Thursday, March 14, 2024

Jenn Bailey discusses her books and writing secrets





I'm thrilled to welcome Jenn Bailey to the SCBWI Blog today.



We're eager to learn about your new books, Henry And The Something New (Chronicle Books, 2024), illustrated by Mika Song, Henry, Like Always (Chronicle Books, 2023), illustrated by Mika Song, and The Twelve Hours Of Christmas (Little, Brown For Young Readers, 2023), illustrated by Bea Jackson. Could you tell us what they're about?

Well, Henry, Like Always and Henry And The Something New are early reader chapter books that are based on my picture book, A Friend For Henry (Chronicle Books, 2019), illustrated by Mika Song. I am so excited we've added to Henry's stories and let him grow up a grade or two. He's got a bit more confidence and can have more involved adventures with his classmates. I have loved being able to continue sharing how Henry sees and experiences his world. As long as there is more to explore and share in an authentic way, I hope there will be more stories.

Actually, a third book, Henry's Picture Perfect Day, will hit shelves in 2025. 

The Twelve Hours Of Christmas is a beautifully illustrated picture book that came out this holiday season with Little Brown. Bea Jackson did the art and it is everything!

I've always wanted to write a Christmas book and one day I just thought what even is a calling bird? Like, why are the lords leaping and how many drummers drum? I wanted to make that classic song something that kids could relate to and so instead of twelve days of Christmas, we follow a family through twelve hours of Christmas days. I grew up with my huge extended family all gathering for the holiday and Bea totally got that vibe and Ta-da. The book was born.


Does writing early reader chapter books for children give you a different perspective about the craft when compared to picture books? If so, how?

I love this question! I made some careful and considered decisions when I shifted from the Henry picture book to these early readers, but I hadn't stepped back to look at them as craft decisions and they totally are!

So first, let's look at what picture books and these early readers have in common. They are both highly illustrated. And the word count isn't that far apart - 700 words compared to about 1,200 words. There is a main story arc that finds a positive resolution at the end.

However, a big difference between my picture books and chapter books is that generally I consider picture books to be read, aloud, by an accomplished reader. The reader can handle big vocabulary and can be there to talk about concepts and ask questions to the listeners. I always write my picture books as conversation starters or interactive, oral experiences. Having broad engagement among multiple people is what makes picture books so magical!

With the early readers, I am dealing with emergent readers. These are kiddos who are tackling this great, wonderful world of books and ideas very possibly on their own. There is a closer style of storytelling here. You are closing psychic distance between reader and character, much like you do in a novel. So, I make sure vocabulary words have plenty of context or are illustratable. I make my first chapters shorter than other chapters in the book. I want this new reader to feel accomplished!

I also make sure each chapter has some kind of resolution. Sure, the book as a whole will have a positive resolution, but I want to reward the reader with a bit of story satisfaction for reading all of those words and making it to the end of each chapter. If they had to close the book midway because of bedtime or classwork, I want them confident and intrigued enough to open it back up when they get the chance.
There are other craft elements I play with but that is the biggest one.


What is your writing process like?

I'm horrible! I wish I were a better drafter. I can't seem to kick that disapproving editor off my shoulder so 
I tend to write and rewrite sentences and paragraphs until I think they are pretty polished before I move on. This makes me slow, or should I say slower than I'd like to be.
And I have to write in sequence. I can have a story goal in mind, but I have to write my way there. No jumping ahead.

I usually start drafting with paper and pencil. There is something about the blank, white screen of the computer that makes it all feel too professional and too final. When I get a good start on the project in my notebook, then I can go to the computer and transcribe and move on from there.

I also do a lot of what I call "priting"-- that's pre-writing -- in my head before I even get to the paper and pencil part. I walk my dog, Oliver, every morning and he is my best audience as I flesh out story ideas and arcs with him. I try out different scenarios and scenes in my imagination. It's kind of like running a movie in my head, and when I feel pretty good about one, I'll share it with Ollie. He hardly ever disagrees.


