Mr. McKissack Tackles A BIG Question

Dear Mr. McKissack,

I would like to know if you think computers will replace regular books.

Sincerely,
Mary

Mary, sorry for the delay, but I've been out of town on vacation. I wrestled with this question for years, and only within the last year have I come to see that the electronic book is not going away and as a writer I have to embrace the future. Some cultural critics and philosophers are already predicting the "end" of the physical book within five years. As more companies enter the e-book marketplace, particularly Apple's I-Pad, the barriers (financial, technological, psychological) to using electronic books gets smaller and smaller. The drop in price is one reason why Kindle books are outselling hardcover books. As a writer, this is an interesting time because we should study what it takes to create great work for that space. Is it simply text? Is it a combination of text and multimedia? My great fear is how libraries will be affected in such an environment.

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Fred McKissack, Jr. Answers MORE Questions

ACPL Writer in Residence, Fredrick McKissack, Jr. answers four of your questions:

Dear Mr. McKissack,
Where is your favorite place to vacation?
Sincerely,
Amanda

It might sound corny Amber, but I am good to go anywhere as long as I'm with family and friends. I recently spent a couple of days in Denver with one of my oldest and dearest friends. That was a lot of fun, and I look forward to going back someday with my wife and son.

Dear Mr. McKissack,
What was your favorite book as a child?
Sincerely,
Amber

As a kid, my favorite books were Yertle the Turtle, The Cat in the Hat, Where the Wild Things Are, and anything with the Peanuts characters. My mom and dad used to read us Aesop's fables and they'd tell us stories from Greek mythology. When I was a little older, my aunt, a social studies teacher, gave me a set of social studies and geography books. I loved those books. I read encyclopedias, too. Also, The Pushcart War remains a strong influence with me today. It's an amazing, fun, and compassionate story.

Dear Mr. McKissack,
What are you working on now?
Sincerely,
Kim

Well Kim, I'm working on a first draft of a graphic novel based on a Union spy named John Scobell, and I'm looking forward to working on a new draft of a YA novel tentatively titled "Subjects." All I can tell you about the book is that it is set in the near future and that it involves a smarmy TV producer, a lot of money, and a high school boy who is going to have to make some choices he'd rather not have to make.

Dear Mr. McKissack,
Have you always been a writer or did you have another job?
Sincerely,
Kim

I've worked as a writer for the last 19 years. I'm including the time I spent working as a freelance journalist, a full-time reporter, and as an advertising copywriter at agencies in Chicago and Milwaukee. Prior to that I worked in other fields, including a stint as a broker's assistant at a small commodities firm. It was a fun job, but very stressful.

Do you have a question to ask Mr. McKissack? Email me and I will be sure that he gets it. Answers will be posted on the blog.

A Question for Mr. McKissack

Last week we collected an interesting question for Fredrick McKissack, Jr.

Dear Mr. McKissack: How long does it take to write a novel? - Lettie

That's a very good question, Lettie. It's hard to say because all books are different. The short--and unhelpful--answer is that the book is done when it is done. What it comes down to is the author knowing the work is ready for an editor. One of my favorite books is Frederick Forsyth's "Day of the Jackal". The actual writing took about 35 days, but he said he spent 12 years on research. Elizabeth Kostova's bestseller "The Historian" took 10 years to write. The first draft of Shooting Star was done in two months, but there were numerous drafts and rewrites before it was good to go. It was a year-and-a-half process. I worked on a comic/graphic novel a few years ago, and the time from first draft to finished manuscript was four months.

Again, great question. Thank you Lettie.

Do you have a question for Fred McKissack, Jr.? Send it to me.

Four Questions for Fred McKissack, Jr.

Over the last two weeks we collected four questions for ACPL Writer in Residence Fredrick McKissack, Jr.

1. I would like to know how you get the names for the people in your books. - Anonymous

I sometimes use first names of people I know, and I do use last names from my own family. However, what I try and do is find a name that works for the character, a name that resonates with me and, hopefully, the reader. There's a logic to it. In Shooting Star, Jomo's parents gave him that name because of the respect that have for the great Kenyan leader Jomo Kenyatta. Given his parents' political and social leanings, the name makes sense. I've changed the names of characters because the name didn't sound right. For me, it comes done to what feels and sounds right.

2. What do you do when you can't think of anything to write about? - Gabriel

Oh, that rarely happens. I have too many ideas--not all of them are good. The real problem is getting to the best idea, and even then a publisher or editor might not like the idea as much as I do.

