KING SEJONG INVENTS AN ALPHABET written by Carol Kim
One of the coolest things about becoming a picture book writer is meeting other picture book writers and illustrators! While my own personal journey is ongoing and I have yet to receive my first ever book deal (ahem, Universe…just putting it out there, again) it’s been incredibly wonderful to see the manuscripts of critique partners come to life in a published book.
KING SEJONG INVENTS AN ALPHABET written by the fabulous Carol Kim with beautiful illustrations by Cindy Kang is a must have book for the home, the classroom, and one to carry around just in case.
Carol has wanted to be an author since she could barely write. But there was one problem: she didn’t want to have to share her writing with anyone!
She finally overcame this fear and, according to her, it only took four decades. But better late than never, right?
(I would say so, especially since that means the rest of the world gets to enjoy her awesome stories!)
KING SEJONG INVENTS AN ALPHABET may be Carol’s debut picture book but she has also written for the education market. If you have dreams of becoming a kidlit writer, Carol has also created a fantastic resource on how to make a living in kidlit.
I am incredibly honored to be a critique partner and VERY excited to share her revision journey.
So enough of my blathering, onto the interview…
Carol! Yay! Thank you for being a part of this blog series. Please tell us...what is the story behind your story? What sparked your story concept?
In 2014, my father decided he wanted to visit Korea. He took me, my oldest brother, and our families for a 10 day trip. This was the first time he had been back to his home country in 60 years!
As we were preparing for the trip, my father mentioned that his ability to read Korean was only about a 3rd grade level. I assumed this was because he had lived most of his life in Korea under the Japanese occupation. But that wasn’t the entire story. He told me Korea’s alphabet, Hangeul, had only been Korea’s official alphabet since 1946, following the end of World War II.
He briefly explained its history, and how King Sejong had invented the alphabet during his reign in the 15th century. I was stunned. How was it that I had never heard this before? This would make a great story for a children’s book! I thought.
During our stay, I was fortunate to come across a book (written in English!) about King Sejong. It was part of an effort to promote Korean history and culture to the rest of the world. They were just giving these books away for free! I was thrilled to find a significant part of the book was devoted to King Sejong’s invention of Hangeul.
That book became the foundation for my research that I eventually embarked upon to write my book.
That is amazing! How long did it take from idea to book?
In my mind, there are two timelines. In one, I first had the idea in 2014, when I heard about the history of Hangeul. But at that point in my life, I wasn’t really actively exploring writing for children. It was just a vague, far-off pipe dream. Starting with this date, it took six years.
In 2019 I told myself it was time to take serious steps toward actually writing a children’s book. The stars were aligning for me and I was selected as a #PBChat mentee. I also took a picture book writing course with the Children’s Book Academy. It was during that course that I took my first stab at writing KING. From those first steps to getting a book deal, it was about a year.
Yay, fellow Children’s Book Academy friends! What was your revision timeline?
September 2019: First draft
October 2019: Revised after paid critique
November 2019: Revised after feedback from #PBChat mentor Katey Howes
December 2019: Revised in preparation for sending it to editors who expressed an interest in the story resulting from the Children’s Book Academy course.
January 2020: Received an R&R request from Christina Pulles with Albert Whitman. Revised in accordance with her feedback.
February 2020: Received 2nd R&R from Christina. Revised again.
March 2020: Christina wants to take KING to acquisitions! Did a happy dance while also crying tears of joy.
April 2020: Check in with Christina to see if they are still interested. Informed they are looking for an illustrator.
May-June 2020: No news. Feeling discouraged.
Late June 2020: Albert Whitman has found an illustrator! They are ready to take KING to acquisitions!
July 2020: Albert Whitman makes an offer of publication! Cheers and high fives with the family!
August 2020: Signed with agent Charlotte Wenger at Prospect Agency! (Okay, I realize this isn’t a revision step, but it was just too exciting to leave out!)
Late August to October 2020: Final edits and formatting sources.