What was the most challenging part of writing the Henry books?

Finding a publisher who would give them a shot. I thank Chronicle, and my editor Daria Harper, with all my heart! They have been a huge advocate and cheerleader for Henry. They shared my vision from the very start.

Henry is a quiet character. He's no Fancy Nancy or Captain Underpants. He's fairly shy, rather reserved, and has a quirky sense of humor. He's a lot like my own children and is crafted to appeal to those quieter kids who don't always get a voice. We are finally in an age where these voices are being valued more and being published. Hooray for that!


What would you like to say to writers who are reading this interview and wondering if their voices and visions for their stories matter?

Oh! It matters! All experiences matter. Otherwise, how can we understand each other and how can we learn and practice empathy? How else can we live a thousand lives so we can figure out how to navigate the life we are living? Stories that make us feel, stories with a point of view and resonance to personal truth always matter. And they come in so many forms. 

I find the advice "write what you know" to be misleading. Until you get into the deep craft of storytelling, that advise can set you on the wrong path. I grew up reading a lot of science fiction and fantasy--worlds and magic systems that nobody could "know." While i read about wizards and aliens and dragons, I was really reading about resilience and loyalty and courage. I was reading about hope and companionship and love. These were the elements that made up the voices, visions, and experiences of those authors. And this is what connected me to their stories.

So let's change that advice.
To write stories that matter, write what you know in your heart.



Jenn Bailey is an award-winning author who has her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her work has received the ALA Schneider Family Honor award, Bank Street Book of the Year award, been star-reviewed by Kirkus, The Horn Book, and Publishers Weekly, and been included in numerous state reading lists, among other accolades.
Jenn is a frequent guest lecturer and workshop leader for SCBWI, Heartland Writers for Kids and Teens, and the One Year Adventure Novel workshops. Jenn is published by Chronicle Books; Arcadia Press; Magic Cat Publishing; Little, Brown and Company; and Levine Querido and is represented by Erica Silverman with The Stimola Literary Agency.


Suma Subramaniam is a recruiter by day and a children's book author by night. Her picture books include Namaste is a Greeting (2023 Crystal Kite and 2023 Northern Lights Book Award Winner), She Sang for India (2023 Northern Lights Book Award Winner and 2022 NYPL Diverse Voices Book), The Runaway Dosa, and more. Suma is also the contributing author of The Hero Next Door (Finalist-Massachusetts Book Award). Her poems have been published in Poetry Foundation's Poetry Magazine, What is Hope?, and other anthologies for children. She lives in Seattle with her family and a dog who will do anything for Indian sweets and snacks. Learn more at https://sumasubramaniam.com.





Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Kids Ask KidLit Authors Some Great Questions

This roundup of great (and some hysterical) questions from kids was SO much fun! 

screenshot of the Publishers Weekly article, "Children’s Authors on Their Favorite Questions from Kids"


Cheers to Diane Roback for pulling it all together over at Publishers Weekly, and gratitude to Meg Medina, Sophie Blackall, Jacqueline Woodson, Jeff Kinney, Katherine Paterson, Christian Robinson, Linda Sue Park, Jason Reynolds, Mary Pope Osborn, Rick Riordan, Gene Luen Yang, Kwame Alexander, Lois Lowry, R.L. Stine, Kate DiCamillo, RenĂ©e Watson, and Jon Scieszka for contributing their favorite kid question!  

Illustrate, Translate, Write, and occasionally answer some wacky kid questions!
Lee

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Yamile Saied Mendez Discusses Writing Craft

 

By Suma Subramaniam

I'm thrilled to welcome Yamile Saied Mendez to the SCBWI Blog today.

We're eager to learn about your new children's books this year. Could you tell us what they're about?

    2024 will be a fun and intensive year for me, as I have a story in an anthology, an original translation, two picture books, and two middle-grade novels coming out. 

