Jill McDougall

Children’s author

July 2007

First off, I want everyone to know, there is no nepotism going on here. Jill McDougall is a children’s author who lives half way around the world from me, in Australia. We met in the MuseItUp Writing forum, when she graciously agreed to spend a week fielding questions from members.

After reading Jill’s book Become a Children’s Writer, Insider Secrets, I can easily understand why she is a success with kids of all ages. She makes even this how-to format fun. Her book is as clear and concise as a recipe and yet Jill’s own personality still shines through. And it really is chock full of insider secrets that are relevant for writers in any part of the world. This interview is culled from questions posed by MuseItUp members as well as a few of my own thrown in. You can download Jill’s book here, and read more about Jill and her wonderful creations for kids at her site.

What is the biggest mistake newbie writers typically make when writing for kids?

I love that question and my answer would fill a book. (In fact, I spend a lot of time explaining this in my e-book.)

I assess manuscripts by new writers as part of my work and see the same mistakes over and over. Here they are in a nutshell:

* lack of originality in the storyline

* inability to use viewpoint as a technique to enhance the bond between reader and main character

* wordiness

* slowness of pace

* lack of original expressions (too many cliches)

I suspect that many new writes simply haven’t read enough children’s books to fully absorb the styles and nature of successful writing. My advice to ALL new writers is to begin by doing a little writing and a whole lot of reading. I tell them to write for an hour a day and spend the rest of the time reading.

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been sent a “monster under the bed” story or a “finding the perfect pet” story. Of course an old theme told in a refreshingly original way might still find a market.

I should have added in my original list of common mistakes that a flat ending is also a major problem in work by newish writers. It¹s VERY difficult to come up with a satisfying ending every time (especially one that includes an unexpected twist) but a great ending is pure gold in a story for children. I like to have the ending worked out before I start a chapter book so that I know that one essential element of a successful story is already in place.

When you're writing a chapter book, does there have to be a theme or moral (I hate morals)?

I know EXACTLY what you mean ­ some books just seem so preachy I’m sure they turn kids off in droves.

ALL chapter books have a message of some sort (even if it’s very subtle) and if you’re writing for the education market, it IS important to have an underlying theme ­ preferably one that can be linked to the curriculum. Some writers call this ballast. The trick is to wrap the moral in such an entertaining story that kids don’t realise they’re getting some broccoli with their hot dog ­ so to speak. The moral should be shown through the EVENTS of the story (boy steals money from neighbor and neighbor ends up unable to pay a hospital bill.) so that there’s no obtrusive moralising at all.

I know cliches are abhorrent in adult fiction, but many children delight in silly old cliches (which aren’t yet overused in their minds). How do you feel about cliches?

I feel as mad as a hatter about them <grin>. Children are entitled to be exposed to powerful writing (that is, writing that’s fresh and original) and clichés don’t provide this. Most tired old clichés aren’t particularly clever or useful anyway. Think of ‘as quiet as a mouse.’ The mice in my house certainly aren’t quiet! A more carefully considered cliché can provide a much more vivid image for the reader e.g. as quiet as a shadow.

Many publishers specifically ask not to be sent rhyming fiction. Why do you think this is? And what is your view of rhyming stories?

Very few people seem to be able to write rhyme well. They tend to produce inconsistent rhythms or try to force awkward rhymes into spots where they don’t want to go. Some do both! This is probably the main reason that publishers aren’t keen on receiving rhyming stories from inexperienced writers. I suspect the other reason is because what rhymes in one part of the world doesn’t write in another. For me the words ‘bath’, ‘half’ and ‘giraffe’ rhyme. Do they for you? According to the website therhymezone.com, ‘path’ rhymes with ‘wrath’. Not for me it doesn’t!

The other reason that rhyme isn’t popular with some publishers is that it doesn’t translate well into other languages.

I’ve taken classes that have differing opinions about descriptions in children’s books. One says include rich descriptions. The other said children are easily bored by descriptive paragraphs. What’s your opinion?

Well ... JK Rowling gets away with looong descriptive paragraphs but I suspect she could get away with anything. If you are writing picture books then descriptive elements should be kept to an absolute minimum or done away with altogether, since the illustrations tell part of the story. My general advice in writing for children to choose one or two of your strongest, quirkiest, freshest, most entertaining and vivid descriptions and ditch the rest. Keep it short and punchy. For example, why say “Jack’s ears were large and round and stood out from his head” when you can say “Jack had ears like the World Cup” and move on with your story. Too much description slows the pace of a story and that is never a good thing.

Do you read your stories to “test” children before submitting?

I have certainly done this on a number of occasions. I have contacts at some of the local schools and occasionally work with a group of 5-6 students to ‘test’ my stories for entertainment value and to ensure that the plot is logical.

