Q&U CALL IT QUITS written by Stef Wade
I’m certain that today’s post will QUENCH the curiosity of writers and readers eager to learn more about the journey from an idea to a published book.
You’ll find some QUALITY words of enlightenment from Stef Wade!
Stef’s story Q&U CALL IT QUITS illustrated by Jorge Martin is her third published picture book. And of course she is just QUIVERING with excitement to release it into the world!
Stef is also the author of A PLACE FOR PLUTO and THE VERY LAST LEAF. She grew up a Chicago girl, but now lives in Wisconsin with her husband and three boys, who are her muses and her distraction.
Welcome, Stef, and thank you for taking the time to share your story behind your story! What sparked your story concept?
When my oldest son was in preschool and learning his letter sounds, I overheard his teacher saying “this is Q and his best friend, U.” It struck me as such a cute concept and lingered in the back of my brain for years.
One day it hit me, what if U is sick of Q being so needy? What would happen if she decided to take a break? So, I dug into the idea and play off of letter blend sounds. I learned every word in the English language that starts with Q and played with those as I wrote the story.
Ah, kids. The never ending fountain of inspiration. And questions, SO many questions. How long did it take from idea to book?
The idea brewed for five years before I ever knew I would write a picture book. But once I remembered the idea and put pen to paper, I wrote the entire book in a couple of hours.
WOW! Sometimes all it does take is sitting down and throwing the words on a page. What was your revision timeline?
2013: I heard a teacher say cute things about Q&U before I’d ever written a picture book
March 2018: I wrote the first draft of Q&U CALL IT QUITS, a few months before my first book was published. I made edits after sending to a handful of readers
April 2018: I sent my manuscript to my agent, who sent back changes. And back and forth a few times until my agent approved it!
May 2018: Q&U goes on submission
June 2018: I got possible interest from a publisher, but then heard nothing. And then a rejection.
June 2018 to March 2019: Rejection. Rejection. Rejection.
March 2019: HarperCollins makes an offer!
July to August 2019: Revised twice with an editor (pre-illustration)
January to June 2020: Revised two to three times after illustration
June 2020: Final approval!
What was the hardest part of revising?
I will be very honest here. After the first draft of this book, the revising was not difficult. I say that I have one first draft and that I wrote it in a couple of hours, but when I type out that first draft, I revise while I’m doing it. The hardest part of this book was the first revisions, making sure all the letter blends and word play worked.
The typed manuscript for this book is a little confusing to look at - underlined letters, lots of art notes. But I knew once the right illustrator got in there, it would all work out and boy, did it ever!
Did you have an ‘ah-ha!’ moment with your manuscript during the revision process? If so, what triggered it?
Looking back at my first manuscript, this book didn’t change much from the original draft. We added in more action for the letters, adding to the emphasis on letter sounds (like one of my favorite pages where C is cooking corn on the cob)!
We also added more conflict with Q and U, making their relationship and feelings more developed. We didn’t want to rely solely on the illustrations to relay the feelings, so by adding a few sentences and phrases we were able to clarify their relationship.
With picture books, I don’t often find myself making drastic edits, but those small edits make drastic changes.
That is so true. It’s amazing how the flow can change when you move a line here, or add a word or two. What advice do you have for other writers? Are there any resources you would recommend to help with the revision process?
Ideas and stories are two different things. Sometimes manuscripts don’t work because you have an idea, not a story. Look for where you can add conflict and tension. Tweak every line so that every sentence sounds good on it’s own.
And don’t forget to HAVE FUN!
Q&U CALL IT QUITS is some of the most fun I’ve ever had writing a book.
And now, the words from one of the first drafts...
The problem became that U knew Q needed her more than she needed him.
Q would get jealous when U tried to fix things with her friend N.
...and the final words as well as a sneak peek of some of the spreads from this fabulous story!
But even though they were good friends, there was a problem. As much as Q loved U, U began to see that Q needed her more than she needed him.
Q felt useless when U tried to fix things with her friend N.
Make sure to add this QUINTESSENTIAL book to your personal library! You can order Q&U CALL IT QUITS from Stef’s favorite indie store Boswell Books.
Be sure to follow Stef on Twitter (@Stef_Wade), Instagram (@Stef.Wade) - where you might even catch her walking on her hands - and keep up to date with her book news on her website.
Thank you, Stef! What a great reminder we should never...QUIT!
(Except, of course, I’ll stop now with the QUIRKY Q&U words).