On Monday morning I visited with the fifth graders at Major Edwards Elementary School in West Boylston, Massachusetts. This was an extra-special visit because I happen to live in West Boylston, Massachusetts. And although most of the schools I visit want me to talk about the science of TRACKING TRASH, this time I was asked to talk about the process of researching and writing a book of nonfiction. There were quite a few cool moments …
When I asked the kids how long they thought it took me to write TRACKING TRASH, the initial guesses were flattering: four months, six months, one year. I let them guess until someone finally guessed a timeframe longer than I actually needed, then I said, “Ten years? Come on, I’m not that slow … it only took me four years!” They thought this was hysterical. (I am not often mistaken for funny.)
After talking about revision and showing the students some horrifying editor-marked pages from my first draft, I hauled out my stack o’ drafts … all six inches (see photo above). The kids actually looked pained on my behalf!
I showed some early cover designs for the book and, as usual, the students all chose the cover I liked least as their favorite … just as the smart designers at Houghton Mifflin had said they would. That cover, with some tweaking, became the cover I now adore.
The best part of yesterday’s hometown visit, however, actually happened today, when I bumped into one of the Major Edwards fifth graders on the soccer field. She gave me a shy smile, and when I said hello, she lit up. I like to think she realized in that moment that what I told her in class yesterday was true: writers are just regular people. We’re regular neighbors, regular soccer moms, regular women who were once girls with a passion for reading and writing … just like her.