Ask the Author: Jenn Bishop
Answered Questions (15)
Jenn Bishop
Becoming a traditionally published author (i.e. your books are widely available in bookstores and libraries) takes a lot of patience, persistence, hard work, and luck. We have control over the first three, so I encourage aspiring authors to focus on them!
Jenn Bishop
I think it's easy when staring at a blank page to feel pressure about our ideas or what we want to write about. But really, you can write about anything -- truly anything! Often our best ideas spark off the original thing we started writing. Embrace the messiness of writing. You can truly start anywhere.
Jenn Bishop
I think my favorite color is probably blue, though I am often drawn to pink and yellow
Jenn Bishop
I think books can make helpful companions when we're struggling to work through something or feeling lonely
Jenn Bishop
Years before I started writing the book, I met a family that provided homestays for minor league baseball players, which sounded like the most amazing experience ever. That idea was tucked away into my subconscious until I started writing the first draft of this book, which, like many of my first drafts at the time, was very much written on the seat of my pants. All I had was a girl who was up late at night because she was sad! My books really do often start with just a tiny spark, and then I follow the "whys" to figure out more of the story.
Jenn Bishop
I hope to! Any thing in particular you were hoping to see?
Jenn Bishop
Absolutely! I'm so touched to hear that The Distance to Home is one of your favorites.
Jenn Bishop
Been a night person lately. The books I've been reading are so good, I keep staying up late to read them!
Jenn Bishop
The books I rate on Goodreads are books I would recommend, hence the 5 stars. I read more widely than the reviews shared on this account (around 200 books a year, including adult books). But I use this account to lift up picture books, middle grade, and YA novels I have enjoyed and that I would recommend to young readers and colleagues.
Jenn Bishop
That's a hard question to answer, honestly, so I'm going to cheat. My favorite to write is usually whatever I'm working on at the moment. It's the story whose characters live in my heart and mind, who I think about like real people. Thanks so much for reading my books, Gracie!
Jenn Bishop
One thing I try to do to nip it in the bud when I'm drafting is to stop before I'm done, so I know where to start up again. But if I'm still truly stuck, often I'll take a break and read something that inspires me and makes me excited to write. It could be a book by a favorite author or something that's been sitting in my TBR pile for a while or a book about writing. And moving! Sometimes just getting away from the computer and going for a walk or a run helps my brain get unstuck.
Jenn Bishop
I have a LOT of favorite authors, and I'm always discovering more. Some of my favorites are Rebecca Stead, Jason Reynolds, Rita Williams-Garcia, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, L.M. Montgomery, and Kate Messner.
Jenn Bishop
Hey Sasha! I like to browse popular baby name lists for the years my characters would've been born. Certain names will leap out at me, though sometimes I change a character's name while I'm still revising the book.
As for the book that doesn't have a cover photo, I just finished copyedits -- it's done! I've actually already seen the cover -- it's gorgeous -- but I won't be able to share it publicly until sometime this summer. If you want to make sure you don't miss it, you should sign up for my mailing list: https://jennbishop.us11.list-manage.c...
As for the book that doesn't have a cover photo, I just finished copyedits -- it's done! I've actually already seen the cover -- it's gorgeous -- but I won't be able to share it publicly until sometime this summer. If you want to make sure you don't miss it, you should sign up for my mailing list: https://jennbishop.us11.list-manage.c...
Jenn Bishop
I think trying to break the big challenge of writing a book into smaller steps and goals (like writing 2 pages a day) is a great idea. I always like to stop my writing sessions at a spot where I know what can happen next, so that when I start writing the next time, I am already eager to see what happens and know where I'm going. The truth is, though, for first drafts, all that matters is getting words down on the page. You can make everything better later, just get your ideas down. There is no correct way to write a first draft -- whatever works for you. :)
Jenn Bishop
Black cats, white cats, little cats, big cats, mean cats (like mine), nice cats -- I love 'em all.
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