world building takes time and the patience to ask a lot of questions, and once you have your questions (you can find some good ones at the sfwa link above), be dedicated to not always picking the most generic and/or obvious answers. Also, world building tends to be organic, so for example, if you decide that, in your world, there's a lack of women, that's going to effect all kinds of things in the way the society works, and not just the obvious "where do you get the next generation from?" question. It also sparks questions you'll need to know about your world's backstory and how this lack of women came to pass. (See Patrick Ness's The Knife of Never Letting Go if you want one answer to this one.)
If you're dealing with fantasy (which includes paranormal!), you also have to flesh out your magic system and make rules for it that you will follow no matter what. You need to know what's possible using magic and what's not, the different varieties of magic (perhaps the flavor of magic they teach in Houston is not the same as the one they teach in Paris, France), and the cost of magic (for vampires, the cost of their supernatural powers is weaknesses to sunlight, crosses, and garlic, the need for blood, and a penchant for not having a developed moral sense. Cinderella's ball gown only lasts until midnight. Or maybe your character loses one year of her life for each huge spell she unleashes). Letting your characters have something for nothing (magic without a cost) is generally a Very Bad Idea. Magic should have a price and/or consequences like most other things worth having.
There's also the info dumping problem. Let's say you've spent hours/days/weeks putting together a vivid picture of your world, from its economics to its social and political structures to the cool magical powers that come from drinking apple juice. You've also spent even more days developing an incredibly exciting backstory of the world and what happened in its history and how your villain became so bad in the first place and how his father and the good guy's father had a duel to the death years and years ago. And now you're just dying to spill it all out to your reader and share this marvelous world you've built from sweat and wonder. No dice. A clever writer will build a vision of the world and backstory slowly over the course of the story instead of dumping it out in awkward paragraphs that don't relate to the narrative. Some of your backstory may (gasp!) never come to light at all (famous example: Dumbledore's sexual preference). You, the writer, need to know as much as possible about your world, but the reader only needs to know enough to follow the story and become enveloped in a sense of wonder.
Hmm, can you tell that I love to geek out about writing?
As for e-books, I personally own a Kindle, but I wonder sometimes if I got mine too early. The DRM issues with the Kindle are disturbing. Certainly there is a lot of talk about e-books and how they will influence the direction of publishing in scifi/fantasy circles, but I imagine they factor into a lot of conversations with most writers who are interested in the future of their industry (except maybe picture book writers!). Living in the Silicon Valley, on the other hand, I hear about the latest and greatest gadget on a regular basis. I think the direction of e-books is not yet clear enough to generate huge waves of excitement, although I know of a few published genre authors who are experimenting in the realms of electronic self-publishing of their out-of-print backlists or previously unpublished stories and novels.
I am pretty excited about the new tablet that Microsoft is developing, actually. It has two screens like a book and will allow you to write in it using a stylus (great for note taking on manuscripts!). Here's a cool demo: http://gizmodo.com/5365299/courier-first-details-of-microsofts-secret-tablet.
That was awesome on so many levels. I feel as if I just attended a really good workshop. Thank you for sharing. Before I let you go, I do need to know one more thing. What are your top 5 favorite books and how have they influenced you? No wrong answers here and I know that five is next to nothing for a book-o-phile, but we have to draw the line some where. :o)
You're right, only choosing five is really hard! With the caveat that I'm leaving so many amazing books out, here are my five:
1. Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomerie - I love this book on so many levels. I re-read the first three books of this series every year or two, and I never get tired of them. They're like warm-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies: comfort food extraordinaire. I love all of the older children's classics that feature young women who wish to become writers someday (Little Women, the Betsy-Tacy books, Daddy-long-legs, Emily of New Moon, etc.), but this is my favorite. I adore the character of Anne, I admire her courage, imagination, and unique and positive way of viewing the world, and I want to be just like her when I grow up.
2. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card - This was the first adult science fiction novel that I completely fell in love with. I still remember the first time I read it, in fact. Its portrayal of children as being in many ways just as intelligent (or more so) than adults is refreshing. I love that Ender uses his brains to solve his problems instead of his muscle, and his solutions are actually clever and make sense. I love that genius children are taken seriously on the Internet as political pundits, and I love the moral questions that come into play. This book speaks seriously about childhood, humanity, leadership, and the moral questions raised by genocide.
3. Beauty, by Robin McKinley - This was a tough call, because I love McKinley's Blue Sword about the same amount. However, Beauty was my favorite first, so here it is. I read this around the time I read Ender's Game, and these two books were my two very favorites for years afterwards. Beauty does an excellent job of taking the classic fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast (my favorite) and bringing it to life. The title character is extremely sympathetic, taking hardship in various forms throughout the book and creating a satisfying life in spite of (or because of) it. Interwoven throughout the book are her passions for horses, reading and study, and her family, and the story shows how those loves carry her through life regardless of other circumstances.
4. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen - Such a popular book, and yes, I prefer the A&E minseries over any of the movie versions. Besides my fondness of the setting, I love this book because Darcy is so awful at the beginning. Yes, you heard me right. He's so awful, and then the reader gets to watch while his character slowly (and painfully) transforms into someone much more admirable. Elizabeth gets her own journey, but it's Darcy's that I find the most inspiring, because it illustrates that people can be influenced for good, and that sometimes we can do the influencing without even being aware that we're doing it. Also, it's a masterful romance in that it really keeps the tension of the romance going for the entire novel, without making either character act out of character or with incredible stupidity, which is easier said than done.
5. All of the mysteries by Agatha Christie, with a slight preference for the Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot novels - I can't possibly choose one Agatha Christie novel, so I'm choosing them all. I've been reading these novels as long as I can remember, and I turn back to them time and time again. In fact, I love them so much that I wrote an entire Agatha Christie-themed mystery party last fall drawing on many of the tropes she created in her works. I love her as a reader, and as a writer, I find there is much to learn from her about plotting, pacing, what to reveal when, and the final twist.
Thanks for taking the time for such a fun interview, Kim!
Thank you for sharing so much information. I need to put some of your top five on my To Read List. I also want to thank you for the info and links on world building, its relevant and useful at the moment. If you would like to continue following Amy Sundberg, you can find her on Facebook. Thanks Amy!