3. What is your favorite book written by your parents? - Josie

That's a hard one, but I love Flossie and the Fox. It's a timeless story, and Flossie is a brave character that all children can identify with and root as she outwits the fox.
Thanks for the question, Josie.

4. Which of your books did you enjoy writing the most? - Kim

I really enjoyed writing Shooting Star. It was a long, but fun process of going from basic idea to a complex story with multi-dimensional characters. Black Diamond is high on the list, too. One of the great benefits about writing non-fiction is how much you as the writer learn in researching a subject. I thought I knew baseball, but working on that book really opened my eyes and mind to the past struggles of African-American baseball players.
Thanks for the question, Kim

Do you have a question for Fred McKissack, Jr.? Send it to me.

Two Questions for the Writer in Residence

Last week we had two questions for Fredrick McKissack, Jr.

Dear Mr. McKissack: I would like to know how to become an author? How do you write and make covers? - Bethany

For both fiction and non-fiction, it all begins with an idea. With "Shooting Star" I wondered what if a high school students started taking performance-enhancing drugs; with "Black Diamond" the idea originated with the book's editor, Ann Reit, who thought children and young adults would be interested in what baseball was like before Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier. After the idea, I start researching and outlining, and from there, I write a rough draft. That’s just the beginning, because what happens next is what all writers go through: rewriting. That's where the idea really blossoms, because you see plot holes and dead-ends, as well as chances to revamp scenes and either beef up or cut characters. This is where a good editor is great to have. The editor helps the writer focus the story. It's good to have another set of eyes to see and ears to hear. Even with your schoolwork, it's good to get feedback from someone else.

As for covers, the publishing house and editor works with art directors and illustrators who read the book and figure out the most creative way to get a potential reader to pick up the book. It's an art since covers are not just there to protect the pages. The cover has to catch the reader's eyes and communicate what's inside.

Thank you for the question. - Fred

Dear Mr. McKissack: How do you publish your books? - Lindsay

Lindsay,

I work with publishing houses that have editors, book designers, booksellers who help turn a story into a book. You'd be surprised at how many people work to make and sell a book. It goes beyond the writer and editor.

Thank you for the question. - Fred

If you would like to know more about how to write and publish books check out these great titles:

• Look at My Book by Loreen Leedy
• Write Now! by Joe Rhatigan
• In Print: 40 Cool Publishing Project for Kids by Joe Rhatigan
• The Young Writer's Guide to Getting Published by Kathy Henderson
  

Do you have a question for Fred McKissack, Jr.? Send it to me.

A Question for the Writer in Residence

Last week we had one question for Fredrick McKissack, Jr.

Dear Mr. McKissack: Do you have any pets? Do you ever write about them? Sincerely, Mary

No, we don't have any pets. My son Mark has cat and dog allergies. Mark would like an elephant or a snake, but he may have to settle for a small, non-poisonous turtle. When I was a boy, we had two dogs, two cats, some gold fish, and a box turtle that may have joined the circus. I was never given the full story. Thanks for the question Mary.
-Fred

Do you have a question for Fred McKissack, Jr.? Send it to me.

Fredrick McKissack, Jr. Answers Your Questions

This week we had three questions for Writer in Residence Fredrick McKissack, Jr.

Dear Mr. McKissack: Do you like baseball? Sincerely, Tom

Yes! I am now and I will always be a St. Louis Cardinals fan. We--my family--also love going to Tin Caps games and the new ballpark is aces. I wasn't a very good player, but I had fun.

Dear Mr. McKissack: How old were you when you "knew" you were a writer? Sincerely, Lettie

I "knew" I wanted to be a writer in college, although I had inklings as early as grade school. Having a parent as an editor and writer had something to do with it, but I just liked the idea of creating characters, scenes, and dialogue. My son is doing this with toys now, although he says he wants to be a rock-and-roll-artist-astronaut-fireman.

Dear Mr. McKissack: What were your favorite books as a child? Sincerely, Lettie

As a kid, my favorite books were Yertle the Turtle, The Cat in the Hat, Where the Wild Things Are, and anything with the Peanuts characters. My mom and dad used to read us Aesop's fables and they'd tell us stories from Greek mythology. When I was a little older, my aunt, a social studies teacher, gave me a set of social studies and geography books. I loved those books. I read encyclopedias, too. Also, The Pushcart War remains a strong influence with me today. It's an amazing, fun, and compassionate story.

Do you have a question to ask Mr. McKissack? Email me and I will be sure that he gets it. Answers will be posted on the blog.