The Magic in the Details: A Guest Post by Terri Libenson
The author of the Emmie & Friends series is back with the story of two new kids we loved getting to know. Always Anthony takes young readers on a journey through popularity and bullying in middle school, teaching them how to navigate the tricky bits. Read on for Terri Libenson’s guest post on the writing process that brought us the stories of all our favorite friends.
Paperback $15.99
Always Anthony (B&N Exclusive Edition)
Always Anthony (B&N Exclusive Edition)
In Stock Online
Paperback $15.99
Bullying doesn’t have to be a regular part of life. This story, told from multiple points-of-view, will help kids (and their grown ups) navigate middle school.
Bullying doesn’t have to be a regular part of life. This story, told from multiple points-of-view, will help kids (and their grown ups) navigate middle school.
Ten years ago, I sat down to write my first book, Invisible Emmie. Up to that point, I had been writing and illustrating a syndicated comic strip, The Pajama Diaries. The strip—as fun and fulfilling as it was—had daily deadlines, so I really had to structure my time and energy to get it done.
In contrast, when I tried my hand at Emmie, I had no deadline (this was before I found a publisher). And I didn’t have to squeeze the book into four tiny panels. It was both terrifying and freeing. Although I could start fresh, I approached the writing much like I did my comic strip; that is, I used my own POV. Unlike the strip, which was told from my viewpoint as a working parent, I used the voice of my old, almost-forgotten inner preteen—a very shy, artistic one.
I set that voice free. I wrote and wrote, loving the ability to tangent off, add fun details, and not scale anything back for the sake of space. As I wrote, pivotal moments emerged (including an embarrassing incident from my childhood), characters sprang into being, and a twist ending revealed itself. It felt magical. Not that it was easy—I had two kids at home, a full-time job, and lots of self-doubt getting in the way. But, still, I was surprised at how it all flowed.
Since then, I’ve been writing and illustrating one book per year (I gave up the strip a while ago). Because of the annual deadlines, I’ve welcomed structure back in my working life. That means creating outlines and knowing the basic details of each story from start to finish. By nature, I’m a highly organized person, so this suits my personality. But after Emmie, I worried that I’d lose that magical sense of spontaneity in my writing.
Eight books later (nine, if you count the current one I’m writing!), I’ve learned that the magic isn’t just in spontaneity. It also comes from getting to know and explore your characters, imagining fun and interesting story lines, and retaining enough flexibility in your writing to
allow for new twists and turns to emerge and surprise you. In fact, now I feel like my writing is stronger than ever.
I no longer “wing” it from start to finish, but I do let myself get carried away with the details and tangents. In fact, I think that’s what keeps me engaged and enthralled with the process—and what allows all the fun surprises to emerge.
It’s funny; I would’ve thought that by now I’d be tired of writing the Emmie series. Instead, with each new book, I continue to feel revived. I think it’s because of that wonderful balance. Every year, when I’m done with all the months of artwork, I’m ready to dive into writing again. By now, the question isn’t when I’ll grow tired of it, but will I?
Part of me hopes I never will!