    Out of Our League: 16 Stories of Girls in Sports, edited by Dahlia Adler and Jennifer Iacopelli (Macmillan, Feb 3rd, 2024)

    En Estas Tierras Magicas , MG translation of On These Magic Shores (Lee & Low Books, May 12th, 2024)

    Grandmas Are Magic, PB, illustrated by Minji Kim (Disney Press, August 6th, 2024)

    Pockets Of Love, PB, illustrated by Sara Palacios ( Harper Collins, September 3rd, 2024)

    The Beautiful Gathorme (MG): September 17th, 2024

    Super secret MG: September 24th, 2024

                                                      

You write for children, young adults, and adults. Does writing books for different age groups give you a different perspective about approaching craft? If so, how?

Yes, and no. My process is very similar, whether I'm writing a picture book or a romance. But of course, editing an 85,000-word novel is much more time consuming than editing a 200-word picture book. Notice I'm saying more time consuming, not more difficult. Writing for different age groups has its set of challenges and joys.


What is your writing process like?

I'm very eclectic. I start collecting ideas in my phone notes and my notebook. My least favorite part of the process is drafting because I love having all the pieces of the story puzzle, and arranging them during the re-writing and editing process. That's why I write my first drafts very fast, to get the story out of my system, so I can get to the fun part which is working in collaboration with my editors to make the story in my head reflect on the pages of a book.

What is the most challenging part of your author life?

The most difficult time is how different publishing timing can be from that of everyday life. Sometimes there are long times of waiting for news, and then it seems like all deadlines fall on the same week or even day! But I like the ebbs and flows that allow me time to think about new stories to write.

What would you like to say to your readers and writers who are wondering if their voices and visions for their stories matter?

Every voice matters! Every vision matters! And no one else can tell the story that is in your heart but you. So silence the haters, and write!

Yamile (sha-MEE-lay) Saied Mendez was born and raised in Rosario, Argentina, but has lived most of her life in a lovely valley surrounded by mountains in Utah. She's the award winning best-selling author of many books and short stories for young readers, and occasionally, for adults. She's also the co-editor of the anthologies OUR SHADOWS HAVE CLAWS: 15 LATINE MONSTER STORIES (with Amparo Ortiz) and CALLING THE MOON: 16 PERIOD STORIES FROM BIPOC AUTHORS (with Aida Salazar).

Her novel FURIA is a Reese's Book Club pick and the 2021 inaugural Pura Belpre Young Adult gold medal winner.  A Walter Dean Myers inaugural grant recipient, she's also a VONA Workshop (Voices of our Nations) alumna and a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She's a founding member of Las Musas, a community for Latine authors. Find her online at yamilemendez.com.

Suma Subramaniam is a recruiter by day and a children's book author by night. Her picture books include Namaste is a Greeting (2023 Crystal Kite and 2023 Northern Lights Book Award Winner), She Sang for India (2023 Northern Lights Book Award Winner and 2022 NYPL Diverse Voices Book), The Runaway Dosa, and more. Suma is also the contributing author of The Hero Next Door (Finalist-Massachusetts Book Award). Her poems have been published in Poetry Foundation's Poetry Magazine, What is Hope?, and other anthologies for children. She lives in Seattle with her family and a dog who will do anything for Indian sweets and snacks. Learn more at https://sumasubramaniam.com.




Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Publisher Brooke Warner On Returns (Yes, they're "heart-troubling" for authors, but there's more to consider...)

Over on substack, Brooke Warner wrote this column, Things That Make Authors Cry.

screenshot from Brooke Warner's substack column "Things that make authors cry"

So when your publisher sells your book to a retailer it's not a for-sure sale, because the retailer then needs to sell it to a customer. If they don't, the retailer can send it back to the publisher, which is called a return. And they'll want their money back. And they'll charge for the shipping. This all impacts your royalty statement (look carefully and you'll notice there's a reserve usually held for future returns).

