12 Jan Gabi Snyder and TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE. Plus “Gabi’s Great Giveaway!”

 I am thrilled to welcome author extraordinaire Gabi Snyder to my (newly named) blog, Writing Outside the Lines. I recently read her adorable book, TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE, and I guarantee that kids and kids at heart will love it.

Welcome, Gabi. I’m so happy you are here today. Please tell us a little about yourself. Where you’re from, what makes you want to write, and anything else you’d like to share. 

Thanks so much for hosting me, Ellen! I grew up in Washington (state) and have lived in Seattle, Austin, and now Corvallis, Oregon. As a kid, I loved reading, and I loved writing poems and stories. I still remember the thrill of writing one of my first stories – about a stick of gum who escapes the gum factory and strikes out for Hollywood. Yep, she got into some “sticky” situations. But though my child-self loved writing, the idea of becoming a writer never seemed like a real possibility.

So I dabbled in writing for several years before I took a leap and studied writing, with a focus on writing fiction for adults, at the University of Texas. After earning my MA, I took a succession of jobs that used writing (like grant writing and instructional design), but I struggled to find time for my own writing.

Fast forward to 2013: when my kids were little (3 and 5), we moved from Austin to Corvallis, Oregon. With a break from work following the move, I found time to get back to my own writing. Only by then, I’d become immersed in the world of picture books and fallen in love with this form of storytelling. In 2014, I wrote my first picture book drafts.

Almost anything I see, read, or hear can inspire me to write. Some things that consistently inspire and inform my writing are nature, my kids, and memories of my own childhood. Tapping into memories of the emotions of childhood – how it felt to be a child living through a particular moment or situation – feels especially helpful.

The gum story sounds hysterical! I hope you bring it back to life. And by the way, UT Austin? Hook ‘Em!

But I digress. 🙂 Remembering that childlike feeling is so important. Please tell us about TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE. I’d love to know how you got the idea.

TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE, illustrated by Robin Rosenthal, and published by Abrams Appleseed, debuted last May. The story starts with a gate left open and a dog escaping her yard to join a poodle on a trike. Soon it’s three dogs on a scooter and then four dogs on a bike. With each new mode of transportation, a new dog is added to the fun. But what the pups fail to notice is that the original dog’s family cat is in hot pursuit.

As a kid, one of my favorite picture books was GO, DOG. GO! by P.D. Eastman. The silly dogs and sense of movement and fun in TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE are, in part, an homage to the Eastman classic. In TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE, we count up to 10 and back down again while moving through different and escalating modes of transportation.  

And the dog versus cat dynamic that plays out in the story was inspired, in part, by my childhood pets. I grew up with a cat we called Kinko (named for his kinked tail) and an assortment of dogs. Kinko was the undisputed boss.

I immediately thought of GO, DOG, GO when I read your adorable picture book. Do you feel that you are primarily a PB writer? Do you write in other genres?

I love writing picture books, but sometimes I enjoy writing for older kids, too. Currently, in addition to juggling several picture book drafts in varying states of “doneness,” I’m drafting a chapter book and revising a middle-grade novel. I also dabble in poetry, for both kids and adults.

Multi-talented! Do you have a specific writing routine? If so, will you share? And do you consider yourself a planner or a “pantster” (fly by the seat of your pants) ? 

I like to start the day with “morning pages” (https://juliacameronlive.com/basic-tools/morning-pages/) to clear away the cobwebs and to capture anything that’s worrying me or that I want to remember. After that, I try to stick to a schedule. I block out a certain amount of time for working on picture book manuscripts. And then, time permitting, I have blocks for revising my middle-grade manuscript, writing critiques, etc. I try to work some physical exercise into the schedule, too.

In terms of my process for working on a particular picture book manuscript, I like to let my drafts “marinate.” So, after drafting a new story, I generally set it aside for several days or even weeks. If, after marination, I still think it’s worth pursuing, I revise. Usually, after a marination period, I’ll have new ideas for tackling any problems I’m having with the manuscript. After a few more revision/marination cycles, if I still like the story, I send it to a critique group for feedback. They usually see issues I hadn’t even considered. A story might go through a few more revision cycles after critiques before I deem it ready for my agent. And sometimes I realize a story just isn’t working and end up setting it aside for several more weeks, months, or even years.

