The start of something new
"I didn't realize you were writing your own story, that's very brave."
It's been about three months since I seriously set out to write and illustrate a graphic novel memoir for kids.
It started as just a flicker of an idea at the end of the summer, brought on by an online prompt I saw to help illustrators get their creative juices going. But over the past few months, it's taken shape into a real thing (!) that I've been honored to share with folks from my critique group to literary agents, and most recently to my friends, family, and coworkers at a fun little gathering over the long weekend.
"Cindy gave some information on the inspiration for her story, and took the audience step-by-step on her process for creating a graphic novel. It was a fun and informative talk. "
"It was a warm and welcoming atmosphere, a lot of people asked great questions of the artist and her honest answers invited more curiosity."
It turns out that coming out to some of the folks closest to you about the fact that you're writing and illustrating a children's book about family secrets you haven't shared in your 28 years of existence....is kind of a big deal 😅
“What's been surprising to you in this process? Why did you choose to write about this now? What does your family have to say about it? How long is it going to take to finish it? Isn't it going to be hard and emotional for you?”
Since I'm still in the beginning stages of making this novel a reality, I'm continuing to figure out what it's really going to mean for me to share this story. But there are a few learnings I've picked up already that I'd love to share now as a way to reflect on my journey and growth thus far 😊 So, read on—especially if you yourself are curious about writing/illustrating or pursuing something creative on the side!
1 - Make time.
Working a full-time job while trying to fulfill your creative purpose is ridiculously challenging. I've tried doing this before with varying degrees of success for varying periods of time, but work has always won out at the end of the day. I mean, of course - I'm held accountable at work, and it pays me money to live 😛 Not bad.
Knowing that, with this project I've actually tried a different technique that's helped me make progress on my story while continuing with my day job—without missing a beat on either end. Accountability and milestones keep me going, so I joined a group of six other women also pursuing their creative dreams. We check in at least once a week and have committed to supporting each other in the goals we want to achieve and the experiments we'll take to get there.
And in doing so, I've made time. I've said to the world: "I am prioritizing this project!" and I've communicated this to the people closest to me for their support and understanding. I've made time to understand why I want to write and illustrate for kids, as well as the resistance that's stopped me from pursuing this dream fully thus far: a lack of time, a sense that I'm not good enough yet, a feeling that I have to reach a certain point in my design career to start this one, a fear that no one would want to read my work. I've made time to learn ways to overcome that resistance, like scheduling times to work on my book, repeating little mantras to ground me in the mornings, and setting aside time to play a little every day.
I've learned it's not about having time, it's about making time and making your priorities known to the people around you so you make time work for you.
2 - The only way to learn is by doing. And jumping in, both feet at once.
When I decided I wanted to write and illustrate a graphic novel memoir, I hadn't actually ever done a long form comic before - in fact, nothing over a series of 4 panels. I had absorbed things like pacing, camera angles, layout, etc from TV/movies, music, comics, and books I'd read over the years of course, but nothing beats the real deal of learning what you want to do by just, doing it.
Which is to say I started off by reading a ton of graphic novels for kids. Crates full of them greeted me at the Holds section of the library each time I walked in. I read about the form and dissected each novel after reading it. Then I wrote out a scene of my own and doodled some images alongside the script, which led to the first two pages I created. Holding those pages next to the books I had picked up from the library, I analyzed what was and wasn't working, and went on from there.
I'd been a longtime listener of children's book podcasts like Matthew C. Winner's "The Children's Book Podcast" and Corrina Allen's "Books Between", but I also discovered (and subsequently devoured) Gina Gagliano and Alison Wilgus's fantastic "Graphic Novel TK", which taught me soooo much about how a graphic novel gets made and helped me feel more confident in my abilities and knowledge as I developed my story. More resources at the end of this post 😃
3 - Reach out before you really feel "ready."
Dedicating time to focus on the craft of writing/illustrating a graphic novel is critical, but at some point, you gotta lift your head up, reach out to others, and show your work.
This was the hardest part for me: reaching out to people in the publishing industry before I felt anywhere close to "ready." I had a draft of my outline, a sample script, and two sample pages that I had shown to my critique group and reworked a few times, but didn't know how much I needed to officially query literary agents for representation and whether the stuff I had was even "good enough." So, I did a ton of research (resources at the end of the post) whenever I could—after work, on the train, before work, etc. And with a final push from that group of women I was accountable to, I reached out to agents to get their feedback on my work and emailed other author illustrators/cartoonists for their wisdom and advice before embarking on this journey of my own.
I felt big time resistance before sending out these emails. Who am I to bother these awesome people, what should even I ask them, will this seem offbase and tactless?
But I've learned through this process that sharing your work with other people, while 1000% terrifying, is also incredibly rewarding. Someone you talk to about your project now might know someone else who can help you down the line. Getting professional opinions and critique of your work at an early stage is so valuable in helping you craft a better story. Even though I definitely had some "vulnerability hangovers" at times after doing so much outreach, I feel proud and happy to have pushed myself to play at that edge because I've now seen that work pay off. My one bit of practical advice? Draft up all your emails in a separate place, get those emails ready to go, then press "send" and immediately close your laptop and go for a walk 😂 Don't overthink. You did it!
To a new chapter
To wrap this up, I'm delighted to share I've been offered representation by a wonderful literary agent - Rebecca Sherman of Writers House! My agent has worked with some amazing clients who've created stories I've been deeply inspired by, so I am now so excited to be able to work with her to bring my own children's books to life!
Onwards 🙌
Cindy
Resources
SCBWI - The Book - the section on querying agents and agents directory
Publisher's Marketplace - learn more about what deals agents have made
Manuscript Wishlist - get a taste of what folks in the industry are looking for
Agents who represent graphic novelists
Querying and submitting graphic novels
Graphic Novel TK by Gina Gagliano and Alison Wilgus
Blogs by Nathan Bransford and Janet Reid