In addition to explaining more about how returns work and how publishers figure out how many books to print in the first place, Brooke also shares wisdom from her publisher perspective, including:

“It doesn’t feel good to have books returned, but it’s also the case that it’s not an indictment on a given book.”

and

“Your publisher will always do everything in its power to push your books out the door, to get the most possible exposure, the most possible buys.”

and

“Authors who hoped they’d sell more are also proud of their books. Books can surprise us with their longevity, opening up doors and possibilities many years after they come out.”

The article is well-worth checking out.

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On!
Lee

Friday, March 1, 2024

Hanh Bui Discusses How Her Refugee Experiences Fueled Her Writing

 


By Suma Subramaniam

I'm thrilled to welcome Hanh Bui to the SCBWI Blog today.

We're eager to learn about your new book, Anh's New Word, illustrated by Bao Luu (Macmillan, 2024). Could you tell us what it is about?

Anh's New Word is inspired by my grandmother and Miss Marilou, my first American teacher, at a refugee camp. In 1975, my family and I immigrated to the United States seeking asylum and a new beginning. Fort Indiantown Gap served as temporary housing during the resettlement of thousands of Vietnamese refugees. Miss Marilou's kindness when I was most vulnerable has had a lifelong impact on my journey. This is a story about a child overcoming her shyness and worries to learn her first English word. I wrote this story as a tribute to Miss Marilou and all teachers for the important work they do in support of children.

   Hanh Bui is on the top right back row along with her three brothers in the side yard of her first home

Does writing picture books from your life give you a different perspective about similar issues kids face today? If so, how? 

Writing picture books based on my refugee experiences allows me to share with children and families with similar challenges that there is goodness in our world--there are helpers and allies. Representation is important in order for all children to know that they are not alone and their experiences matter. In today's world with so much divisiveness, I hope my stories will foster empathy for the experiences of others and inspire kindness as we reflect on our common humanity.

In middle school, Hanh Bui wrote a story that her teacher helped make into a book. It was titled THE WAY TO FREEDOM and was about her refugee experience. She was featured in the Lancaster Sunday News during National Children's Book Week.

What is your writing process like? 

I keep an idea's journal where I jot down story ideas. I'll write down my thoughts in my journal to develop later, but some ideas linger in my thoughts beckoning me to write them. If an idea comes to me when I'm away from home, I'll log those ideas in the notes' app on my phone. I always write a complete first draft without worrying about edits or story structure. I'll think of a blurb for the premise of my story. The first draft is all about just letting the story flow from within. Then I'll take a break and come back to my manuscript with fresh eyes to make cuts of scenes that aren't relevant to the heart of my story. I'll revise and revise until I feel my story is complete and ready to share with other trusted writer friends and my agent. Based on the feedback I receive, I'll make edits or add layers needed to make my story more meaningful and engaging. 

What was the most challenging part of writing your stories?

Revisions are the most challenging part of writing my stories and knowing when a story is complete. When I first started my journey as a writer, a mentor told me to "embrace revisions".  I am glad that I learned this important step early on because it has prepared me for the many rounds of revisions I've done for myself and with the editors of my books. The process of making a story into a book is truly a collaboration. I am grateful for the team who has helped me create the best version of my stories to share with readers.

Hanh Bui at 9 years old with her aunties and brother. They were so happy to have a home of their own in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

What would you like to say to your readers who are wondering if their voices and visions for their lives matter?

I would encourage my readers to be proud of their experiences and heritage which are uniquely theirs. When they believe in their own voice, they can move forward with confidence so that others will feel their words. I hope by sharing my books, I will empower readers to become storytellers too. 