Regarding the pantster/planner question, I think of myself as a hybrid of the two. When writing a first draft, I’m totally a pantster. I like to just write, keep an open mind, and see where the story takes me. But I’m much more of a planner during the revision stages.

What do you do to shake the rust off or get new ideas?

I find that my writing “flows” better if I take a walk before or between writing sessions! In fact, I love to take my notebook and pen with me on long walks. I’ve worked through thorny plot problems while walking and have had countless ideas pop into my brain while strolling through my town or in the woods. I think it’s a combination of the repetitive movement involved and the inspiration that can come from a change of scenery.

One big piece of my process as a writer involves reading. Though I rarely get to read picture books to my kids (now 10 and 12) these days, I still read piles of them to myself. As I’m reading through picture books, I’m tuning in to which books move or surprise me, which books I want to read again and again. Seeing which books resonate with me helps inform the type of books that I want to write.

These are all such good ideas. Thanks for sharing. I am impressed by your schedule. 

What do you think is the most difficult thing about writing a picture book? What is the easiest?

For me, what’s most difficult varies from book to book. With TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE, perhaps the hardest part was deciding just how simple the text should be. I remember drafting one revision that involved active verbs for each spread. But, ultimately, I decided to keep the text spare and leave room for the illustrator to work her magic. The text is simple, but layered. It’s a counting book, a dog book, a transportation book, and an epic chase! As a counting book, it does specify the number of pups and mode of transportation for each spread, but the appearance and personality of the dogs and the setting were left open to interpretation. I did include a few illustration notes about the cat character and her story arc that’s not obvious from the title or the text!

I love both the story and the illustrations. This is a good reminder that illustrations are fifty percent of picture books. 

Aside from reading all about your process, what advice do you have for aspiring KidLit writers? 

Go easy on yourself. Know that the more you practice – the more you read and write – the better you’ll get. You may have to write 20 stories before you write one that begins to match your vision.

Who or what supported you along your way?

The kidlit community has been incredibly supportive, especially the friends and critique partners I’ve made through SCBWI and Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 Picture Book Challenge. The feedback I’ve received from my critique partners has been invaluable. My agent (the talented Natalie Lakosil) has also been super supportive since I signed with her in 2018,

I think we met in 12×12! Let’s talk a little about your upcoming book, LISTEN. What can you tell us about it? 

My second picture book, LISTEN, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin, will be out this June from Simon & Schuster/Wiseman. LISTEN begins with noise: the BEEP! WOOF! ERNT-ERNT! VROOM! of a busy morning, and draws the reader closer as it encourages listening to quieter and quieter sounds. It promotes mindfulness and not only hearing, but really listening, paying attention to the quiet, and even silence, around and within you.

In our busy world, this sounds like just the book children need.

Where can we get your TWO DOGS ON A BIKE now and pre-order LISTEN?

Thanks for asking, Ellen! There are several buying options available from the books’ publisher pages.

For TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE: https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/two-dogs-on-a-trike_9781419738913/

For LISTEN: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Listen/Gabi-Snyder/9781534461895

I encourage everyone to buy from local, indie bookstores, when possible. You can also request a signed copy of TWO DOGS from my local bookstore, Grass Roots Books in Corvallis, Oregon: https://tinyurl.com/u5fuo33. When checking out, just add a note in the “Instructions” box that specifies you’d like a signed copy and include who, if anyone, I should sign the copy to.

If buying isn’t in your budget, you can also request the books from your local library.

You can learn more at Gabi’s website: https://gabisnyder.com/. You can also find her on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Gabi_A_Snyder) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/gabi_snyder_writer

Now, here comes a fun part. You will NOT want to miss TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE. Just comment on this blog post for a chance to win a signed copy. If you are also a follower of this blog, or you sign up, please let me know in the comment, and I will enter your name twice. 

Good luck! 

Thanks for visiting with us, Gabi. I can’t wait to read more of your stories!