What was the hardest part of revising?
The hardest part for me is when I get weary of my subject matter, especially when it becomes clear I need to do more research.
It’s like thinking you were finished with the driving part of your journey, and you’ve unpacked your suitcase and put everything away. But then, sigh, you realize you need to get back on the road. So you take a deep breath, pack up all your supplies again, and head out, hoping you reach your destination this time.
Did you have an ‘ah-ha!’ moment with your manuscript during the revision process? If so, what triggered it?
As I mentioned, I benefited from having help from amazing mentors. When Katey Howes provided me with feedback on one of my earlier drafts, she told me: “Up the drama and conflict! Clearly establish ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’ and the struggle for justice.”
I have a tendency to think interesting facts are enough to engage readers--but Katey was kindly pointing out that I needed to inject tension into the story to make it more compelling. This was exactly the advice I needed to hear, and it helped me approach the story with a better eye toward storytelling.
What advice do you have for other writers? Are there any resources you would recommend to help with the revision process?
I truly believe if you have this dream in your heart of becoming a children’s book author, then you were meant to do it! Have faith in yourself and keep taking steps toward achieving your goal of becoming published.
I believe the best resource for revisions are good critiques--from critique partners, from paid critiques, and from mentors. It truly took a village to get my book from being a mud-encrusted rock into a more polished gem.
And finally, I believe your story will always be improved by editing it down. I am amazed at what happens when you are forced to bring your writing down to the essence.
Carol, I really need to print out your words of advice and tack it to the walls of my room. Do you have any other words of infinite wisdom for readers?
Getting feedback on your drafts is super, super important. (I am so grateful to my AMAZING critique partners!) But remember to also trust your gut. You don’t have to accept every suggested edit, even when it comes from gatekeepers or other experts in the kidlit world. For example, I had submitted KING to one very experienced agent. She expressed interest in the story, and suggested I cut it down from 900 to 600 words. I didn’t think this particular story could be told well with such a sparse word count, so I opted not to resubmit to her. The final manuscript ended up being just under 700 words. But those extra 100 words mattered a lot!
And now, part of Carol’s draft of this awesome book...
Long ago, in ancient Korea, kings ruled the land.
Some kings cared mostly about themselves. Others cared mostly about the upper classes.
But King Sejong was different.
The ruler of Korea from 1418 to 1450, King Sejong believed his duty was to care for every member of his kingdom, including the common people.
He wrote: “The common people are the foundation of any country. It is only when this foundation is strong that a country can be stable and prosperous.”
King Sejong loved learning. He believed knowledge was key to the prosperity of his people.
As a young boy, he loved to read.
Born Yi Do on May 7, 1397, he was the third son of King Taejong and Queen Wonkyong.
During his childhood, he spent many hours reading. Sometimes he would read a book a hundred times or more and not tire of it.
King Taejong, became worried. His son was staying up too late into the night reading.
At one point, the king directed an attendant to remove all the books from Yi Do’s room and hide them.
When Yi Do discovered all the books had been taken from his room, he searched everywhere for one. Maybe one had been left behind?
Joyfully, he found one behind a screen. He read the book again and again.
“Why do you let your body suffer so as if you were a scholar preparing for the state examination?” King Taejong asked his son.
From Carol: I really loved this quote from King Taejong--but it was so obvious that it was not especially kid-friendly or essential to the story. I knew it had to go. But it still makes me chuckle!
And now (insert high-pitched squeal here!) sneak peeks at the final words and gorgeous illustrations of KING SEJONG INVENTS AN ALPHABET!
Have you connected with Carol yet? Be sure to visit her website for updates on her books. You can tweet her funny memes @CKimWrite4Kids, follow her on Instagram (@CKimWrite4Kids) and connect on LinkedIn.
Excited for this book? I know I am. Order signed copies of this beauty at Carol’s favorite Austin indie bookstore Book People.
A HUGE THANK YOU Carol!