Inspired by her first teacher at the refugee camp, Hanh Bui pursuied a master's degree in Early Childhood Education and taught second grade before becoming a full-time mother to three children. She also served as a Development Officer for Senhoa Foundation in support of women and children who survived human trafficking in Cambodia, and has served on boards supporting children and parents in building community. Hanh's commitment to celebrating her heritage includes giving presentations in school visits about her refugee experience to children studying immigration as part of their school curriculum. She serves as co-chair of the Equity and Inclusion Team for the Mid-Atlantic region of SCBWI, and has been featured in Highlights For Children magazine, Next Avenue, and Forbes. She is the author of THE YELLOW Ao DAI and ANH's NEW WORD. You can learn more about Hanh and her books here: https://hanhbui.net/ 

Suma Subramaniam is a recruiter by day and a children's book author by night. Her picture books include Namaste is a Greeting (2023 Crystal Kite and 2023 Northern Lights Book Award Winner), She Sang for India (2023 Northern Lights Book Award Winner and 2022 NYPL Diverse Voices Book), The Runaway Dosa, and more. Suma is also the contributing author of The Hero Next Door (Finalist-Massachusetts Book Award). Her poems have been published in Poetry Foundation's Poetry Magazine, What is Hope?, and other anthologies for children. She lives in Seattle with her family and a dog who will do anything for Indian sweets and snacks. Learn more at https://sumasubramaniam.com.


Tuesday, February 27, 2024

On Kindness and the Lenses We Work Through

It's one week from the publication of my fourth book, A Different Kind of Brave

cover of Lee Wind's YA novel "A Different Kind of Brave"


It's my gay teen love letter to James Bond movies, and a book packed with so many of the story things I loved as a teen—secret identities, cool gadgets, exotic cars, high-stakes adventure, and something I never got as teen: a gay love story. Starring two gay teens. Surrounded by a diverse cast of Queer and allied friends.

My book recently got a couple of really nice trade reviews, and that external validation felt so powerful it scared me. I joked that the starred review was like telling my imposter syndrome to go sit in the corner and shut up. 

I joked about it, but then found myself thinking about how negative self-talk isn't something I've completely gotten past.

That, and being on the cusp of this YA novel coming out and finally reaching readers has me thinking a lot about my author journey. After all, I started writing for kids and teens in earnest back in 2004, and this is my first traditionally published YA novel, coming out March 5, 2024. 

The math is easy (that's twenty years). The lessons feel more hard-won.

So, with the vision that it might be helpful to share, some thoughts:

We writers (and other creatives) are not always kind to ourselves.

We drive ourselves to produce (write every day!), ignoring the wisdom of the seasons: you cannot only harvest. You need to let crops lay dormant (winter), germinate (spring), grow (summer), and only then can you harvest (fall.) Plants and trees don't skip the resting time of winter, and we skip rest at our peril. That's also called "burnout."

The real world is on fire (as the news constantly tells us), and we are tasked by the publishing industry and ourselves with "rising above the noise" to somehow help our book stand out amid millions of other books. Like our book's box office opening week is the most important thing about it (ooh--you wrote a best-seller?) rather than remembering that the impact of one book on one heart is how the world actually changes. That impact is also what truly makes a book sell, through that age-old chesnut: "word of mouth."

Maybe most insidiously, we often view our work with the wrong lens. Most writers and other creatives have multiple lenses we work though, including:

1) The creative lens, when you're researching and crafting something new: I'm an artist!

2) The editorial lens, when you apply your critical eye to evaluate feedback and revise. It's not everything I wanted it to be, but I can make it better.

3) The critic lens, when you beat yourself up about what you didn't accomplish, and occasionally feel okay about what you wrote. This is the home of my "imposter syndrome," which I have to keep reminding has been told to go sit in a corner and be quiet...

Drafting with your creative lens, and the editorial lens intrudes? That makes writing painful and slow. Insert tortured artist cliche here.

Drafting with your creative lens, and the critic lens gets in the way? Hello writer's block.

