Our Stick Of The Week! is N.A. Nelson. She is in the NOW as a successful author of an award-winning children's book, Bringing the Boy Home. Nelson's novel won the HarperCollins Ursula Nordstrom Fiction Contest and was among Smithsonian Magazines 'Notable Children's Books for 2008.’ Bringing the Boy Home has also been nominated for both the 2010/2011 Georgia Children’s Book Award, the Mark Twain Award and the Sakura Award.
N.A. Nelson
Nelson's current work, a young adult novel titled, Greener Pastures, was a winner in both the Smart Writers WIN contest as well as the New Voices in Children’s Literature Award.
When she’s not traveling, N. A Nelson regularly speaks at schools about her adventures as an author and how Bringing the Boy Home was inspired by a summer vacation in the Amazon.
When she’s not traveling, N. A Nelson regularly speaks at schools about her adventures as an author and how Bringing the Boy Home was inspired by a summer vacation in the Amazon.
Tell us about your NOW (Noodle On the Wall)
My NOW is writing books for children; I write picture books, middle grade books and young adult books. I love to play with all three. Play. Strange that I wrote play and not write, huh? Well, there you have it.
My NOW is writing books for children; I write picture books, middle grade books and young adult books. I love to play with all three. Play. Strange that I wrote play and not write, huh? Well, there you have it.
Is your NOW simmering, al dente or fully cooked and why?
Well, I have one book out (Bringing the Boy Home, HarperCollins 2008), so that one is fully cooked. I’ve finished another book, so that one is al dente,’ and right now, I’m in the middle of getting my Masters degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. So in that sense, I’m simmering. I guess you could say, I’ve got two pots on the stove and one dish cooling on the table. Which is nice because that way, we’re not starving, right?
Well, I have one book out (Bringing the Boy Home, HarperCollins 2008), so that one is fully cooked. I’ve finished another book, so that one is al dente,’ and right now, I’m in the middle of getting my Masters degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. So in that sense, I’m simmering. I guess you could say, I’ve got two pots on the stove and one dish cooling on the table. Which is nice because that way, we’re not starving, right?
What recipes can you give other Creative Moms Taking On The Creative?
Stick with it. Writing is not an “instant meal” where you just combine 1 cup time with ¾ TBLS of words and voila’, you have a book. While you certainly need both of those ingredients, you also need patience, positive thinking, support from other writers (a critique group is nice), knowledge about agents and editors (when you get to that stage of the game), and most of all, persistence. Those who keep at it, BIC (Butt in Chair), are those who finish a book.
Stick with it. Writing is not an “instant meal” where you just combine 1 cup time with ¾ TBLS of words and voila’, you have a book. While you certainly need both of those ingredients, you also need patience, positive thinking, support from other writers (a critique group is nice), knowledge about agents and editors (when you get to that stage of the game), and most of all, persistence. Those who keep at it, BIC (Butt in Chair), are those who finish a book.
Bringing The Boy Home Book Signing
What motivated you to throw your noodle?
Listening to some acting classmates describe how they wish they had so-n-so’s role in so-n-so’s movie and not being able to relate in the slightest (well, except for wanting to be Donna Sheriden in Mama Mia). As their arms waved wildly around them and they jabbed the air with emphatic pointers, I knew I wanted that type of passion and that acting wasn’t “it” for me. I remembered how much I loved to write when I was little, so I went right home and signed up for a Gotham Writer’s Workshop.
I decided on the children’s book genre after reading a picture book to my daughter and something just clicked inside me. I thought, “I can do this.” So I joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and a critique group and started writing.
What inspires you as a Mom and as a creative person?
Other creative people. I’ve always torn things out of magazines that punch me in the gut creatively and get charged from that. My soul just glows a different color when I’m around brave, creative, let’s-try-this people. I look at, think of, and see things differently. I have favorite blogs and facebooks that I go to for a pick me up. I also keep my favorite books and read them over and over and they inspire me to be a better writer and push boundaries.
Listening to some acting classmates describe how they wish they had so-n-so’s role in so-n-so’s movie and not being able to relate in the slightest (well, except for wanting to be Donna Sheriden in Mama Mia). As their arms waved wildly around them and they jabbed the air with emphatic pointers, I knew I wanted that type of passion and that acting wasn’t “it” for me. I remembered how much I loved to write when I was little, so I went right home and signed up for a Gotham Writer’s Workshop.
I decided on the children’s book genre after reading a picture book to my daughter and something just clicked inside me. I thought, “I can do this.” So I joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and a critique group and started writing.
What inspires you as a Mom and as a creative person?
Other creative people. I’ve always torn things out of magazines that punch me in the gut creatively and get charged from that. My soul just glows a different color when I’m around brave, creative, let’s-try-this people. I look at, think of, and see things differently. I have favorite blogs and facebooks that I go to for a pick me up. I also keep my favorite books and read them over and over and they inspire me to be a better writer and push boundaries.
Nina and her kids
How do you juggle Mamahood and your NOW?
I’ve been very lucky in that I’ve been doing this since my kids were born, so they know that writing is my job. My husband is especially protective of my time. More than I am in fact and will actually shut my door for me while I’m writing and tell the children to leave me alone for a while.
It’s a struggle because I need chunks of quiet time: to write, to recharge my batteries, allow myself to clear out all of my to-do list and get back into the creative flow of the project. It’s definitely easier during the school year. I’ve also cut back on the things I say “Yes” to. I was a room mom for my kids for two years but I could never do that and be in Grad School…it’s just too much. I think it’s about taking your creativity seriously because if you don’t, no one else will. I’ve learned to be protective of my time and schedule out chunks for writing and writing only. Okay, I’m learn-ING to do that, it’s a constant process.
What is your ultimate pasta dish?
I really enjoy a good pesto. In fact, is it any wonder that I’m craving some NOW? Oh, goodness, must check fridge for pesto. Although I do have a flourishing basil plant on the back deck…
Find out more about N.A Nelson books HERE and on her FACEBOOK page.
I’ve been very lucky in that I’ve been doing this since my kids were born, so they know that writing is my job. My husband is especially protective of my time. More than I am in fact and will actually shut my door for me while I’m writing and tell the children to leave me alone for a while.
It’s a struggle because I need chunks of quiet time: to write, to recharge my batteries, allow myself to clear out all of my to-do list and get back into the creative flow of the project. It’s definitely easier during the school year. I’ve also cut back on the things I say “Yes” to. I was a room mom for my kids for two years but I could never do that and be in Grad School…it’s just too much. I think it’s about taking your creativity seriously because if you don’t, no one else will. I’ve learned to be protective of my time and schedule out chunks for writing and writing only. Okay, I’m learn-ING to do that, it’s a constant process.
What is your ultimate pasta dish?
I really enjoy a good pesto. In fact, is it any wonder that I’m craving some NOW? Oh, goodness, must check fridge for pesto. Although I do have a flourishing basil plant on the back deck…
Find out more about N.A Nelson books HERE and on her FACEBOOK page.
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