A writing journey is like the tape recorder I used in my
youth: Sometimes you fast forward, rewind, pause, and play. Other times you are
eaten by the recorder, and when you eject, your tape is splayed all over the
place: some stuck, some stretched, and maybe even broken.
It’s been a privilege and a pleasure to call Kirsti Call not
only my writing partner since 2013, but by the title of ReFoReMo Co-Mama. Even
though we are separated by hundreds of miles, we’ve been able to record large
portions of each other’s journeys. Kirsti recently signed with agent Emma
Sector at Prospect Literary Agency, and I KNOW we can learn a lot from her!
Hi Kirsti! Let’s put the tape recorder simile to the test.
Rewind back to the beginning of your journey. How did you
begin building your foundation?
Seven years ago, I moved to the Boston area
with five kids eight years old and under. I suddenly realized that I needed to
pick up my pen and write again. I joined
my local critique group, Writer’s Rumpus.
Picture books were the perfect length because I was telling my kids
stories that I could write down. The Raindrop Who Couldn’t Fall was a story I
told my kids at Home Depot! It was my
second picture book manuscript and 3 months after I wrote it, Character
Publishing accepted it for publication.
Wow! What a surprise! And what a happy miracle!
How did you know it was time to press play?
Getting my first contract motivated me to really delve into
working on my craft and learning everything I could about writing picture
books. I met Carrie on the 12x12 forum
in 2013 and we started critiquing and revising each other’s work almost every
day. We helped each other with pitches,
queries, and stories. I took online
classes: Lyrical Language Lab with Renee
LaTulippe, Children’s Book Academy classes, Making Picture Book Magic with Susanna Hill. After The Raindrop Who Couldn’t Fall came out
in December of 2013, I started school visits and eventually went to Jane
Yolen’s Picture Book Boot Camp. I became
a Cybil’s award judge and read hundreds of YA books and picture books.
Were you ever tempted to press eject? If so, how did you get back on track?
Over the past seven years I've felt encouraged, then discouraged, and ready to press eject, then encouraged again. The publication of Raindrop was encouraging, but when it went out of print after 5 years, I felt disheartened. Despite the disappointment, I submitted to publishers and within 9 months it was out in the world again with Mazo Publishing. Huzzah! Encouraged again!
And the cycle continued. I’d get a really good critique, or a really great champagne rejection, and feel some hope for getting my work out there. And then I’d get a frustrating critique or a very negative rejection and feel frustrated again. I paused several times for short spurts to re-evaluate my stories, polish them and make them shine.
And the cycle continued. I’d get a really good critique, or a really great champagne rejection, and feel some hope for getting my work out there. And then I’d get a frustrating critique or a very negative rejection and feel frustrated again. I paused several times for short spurts to re-evaluate my stories, polish them and make them shine.
Did you find the need to rewind again?
It always helps to look back at your successes, especially
when they feel few and far between. I
try to rewind and remind myself of positive steps in my writing journey;
becoming an author with Raindrop, a school visit where a kid told me “you’re my
favorite author,” glowing critique group feedback, connection and conversations
with Jane Yolen. These successes and
others helped me continue and persevere in my writing path, and move forward
with faith for the future.
Thinking back to the beginning, fast forward through your
submission attempts and rejections. Would you mind summarizing your submission
history record for us? What stands out to you as low and high points?
I basically submitted at least 5 times a month (and usually
more) for the last 7 years. So I
submitted at least 420 times. I had two
editors interested in stories that they ultimately didn’t take. I had several agents interested in one of my
stories, but not in my other manuscripts.
The low point was when I thought I had a sale and even talked to the
editor extensively about one of my picture books and then I never heard
anything again. So frustrating to hold
out hope for nothing in the end! But the
high point was definitely that first contract, and holding The Raindrop Who
Couldn’t Fall in my hands for the first time!
And of course another VERY high point, was signing with
Emma Sector! I submitted to Rachel Orr at
Prospect through the 12x12, and Rachel sent my story to her colleague,
Emma. Emma loved my rhyming 3 little
pigs fractured fairy tale, and asked for more work. After she read 4 more of my stories, she
asked to read a couple chapters of my YA.
Eeeeeek! I felt very unsure about
my YA, but I forced myself to press the send button. Emma offered representation over email,
without even talking to me. Later that
week, we had a conversation and I loved her warm, positive attitude. All of my past rejections led me to where I
am now in my writing journey.
You were able to record part of your history when you
published your first book. Looking at your current collection, what do you hope
to record in the future?
I hope to catalogue and record many more books in my
future. Silly, rhyming picture books,
and lyrical ones. My historical fiction
YA, and my magical realism MG. I hope
that my words make a difference for at least one kid…or adult.
As our community pauses to read this, what steps do you feel
will make all the difference for them?
- Write and revise, and write and revise again.
- Always get critiques.
- Never stop submitting, unless you’re taking a break to hone your craft.
- And most importantly: Read mentor texts, and lots of them. Reading and studying great picture books and understanding why I liked them has made all the difference for me.
Go ReFoReMo!!!
We sincerely wish you all the best with your
personal writing goals, and we look forward to learning more from you through
ReFoReMo. The best is yet to come!
Thank you Carrie! Your support has made my writing journey
magical!
Kirsti Call loves words and putting them together in ways
that make people smile. She writes picture books, middle grade and young adult
novels. She gets inspiration from her five kids, husband, and backyard chickens.
If you visit her house, you’ll likely find her writing, reading with her kids,
or singing with her family. And if you visit her blogsite you'll find her reviewing great books!