So I'm trying to learn. To not demand I produce every day. To allow myself the grace of seasons to my creativity. To do my bit to get the word out, and trust that if I created the best book I can, it will reach readers for whom it's important and meaningful. To use the right lens at the right time. And most of all, to be kind to myself on this adventure.

I hope you will be kind to yourself on your creative journey, too...

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On!
Lee

p.s.: You can learn more about my books at my website here: leewind.org


Friday, February 23, 2024

To Be Visible: Why Writing Intersectional Identities for Kids Matters

Throughout this week, there's a picture that I just can't shake. A kid, smiling at the camera, looking dapper and happy in their vest. A picture that reminds me it's possible to miss someone who you've never met. Grieve someone you've never met. Wish you could turn back time and prevent the seemingly unpreventable.

That kid is Nex Benedict, an indigenous nonbinary teen who was killed in Oklahoma this last week. They died after a school fight, during which they and a trans friend were attacked by peers in a school bathroom. Their story is all over the internet, and there's been an outpouring of grief and rage and love.

When people ask why it's important to write about marginalized and intersectional identities in children's literature, look no further than Nex, and the millions of kids like them. The kids like me. As a kid, I didn't have words for all the things that I was--ADHD and autistic and queer and Arab-American, a kid who struggled with mental health and would become disabled as a young adult. I didn't have the words because no one gave them to me. But I knew I was different. And I often felt so lonely and just plain wrong because of it. But because I didn't have the words, in my mind, there was only one person to blame--me.

This is why it's important to not just be accepting of marginalized and intersectional identities as writers for kids, but also embrace, uplift, and purposely include these voices in our work. In today's world, it's not just "nice" for kids to see themselves in the books they read--it is a matter of life and death.

Reading Nex's story over and over again, I've had to grapple with the truth that this was done to them by their own peers--by teenage girls. Kids themselves, who had to have been so overcome with fear and shame and anger to lash out at what they didn't understand. Kids who had to get those messages of fear and anger somewhere--from the adults in their lives. The same adults who don't want diverse books in classrooms and libraries.

And here's the often overlooked fact--it's just as vital to champion and write books about intersectional and marginalized identities for the kids that hurt Nex. Because this world is not kind to people like me, and kids like Nex. And as important as it is for kids to be able to see themselves in books, to know they're not alone and not wrong for being who they are, it's also just as vital to have these books to help people who are afraid of what they don't understand or ashamed of their own insecurities finally be able to put themselves in someone else's shoes.

Because that's the magic of story, right? It helps us feel more human, and helps us understand the beauty and complexity of everyone else, being human in their own unique ways.

So please. For kids like Nex, who are also nonbinary, or indigenous, or raised by a grandparent, or are bullied, or who also love cats and video games and reading and Minecraft and friendship bracelets--write these stories. Write your own stories. And if you don't feel comfortable writing an own voices narrative, then include complex, 3D, fully-fledged secondary characters with these identities and experiences.

We can't afford not to be visible. And if not you personally, then at least your stories, if you are safe enough to do so. All authenticity is a risk. But it's a risk I'm willing to take. Because as we all know, stories can change the world.

We love you, Nex. And we won't forget. I promise.


_____________________________________________________________________

About the Author

Ashley Wilda is an Arab-American, neurodivergent, queer, disabled writer and mental health advocate living in eastern Virginia. Their debut novel The Night Fox, a YA magical realism tale written in poetry and prose about mental health and nature, was published in 2023 with Penguin Random House, and her following YA contemporary novel, Cleave, will be published by Penguin in 2026. They hold an MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. In addition to writing, they love rock climbing, exploring the mountains, creating art, and adventuring with their husband, Ethan, and rescue pup, Phoenix. Find Ash on Instagram: @ashleywilda_ or at www.ashleywilda.com.

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Join the SCBWI and KidLit Community for the Golden Kite Awards Ceremony -- Free and Online this Friday Feb 23, 2024

SCBWI Golden Kite Award Gala logo

Sign up here to join the online event and find out who wins in the these seven categories, and hear the acceptance speeches!

