I was recently inspired by a quote attributed to Theodor Seuss Geisel, the beloved children's author better known as Dr. Seuss:
"...to be successful, it has to sound like you knocked it off on a rainy Friday afternoon."
Sure, he was referring to writing a book in verse, and while this site is dedicated to Catholic teen fiction, it got me thinking about writing habits in general -- specifically, those of the authors at Catholic Teen Books (CTB).
Dr. Seuss is well-known for his powerful use of rhythm, rhyme, alliteration and quirky illustration, but next to that he's probably most lauded for his ability to produce masterpieces while working under strict writing constraints. For example, in 1954 an editor from Houghton Mifflin Publishing House read an article in Time Magazine that said children weren't reading because they found it boring. This same editor sought out Dr. Seuss, challenging him to write a book using only a list of 348 words every 6-year-old needs to know. The editor wanted the end result to be a book "children can't put down." Nine months later, Dr. Seuss had finished The Cat in The Hat -- one of the most successful children's books of all time.
A few years later, Dr. Seuss accepted a $50 bet from the founder of Random House to write a children's book using only 50 words. The result was Green Eggs and Ham, a book that to date has sold over 200 million copies.
As a homeschooling mom of seven sons, I've read all of Dr. Seuss' sixty published titles countless times. Each one is a rollicking masterpiece that has cultivated in me and my kids a thrilling love of poetic language, verse and short story. In my opinion, Dr. Seuss certainly pulled off his goal of making each book sound like it was written 'on a rainy Friday afternoon.' That's why I was surprised to learn that he once also said:
"Writing for children is murder. A chapter has to be boiled down to a paragraph. Every word has to count."
I recently chatted with fellow authors at CTB and learned that like Dr. Seuss, all of us have had to embrace the gift of writing under strict constraints to produce our own books. While none of us have been restricted by specific word lists, we've had to allow our limitations -- especially on time -- to stoke our creativity. Almost all the authors on this site have young children. For those who do not, jobs and volunteer activities fill up their days.
I, for one, know that a limited, set time for writing has not been a road block for my creativity, but rather an open door. To be specific, I've always written during my kids' nap/ quiet time -- between noon and 2 pm each day. And I'm truly convinced that I cram more into those two focused hours than I would into an entire open weekend; I know this because back before I had kids, I'd waste countless hours psyching myself up just to put pen to paper.
Besides limited time, other constraints that have helped me produce books have been self-imposed. If my internal dialogue is -- go ahead, write about anything you want -- my mind will inevitably draw a blank. But if I prayerfully seek the Holy Spirit's guidance, helpful road markers appear in my imagination. For example, after a lot of prayer and meditation, I'm presently drawn to working on a YA novel set in the Great Southwest during the Goldrush; I want it to incorporate the themes of mercy, sisterhood and redemption. The entire story is not fully formed in my mind yet, but these constraints function as a map, guiding my way.
Antony Barone Kolenc, author of The Harwood Mysteries Series, has had a similar experience: "I know we've already touched on how all of us at CTB work under time constraints, and for me such limitations have been especially challenging. As a father and a law professor with a full-time job -- and previously as an active-duty Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force -- I've always had to write in the early morning hours between 5 am -- 7am. I like to tell people that if they spend just one to two hours each day working on their writing project, they'll be amazed at how much they can accomplish."
Marie C. Keiser, author of the Heaven's Hunter Series also shared how she balances work with family life: "Constraints absolutely help me channel my creative energy. I tried to write many stories as a young adult, but it wasn't until a Catholic author friend challenged me to write a science fiction story that I ever finished a complete novel draft. In my writing about the Faith, I limit myself to the kinds of experiences I am personally familiar with, so none of my characters have visions or obvious direct divine intervention in their lives. I find this grounds me.
"And while I know we've already mentioned limited time, as a mom of four young children I write on my phone while I'm nursing my baby, sometimes late at night. I rehearse conversations with myself while driving, washing the dishes, or folding the laundry, and write them down when I get a chance. In those few precious hours when I have a babysitter, I hide in my bedroom and knock out a scene or two. When I have writer's block and can't figure out what to write, I set a timer for twenty or thirty minutes and force myself to write something, no matter how bad it is, until I grind through the wall of writer's block and the story starts writing itself again. Some of my best scenes have come out of these painful writing sessions."
T.M. Gaouette, author of The Faith & Kung Fu Series and other titles talked about her tricks of the trade too: "As a homeschool mother of four, living on a small farm, I not only write under the constraint of limited time but also limited location. My day-to-day duties keep me primarily focused on farm and homeschool activities, but I find that such a lifestyle fuels my writing. Experiences with my kids as they grow; recognizing their struggles with coming-of-age issues; even working with the animals on our farm; these all inspire and strengthen my characters and add depth to my stories. Therefore, having a notebook for each story is key. That book stays with me, and on my bedside table at night, for notes and scenes that come to mind when I'm not at my computer."
Almost all of the CTB authors I spoke with mentioned writer's manuals that have provided tried and true methods for shaping a story (ie: constraints) that have helped them immensely, such as Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody; The Art of Fiction by John Gardner; and The Moral Premise: Harnessing Virtue & Vice for Box Office Success by Stanley D. Williams. Just about every CTB writer also strongly suggested offering up one's limited writing time to God -- never putting pen to paper without centering the heart and mind first in prayer.
About the author: Sarah Robsdottir is a Catholic convert, a homeschooling mom to seven boys, and a regular contributor to Aleteia and National Catholic Register. When a pamphlet arrived in her mailbox describing the grave dangers water gatherers in developing nations face daily, Sarah locked eyes with the girl on the front cover and knew she had to tell her story -- a challenging, multi-year endeavor that would result in her 2023 Catholic Media Association Award-winning debut novel Brave Water. A portion of the book's proceeds are being donated to aid in water acquisition and to fight human trafficking around the world. Keep up with Sarah at www.sarahrobsdottir.com
Photo: Retri.com
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