Last week, I had a terrific time speaking at a writing workshop in Azusa, CA. Yes, I typed that word right. Azusa is about half an hour from my house in L.A.  I had always heard that the town got its name as a slogan: “Everything from A to Z in the USA.” I like that story a lot but I looked it up and it doesn’t appear to be true because the name, or a variation of it, was in the area before the town.

I had a great time there with my fellow writers – 40 of them in third, fourth and fifth grades – all keeping writer’s notebooks and using a writer’s toolbox.  Yes, they had a real toolbox. I think I’ll get one, too.

Then came the questions and answers – always my favorite part of an appearance because I learn what people are interested in and besides, I’d rather talk with people rather than at them. One girl asked her question slowly. “How many times did you rewrite….” Then she paused to check her notebook. I was already excited! Here was my opportunity to hit home how much writers actually rewrite. And I do …. dozens and dozens of times. If I was really lucky, she’d ask about THE SEVEN WONDERS OF SASSAFRAS SPRINGS, which I rewrote more than dozens of times. I even wrote the whole thing in the third person before changing it to first  person. I rewrote each individual story over and over to make each storyteller sound unique. And, at the end, with the encouragement of Caitlyn Dlouhy, my editor, I added – gulp – 100 pages to the story. Now that was a rewrite.

The girl glanced down at her paper and then named the one title I didn’t expect: PIE’S IN THE OVEN. There went my lesson on rewriting! PIE’S IN THE OVEN was a picture book published in 1996. It just went out of print so you can’t buy it (except used copies) but it lives on in a lot of libraries. When I wrote it I was at an SCBWI Conference (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators – highly recommended). I have no idea who was speaking, but I always get inspired at those wonderful conferences and I started jotting down thoughts. I’d wanted to write about my grandmother’s pies and it started to come to me. At the next break, I found an easy chair in the hotel, opened my notebook and wrote out a first draft. I’m actually embarrassed to say it: the words never changed. I still have that notebook and see that I left it as I wrote it that day, sold it immediately and the editor never asked me to change a word, either. (Well, it is pretty short but still, that’s unusual.) The only discussion we had was whether it should be “Pie’s” in the oven or “Pies,” but stuck with my original “Pie’s” because really, Grandma is saying “Pie is in the oven.”

I cannot tell a lie, so I recounted this story and everyone groaned. I don’t blame them. It is not possible to sell a book without lots of rewriting. But I did it. Once. I figure once is all I’ll ever get.  It probably happened because Grandma’s legendary pies were so inspirational. Actually, I think what happened was the strong rhythm of the book came to me right away and carried the writing along.

Things are back to normal now – I’m stuck on not one, not two, but three books. That’s the way writing really works. And yet …. maybe some day I’ll get it right the first time again.

A few more notes about the book:

Holly Meade did a beautiful job illustrating the book and I forgive her for turning me (the narrator) into a boy! She generously sent me a piece of the artwork which hangs in my office. 

The names of all the people (and the dog) are real. They are the names of my grandparents’ neighbors and many family members and family friends. My grandfather was really a fireman. And Grandma baked the best pies I’ve ever tasted …. and made little crusts for my sister and me. We liked the crusts better than the pies, especially when sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. She’s the same Grandma whose stories inspired THE SEVEN WONDERS OF SASSAFRAS SPRINGS. One grandmother, two books and I don’t think she’s finished with me yet!

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READING RECOMMENDATION FOR GROWN-UPS: You can’t really learn to write by reading books. (Reading actual books, like fiction, is probably more helpful.) But once in a while, I look to books for inspiration. One favorite book which conveys the joy of writing is Ray Bradbury’s ZEN IN THE ART OF WRITING. I also love a photography book by Jill Krementz: THE WRITER’S DESK. Priceless, especially the photo of Eudora Welty. I also like Welty’s book, ONE WRITER’S BEGINNINGS. And anything by E.B. White and Raymond Chandler (I’ll bet those two were never lumped together before), including their essays and letters.