Young Reader and Middle Grade Fiction

Young Adult Fiction

Nonfiction

Text for Younger Readers, Nonfiction Text for Older Readers

Picture Book Text

Picture Book Illustration

Illustration for Older Readers

Explore the finalist books at bookshop.org here.

Illustrate, Translate, and Write On!
Lee

Thursday, February 15, 2024

Liminal Spaces: Where Our Writing Thrives


“I don’t know if I can do this.” That’s what I said to my husband after reading the editorial letter for my debut novel, The Night Fox. There was one major problem - I had too many walls.

At first glance, it seemed like a story problem. Scenes that weren’t shown, characters that didn’t interact enough. But the real issue? There were important places where I was holding back.


But those walls were there to protect me. From the grief, the memories. When I pressed against those places in the story, I felt… blank. Like some invisible force held me back.


How was I going to uncover the raw emotional truth the story needed, if I couldn’t even go there myself?



Does this sound familiar to you? Have you ever reached a point in a story–or even your life–where you want to move forward with every fiber of who you are, but you seem to be stuck in this shadowy, in-between place?


You’re definitely not alone. You may simply be in what we call a “liminal space.”



VeryWell Mind defines a liminal space as “the uncertain transition between where you've been and where you're going physically, emotionally, or metaphorically.


To be in a liminal space means to be on the precipice of something new but not quite there yet. 


The word "liminal" comes from the Latin word “limen,” which means threshold.”


Not here, and not there. Not past, and not yet. Now now, and not then.


We all have lived through liminal spaces, whether we realize it or not. Grief is a liminal space. So is hope. Or being engaged. Or pregnant. Or watching a loved one go through hospice.


Sometimes we get stuck in these places, when the thing we’re waiting for changes or never comes. Sometimes exiting one liminal space ushers in another.


When it comes to our writing, we move through many liminal spaces.


A story germinates as an inkling in the back of our head, then simmers, turning into something more.


A first draft is a liminal space, where we are telling the story to ourselves for the first time.


Having work out on submission is a liminal space, where we may struggle to keep writing other projects as we wait to hear news.


The bottom line - liminal spaces are slippery things. It can be hard to recognize when we’re in one, and even harder to know how to embrace that liminality and make magic happen while we’re there.


But here’s my challenge to you–


The liminal spaces are where the true work takes place, taking your stories from good to transcendent.



So at this point, you may be thinking - okay, I understand the concept of liminal spaces. I even can understand how they can be useful to us, even magical. But how can I write through these spaces, when I don’t know which way is up or down?


Great question. Honestly, moving within a liminal space is different for everyone. But I’ll share with you a few things that helped me continue my writing practice, even while not entirely knowing where I was going to end up.


1. Be gentle with yourself.


In other words, allow yourself to just be. So much of creating is just being. Is just presence. Allow yourself to fully feel, without worrying about productivity or what may happen as you feel those feelings. Trust in yourself to know the way back home. Because the best work comes out of these feelings.


2. Establish rituals.


Grounding elements help me feel a connection to my writing practice even when my life or my project feels like a disorienting liminal space. Lighting a candle, steeping tea, starting with a poem, or even just re-reading something you wrote last session can help you find your footing in these moments.


3. Stop worrying about quality.


You can’t move through a liminal space with your judgmental mind, or your editor mind. It’s about intuitiveness, flow state, and trusting your gut. I’d even recommend not fixing little errors like grammar or punctuation, and just commit to the stream of words. There will be time later for that exacting, precise part of you. For now, you just have to let the magic of the present moment, of not knowing, take over.


4. Focus on doing versus getting somewhere.


Liminal spaces can’t be forced. You can’t will-power your way through the in-between - you’ll just find yourself right back where you started. But at the same time, that doesn’t mean you aren’t making progress.


