Guest Author - Michelle Anne Cope

“What are you reading?”

It’s a common question and one I seem to get a lot when I’m reading in a public place. Recently, I was on an airplane devouring a Nancy Drew mystery when a fellow passenger asked me this question. I couldn’t help but notice the chuckle in his voice. I could only imagine that he thought I might be a student learning English, or perhaps even learning to read. I quickly marked my place, leaving Nancy locked in a closet by furniture thieves, and explained my choice of literature.

I write for children. I work on nonfiction and fiction works to be submitted for publication. As much as I enjoy the works of Stephen King, the drug store Harlequins, and the plethora of titles from the best seller’s list, most of my reading is in the age range of what I’m writing. It should be; I need to know what is new, what is old, what works and what doesn’t.

Most of the time when I answer this question in public, the chuckles change into memories as the asker will suddenly give me titles and characters they loved as a child. They think it's cool that I write and want to give me some ideas. This is suddenly free research for me. In the case of the airplane passenger, he told me about titles of several boys’ mystery series from the early 1930’s. I was fascinated and poor Nancy stayed in the closet for the remainder of my flight.

The same goes for a bookstore or a library. Once you start asking for title suggestions, the list just keeps growing. Don’t be afraid to give a bookstore clerk or a librarian a two minute synopsis of what you are working on or wish to learn about. They know their stuff and can quickly point you in the direction of the newest titles and the true and blue series.

So, just how much should you read? Well . . . I think you will get different answers from different people. I met a children’s publishing agent at a writer’s conference who suggested that I should read close to 1,000 books in the genre and age range I wanted to publish. An editor told me that if you wish to write nonfiction articles, you should choose a target magazine and read at least a year’s worth of nonfiction articles in that particular publication. I’ve had other writers tell me that they would rather write than read, so they simply glance through a few best sellers or the award winning books. I’m a little more realistic. I would love to write an instant best seller, or win an award that would allow my published piece of work to be labeled with one of those cool silver or gold stickers, but I do write in the real world. I won’t say that awards will never happen, but for now, I want to simply write, submit and be published. So, I’ll read, and then, I’ll read some more.

The best part about the field of children’s literature is that most of the books are short, the articles are usually under 1,500 words and it’s fun. There are some wonderful creative stories told through picture books, the art work is gorgeous and I’ve learned so much about where things are and how things work by reading nonfiction books and articles.

I won’t leave you with a specific article or book count, but I will leave you with the suggestion to read, read, and read. And . . . then, write!

Read - Write - Write More!
Chel