Are there any tools you rely on in your writing process? software, reference texts, critique group, etc...

Do I rely on any tools? You bet! At the top of my list is a critique group. Most published writers I know use them and they are invaluable IMHO. I simply cannot view my work as an outsider would ­ I can’t always see the unclear bits, the inconsistencies, the predictability of a scene or ending. I belong to a fabulous crit group of published writers who have helped transform some of my novels and poems. These days, good crit groups take the place of editors who no longer have time to work hand-in-hand with a writer to bring work up to scratch.

I’ve read just about every “how-to” book out there but the stand-out one that transformed my writing was “Self-editing for Fiction Writers”  I recommend it to all my writing students. I write a lot of poetry and use this site http://www.rhymezone.com/ constantly. It has a range of useful features for poets.

What conflicts arise for a writer of children’s and adult fiction. For instance, I have a website for my fiction, but some of it is not suitable for youngsters. How should I address this issue when I start writing for children?

I’d have two different websites. I have a friend who is best known as a children’s writer but she also writes … wait for it …. erotica for adults. She can’t risk her young readers coming across any of that so her solution is to write under a penname.

I submitted to a publisher and have not heard from them. Other times I've submitted (not to children's publishers) I received rejection letters. The response time ended Aug 22. Should I contact them, and if so, what would be considered proper - a phone call to the editor, an email to the editor, or a letter to the editor? Is there wording that should be used?

It’s SO frustrating to wait and wait for a publisher’s response. I once waited three years for a reply, submitted the ms elsewhere, had it published and it was on the bookshelves by the time I received an email from Publisher 1 asking if my story was still available. And no, I hadn’t followed etiquette and let them know it had been accepted elsewhere because I presumed they’d either lost it or tossed it. (I DID let them know it was a simultaneous submission at the time of course.)

Once the deadline has passed for the publisher’s response time, you are within your rights to contact them with a polite query. Sometimes I send a postcard with a few options (including some funny ones) for them to tick regarding the progress of my book. A phone call or letter are the better options IMHO. Unless you have a personal relationship with the editor and she recognises your name, an email may disappear into the same black hole your ms dropped into.

There are three possible reasons why the publisher is taking such a long time to respond:

1. the publisher is overwhelmed with submissions and yours is waiting in a big fat pile with 10000000000 others

2. someone spilt coffee all over your submission and it was subsequently  trashed

3. your submission has passed the first hurdle – i.e. been read by a freelance reader and earmarked for further consideration by the editor YAY!

By contacting the editor with a query, you will most likely get a stock response (your ms is still being considered etc) as submissions are usually entered on a database and tracked. It will be the job of someone in the office to reply to the where-is-my-manuscript queries with a standard response. SO by all means query but the sad fact is that it can take months or even years to get a response from busy publishers. Some never respond!

Did you ever pursue getting an agent? If no, why not? If yes, how long did it take and which book was it?

I’m VERY ambivalent about having an agent and have never sought one. For a start, writers get such a small slice of a book’s proceeds (10% if they¹re lucky) that I don’t want an agent skimming off another 15%. Yes, agents can find you a few extra publishers and will negotiate contracts on your behalf but I’ve never had trouble locating suitable publishers and am quite happy to negotiate terms myself.

Some publishers will only accepted agented submissions (these are the ones that say no to unsolicited submissions) but the way around that is to send a REALLY well-written query and get invited to send the entire manuscript. So that’s my take on agents ... Other writers love having ‘em so it’s a very subjective decision.

Overheard at the book fair at my daughter’s school: “We met the author of this book. She signed a copy for my son. It was exciting to meet a real author. They’re just like real people.” How would you respond to such a statement?

This reminds me of an email I had from an eight year old the other day. He asked me if I lived in a house. I said, “Of course not! I live in an inter-gallactic time machine shaped like a rocket.”

I think many youngsters get quite a shock when they meet a ‘real’ author. Most of us look rather like somebody’s grandma. It must be about as disconcerting as realizing that the voice of Bart Simpson is created by a fifty year old woman.

With the advent of ebooks and Print On Demand books, the publishing industry is changing. What do you think the future of children’s publishing will look like?

It seems the market is very small for Young Adult and children’s e-books although I’m sure there are some good ones out there. It’s in the non-fiction area that electronic publishing has really taken off. I’ve made more money from my ebook (Become a Children’s Writer) in the past six weeks than I’ve made on some of my print titles in a year. I’ve bought several ebooks myself but only “how to” type books. I love being able to download information and advice and put it to work immediately!

I don’t envisage the end of the print era the way some pundits do. I think there will always be a place for books in a child’s world. Books have their own smell and feel and there’s no comparison between a watercolor illustration on paper and one made up of millions of pixels.