Focus on the act of writing. Focus on consistently sitting down to do the work, without worrying about how much you’ve done or where the work is getting you. Focus on the why versus the what.


And when you emerge, you’ll be surprised at how far the work you have already done has taken you when you weren’t looking.



Okay, so now that we have a few tools under our belt, back to my story. Where did working in this liminal space take me?


When I started writing The Night Fox, a tale about grief and mental health and magic, because I had to, for myself. But also because when I was going through the darkest time in my life, it was the book I wish I had. The book I couldn’t find. And on the chance that someone else out there was going through something similar… I had to write it for them too.


The story was unconventional to be sure - between the magic and the faith elements and the dual narrative arcs and poetry thrown in there to boot, I worried the story wouldn’t find a home. It didn’t fit neatly into a box… but that was the point. Neither does grief, or love.


Facing those daunting edits, I was in a liminal space, and so was this story. My life wasn’t easily defined or held to one shape, and neither was the story I was writing–and neither were the stories and lives that have had the most impact on me as a person and as a writer–and I would guess the same is true for you.


There’s something about the stories that are birthed from these liminal spaces that are raw and authentic and just deeply true in a felt sense that’s hard to put your finger on. These are the stories that change the world.



So how do you forge ahead in a liminal space? This might be the question you’re holding now, either in your life or in the story you want to write.


And the answer may surprise you -


You don’t.


You don’t force things. You don’t forge ahead, blasting through walls, feelings be damned.


You sit with it. You feel. You slowly push deeper into yourself, and the story. You give the emotional truth time to reveal itself by slowly but surely probing deeper into the heart of things, trusting that it’ll one day become a clear picture.


That isn’t an easy process. It’s hard, taking steps that feel blind. But that’s when the magic of the liminal space takes over.



So there I was, faced with that cursed editor’s note, that insisted I dig deep into feelings I didn’t want to touch - in other words, lean into my liminal space.


I returned to my beloved grad school as a graduate assistant for the summer residency and sat with my feelings. I soaked in the craft and the astounding courage of the community. I pulled it all in until I felt full. Then I sat down. And cried. And wrote out a plan.


Sitting in the faded blue armchair at my favorite coffee shop, I finally arrived at the part of the story that was hardest for me. It wasn’t the climax or the flashiest part. But for me, it hit the deepest.


I wrote the scene.

I hurried to pack my things.

I made it to my car and closed the door.

And I sobbed.


But I knew the story was complete. I knew I had honored my liminal space, and because I worked with it, instead of in spite of it, something magical had unfolded on the page.


That’s the thing, writing about the liminal. You may be writing fiction. But the feelings are real. You know it’ll be worth it, in the end. To tell the story you need to tell, to reach the reader who desperately needs that particular story. But I’m not going to lie - it can hurt. But it can heal too. Both yourself, and your readers.


Turns out, that draft was my best work yet.



So to all my writers who feel broken, invisible, opposing realities held in one beautiful, flawed body… don’t give up. You’re simply in a liminal space. You’re not alone - there are others here, beyond their own thresholds, making something beautiful, even if they don’t know it.


Somewhere, someone needs the story you have yet to tell. Don’t give up on you. Don’t give up on your stories. Don’t give up on the magic. Keep on feeling and sitting and writing and transforming - and you’ll find it may just become the story of your dreams.




Ashley Wilda is an Arab-American, neurodivergent, queer, disabled writer and mental health advocate living in eastern Virginia. Their debut novel The Night Fox, a YA magical realism tale written in poetry and prose about mental health and nature, was published in 2023 with Penguin Random House, and her following YA contemporary novel, Cleave, will be published by Penguin in 2026. They hold an MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. In addition to writing, they love rock climbing, exploring the mountains, creating art, and adventuring with their husband, Ethan, and rescue pup, Phoenix. Find Ash on Instagram: @ashleywilda_ or at www.ashleywilda.com.