ReviMo Day 3 - Interview with Ame Dyckman

Today we have Ame Dyckman with us. Tickled pink to have you with us, Ame!

Can you give us a little background about yourself?

I admit it: I ate paste in school. But I'd pretty much stopped by junior high. By the time I was in high school, I was telling people I wanted to write books for kids when I grew up. (Not sure if this had anything to do with the earlier paste thing.) Most folks told me my dream of becoming a published children's book author was never gonna happen. But Boyfriend Guy said, "You can do it!" I liked that. So I married him. After a bunch of alternative occupations (Costumed Character, Brownie Taste Tester, etc.), I joined my local SCBWI chapter, where I learned how to write for kids, met my Super Agent and rock star editors, and made a bunch of awesome friends. I got a fabulous Writing Buddy, too. And now all these amazing folks (and The Kid) come to my book signings and cheer me on. I am SO lucky. They're my paste.

How do you determine if a story idea is worth pursuing/revising?

There's a complex scientific algorithm that goes like... "HELP! I CAN'T GET THIS STORY IDEA OUT OF MY HEAD!" And then it's worth pursuing. Because often, I can't write anything else until I see that idea through its opening lines, sometimes to a full draft. Gotta be done, even if whatever gets done then gets tossed right into the Bad Manuscripts Drawer. (Or in the REALLY Bad Manuscripts Grave in the backyard.) But once the initial Make It Real exercise is over, if the idea’s still waving its hand in the air and squealing, “Ooh, me! Me! Choose ME!” there's a whole slog of homework (title/similar story check, marketability stuff, family/Writing Buddy thumbs-up, etc.) before it makes it to the Revisions stage. And then I place a standing order with our local Pizza Joint so we have something to eat for a week or two and get to it.

What is your revision process?

Besides the pizza? I’m a print-it person. I print out the latest version of my manuscript and keep it in my pocket, so no matter where I am (bank, grocery store, roller coaster, etc.), I can take it out and scribble on it and put it back in my pocket and repeat the process and even sometimes remember to take it out of my pocket before I do the laundry. (Sometimes.) And for a few weeks, I make my family and Writing Buddy play endless rounds of “Of these two sentences where I only changed one phrase/word/comma, which sentence is better?” Inevitably, there will be a 3 AM tantrum because “My new story ISN’T ANY GOOD!” Then I make baked goods for my neighbors to apologize for throwing a tantrum at 3 AM, and take a nap. And finally, I see that my new story is better than I thought, and I send it to Super Agent.

Any other thoughts for fellow writers?

Check your pockets before you do the laundry. Stock up on muffin mix for your neighbors. (I mean, stock up on recipes and flour. ‘Cause we bake from scratch. *wink wink*) Read mountains of books. And never, EVER give up! How will I get to buy your books if you do?

Thank you so much Ame!

  

Ame Dyckman reads and writes picture books when she should be sleeping. She’s the
author of:

· BOY + BOT, ill. by Dan Yaccarino (Random House’s Alfred A. Knopf, 2012).

· TEA PARTY RULES, ill. by K. G. Campbell (Penguin’s Viking, October 3, 2013).

· WOLFIE THE BUNNY, ill. by Zachariah OHora (Little, Brown; Spring, 2015).

· HORRIBLE BEAR, ill. by Zachariah OHora (Little, Brown; Spring, 2016).

You can follow Ame on Twitter (@AmeDyckman), where she Tweets picture book reviews and pretty much everything that pops into her head.

Ame Dyckman's book trailers:
BOY + BOT:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBi820NFhag&list=PL216E04BEAE0F39BC&index=38

TEA PARTY RULES:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeJnaFkRn1o 

Ame generously donated: 
*A signed copy of TEA PARTY RULES
*TEA PARTY RULES prize pack: bookmark, sticker, button, and squeeze cookie.








To enter giveaway:

1. Scroll down to the Rafflecopter widget at the end of this post.
2. Under the prize listings, click on the “Revised PB MS Today & Commented on Today's Post” button. If you have revised a PB manuscript and commented on today's post, click ENTER and you're entered! Remember you are on the honor system! 

Each day you revise and comment (Jan. 12-18th) you can enter for chances to win. The winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter January 19th. There will be a final giveaway January 19th for those of you who revise 5+ days! Good luck everyone!