16 Dec Author, Dawn Young

I am so excited to highlight Dawn Young and her adorable book! Join us as we “chat” 🙂 

Dawn, congratulations on your wonderful book, The Night Baafore Christmas. I am blown away by the adorable arc, the impeccable rhyme, and the fabulous illustrations. I am definitely a fan, and I want everyone to know about this book. So here we go!

Thank you so much, Ellen! You have been so supportive, and I appreciate it!

My pleasure! Although we have not met in person (yet!), I first “met” you in Angie Karcher’s RhyPiBoMo (now, Rhyme Revolution), so I know you are a rhymer. Do you also write in prose? And how does your process of writing in rhyme work? Do you write your story out in prose first? Does the rhyme just come to you? Please tell us how you accomplish this awesomeness!

We did meet in RhyPiBoMo. I formed the critique groups and later created that infamous parody, “All About That Rhyme.” At one time, I was strictly a rhymer, but then realizing that many editors weren’t fans of rhyming manuscripts, I began to write in prose. My next book, Counting Elephants, which releases March 3, 2020 is written in prose.

If I happen to come up with a few rhyming lines or a few really good rhyming words that could be key to a story, then I tend to take the story down the rhyming path, but if I want to write a story with more wordplay or puns ( I love puns) I stick with prose. I recently took a manuscript from rhyme to prose and I like it in prose much more, although it has a great deal of internal rhyme. It’s a great exercise to write in both prose and rhyme to see which works better. I’m glad I started out in rhyme, I think it helped me get a good feel for rhythm. Rhymezone is a great resource to use if you’re writing in rhyme.

“All About That Rhyme” is adorable! Look it up, everyone. Dawn is multi-talented! Dawn, can you tell us a little bit about your process? Are you a planner or a pantster? Do you have a specific time to write, or do you write when the spirit moves you? Do you have a critique group, critique buddies, etc?’Revision process?

I guess I am a pantster. I don’t set out with an outline or a plan. I usually start with a few lines that happen to come to me or sometimes just a title and build the story around that. I write every (week) day. Since I have many manuscripts in the works, I work on whichever is “calling” to me at the time, unless of course, I have edits due or a request for revision, then that becomes my priority. I don’t belong to a formal critique group, but I have five writer friends that I swap manuscripts with. Their feedback is invaluable!

 Tell us about how you found your agent.  What makes her a good match for you? And do you think it’s important for writers to have an agent?

I did a great deal of research on agents, including reading the work they represent. After reading a book my (now) agent represented and seeing a similarity in humor and style, I thought, Wow, since she liked this, she might like my writing, so I subbed to her and she liked the story, so we talked on the phone and then I signed with her. I like having an agent. I like the fact that I don’t have to do the submission research because that’s very time consuming, and it takes away from my writing time. Agents are invaluable. Mine gives me great feedback. And although publishing contracts are wonderful, they can be overwhelming, and I would prefer to have an agent help me through that process.

What are some specific things that you feel helped you with your journey?

I truly believe that starting out as a rhymer helped me. I feel that writing in rhyme enabled me to develop an ear for rhythm and sound.

Getting rejected a lot made me incredibly determined to improve. I’m glad my earlier work got rejected because if it had been “rewarded” with a contract I may not have pushed myself to grow, learn and improve as much as I did.

For me, critique groups/partners are key to the process. We look to our critique partners for feedback to help us revise our stories, and their suggestions are invaluable. I find that I make a great deal of progress with my manuscripts when I, not only consider the feedback I get but also the feedback I give. When I do a critique, I think my inner self is trying to speak to me through someone else’s work. Often, I find myself saying, “Wait I just did that same thing!”  A critique you’re doing for someone can act as a mirror, enabling you to reflect on your own writing as well.

Please fill us in on what’s next. I know you have some exciting news!

I just signed a contract for Bo and his The Night Baafore Easter. Bo and his sheep will be at it again in January 2021, with a whole new set of antics and issues! I’m on submission now with a prose story that is near and dear to my heart (well, they all are but this one is special to me – finger crossed).

Fingers are crossed! What advice would you give other writers who want to be published?

Read, write, revise and don’t rush…writing well takes time. Welcome feedback – don’t resist it.

Expect rejection. The rejections I received were a blessing. As much as I dreaded them and resented them, they made me work harder, thinker deeper and get more ingenious. I learned to welcome them. I have a quote I like to remember when things aren’t going as expected: “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” ― Dalai Lama XIV

I learned that getting published requires more patience and persistence than I ever thought I had.

I also learned to celebrate positive things. Back in 2013, I submitted an early version of this story to an editor who spoke at a conference I attended. Shortly after I received a rejection letter from her, but this time, I also got positive feedback. The editor called the story “fun and engaging” and she called my writing “fresh” and had other nice things to say.  Even though it was a rejection, I celebrated her encouraging feedback, and to this day I still have her letter on my desk.

Stay connected with other writers. I feel very fortunate to be part of such a fabulously generous and thoughtful kidlit community. The support and encouragement are incredible. No one knows a writer’s life like another writer does.

Great advice! I truly love that quote from the Dalai Lama. We’ve learned about Dawn the author. What else would you like to share about yourself? (Especially something that would surprise us! )

I have a degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA. I love math as much as I love writing. I will do math problems sometimes just because…and when I was young I always dreamt about having a formula named after me but I think having my name on the cover of books is a million times better!

That really is interesting. Many writers have an aversion to math. I think you have plenty of time to write more books AND have a formula named after you! But since this is about your writing, please let us know where we can get your book. 

book.https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/dawn-young/the-night-baafore-christmas/9781546014584/

And of course, wherever fine books are sold!

Thanks for stopping by, Dawn! Good luck with this adorable book and ALL your books. Happy Holidays to everyone…whatever you celebrate!