Writer's on Writing: Any Which Wall by Laurel Snyder

Every week on my personal blog I have a guest author that discusses their writing process and information about their book or upcoming books. Today, I decided to do a Writer's on Writing Column on Examiner for author Laurel Snyder. Her book "Any Which Wall," is a recent release, and she has already received favorable reviews from magazines such as the Wall Street Journal. Check out what Laurel has to say about her writing.

What is your brainstorming process for a new book?

Honestly, it’s been different with each book, because my life has changed so dramatically in the last few years. I wrote my first book (Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains) when I was still in Iowa, and had a lot of time to work slowly. And for that one, I had no outline, so I really just kind of wandered and thought it out as I went. I remembered taking walks and thinking the story out as I walked.

For the book that just came out (Any Which Wall), I was working on a deadline, and with an outline, and I had an infant and a toddler to take care of. So my brainstorming for that one—as for my current book (Penny Dreadful)—tended to be in those little spare moments a mom has in her day—in the shower or the car. While the kids are watching Wordgirl or Sesame Street. As I’m falling asleep at night. I guess that doesn’t sound very glamorous or artsy, but it’s the truth. I’m always leaping out of bed and running to my computer to make notes to myself.

Can you explain your typical work week day?

Ha! I don’t really have anything like a typical day. As I just said, I’m also a Stay-at-home-mom to 2 toddlers. And I have less than 10 hours of childcare a week. So my day is usually like this—get up with kids, make coffee, change diaper, throw bananas and toast at kids, check email, break up a fight over a toy, waste time on Twitter, do laundry, call agent or editor and go over notes while drinking coffee, kick kids out into the yard to make mudpies, take notepad out into yard with more coffee, read over notes while pretending to eat mudpies, come back inside to help kids “go potty”, turn on TV, write FURIOUSLY for an hour or two, make tuna sandwiches and eat lunch at little table with kids, toss kids into car and drive to grocery store, and then when they fall asleep in the car on the way home… write FURIOUSLY some more in the car. You get the picture… A few days a week I have a few hours of help, but often those days get filled up with meetings or phone calls of one kind or another. I also work a lot late at night when the kids are in bed. I know it sounds crazy, but it suits me. I really LOVE being a mom.

Tell us about when you made the decision to write.

I was in the fourth grade, and I decided I didn’t want to be a ballerina or a witch after all.
Seriously. I’ve been writing in a pretty committed way all my life. For many many years it was all poetry all the time, but I’ve only ever really been a writer. I’ve never really considered anything else. Though in another life I want to be a rabbi.

What suggestions do you have for aspiring writers?

I think this is a hard time to be starting out, in some ways. The connectedness of the internet has made it possible to be always thinking about “getting somewhere.” Authors can “friend” editors! But that same connectedness has made it impossible to find silence, which you really need if you want to write. There are lots of writers who spend more time in their day “networking” than actually writing. But at the end of the day, the number one most important thing you can do is WRITE A GOOD BOOK. And often (certainly in my case) you have to write a few bad ones before you’re ready to write a publishable one. How will anyone find the time to isolate themselves and write a few practice books if they’re always on Twitter (as I am), or maintaining their pre-publication blog? My best advice is to turn off the WIFI, go someplace quiet and alone, and listen to what’s inside your head. I can be really hard for me, but it’s something we all need to work at. Also, everyone needs to read really good books.

Tell us about what you’re working on right now and what we can expect from you in the near future.

I’m finishing a draft of my new book (Penny Dreadful) about a little girl who moves from “The City” to a very odd little town in Tennessee called Thrush Junction, and has to learn how to make friends. I guess you might call it a “coming of age” story. I’m in love with all the wacko characters in the book.

And then I have a picture book coming out, called “Baxter: the pig who wanted to be kosher.” Also I wrote the introduction for a new edition of Edith Nesbit’s classic, “Five Children and It.”

I have about 14 books lined up after that, but as I’ve said here, I don’t have enough time to write! I just look at the file with all my book ideas and outlines in it and recite my mantra: “Kindergarten is coming… kindergarten is coming… kindergarten is coming…”

Wow, that's a lot of books! Thank you for joining us today on Examiner, Laurel! We look forward to your future projects.