Our client Laura Gehl is the award-winning author of many picture books and is well-known for her inspiring and educational author visits. We asked her to give us tips on how she teaches her most popular topic…
When I visit schools, I ask teachers and librarians which themes they want me to focus on in my presentation. I have presentations that highlight math, science, creativity, overcoming fears, and persistence, among other topics. But the topic requested most, by far, is REVISION. Teachers want me to tell students that professional authors still need to write multiple drafts, just like students do, and that professional authors still get feedback from peers, just like students do during the peer editing process used in many schools.
The bad news is, I have no personal experience with revision. Everything I write is perfect the first time, so I just write one draft, send it to my editor, and voilà—a new book is published.
Or not.
Actually, I LOVE talking to kids about this topic, because I have so much to say! I tell them I couldn’t survive without my two critique groups—the equivalent of their peer editing process. I tell them about characters and plot points I changed from first draft to final draft. And I tell them about adding words, cutting words, then adding words back in again.
To keep it fun, I use a multiple-choice, trivia-style format.
After reading BABY ASTRONAUT to students, I ask, “How many words in this book stayed the same from the first draft to the final draft?”
Students are astonished when they find out the answer is 1! Just one word (baby) stayed the same from start to finish.
I also use this book to show kids that illustrators need to revise, just like authors.
I ask students if they can pick out the mistake in the illustration where BABY ASTRONAUT is sleeping on the International Space Station.
Next, I show a picture of outlets on the real International Space Station, which helps kids see the problem with the original illustration.
And then I show the finished—more accurate—illustration that appears in the book.
When I present I GOT A CHICKEN FOR MY BIRTHDAY, I tell kids that the book originally had a completely different title. I give them a few choices, and most kids guess that the original title was “I Got a Chicken As a Present.” But the correct answer is…“I Found a Chicken In My Bathtub.” Kids are very surprised to hear that the original story didn’t have a birthday, a present, or a grandmother (the present-giver) at all.
At the end of the book, the chicken builds (spoiler alert!) an amusement park.
But I tell kids that the first draft of the book had the chicken building something else. Can they guess what? The correct answer is that the chicken built a very different type of magical, fun place for kids…a library!
When I present ALWAYS LOOKING UP, NANCY GRACE ROMAN, ASTRONOMER, I tell kids the book has about 1,000 words. I ask them how many words they think my longest draft had (answer: 6,000) and how many words they think my shortest draft had (answer: 100). I also tell them never to challenge an astronomer to ping pong (you’ll have to hear my presentation to find out why!).
Earlier, I mentioned “persistence” as a theme that comes up in several of my books and presentations. Well, when I talk about revision, I make sure kids realize that persistence and revision go hand in hand! Just as Nancy Grace Roman persisted in becoming an astronomer even when many different people told her girls couldn’t be scientists, writers must persist through countless drafts, rejections, and frustrations.
But I also make sure kids know how much I love my job despite the frustrations. Getting to write books, and then talk to kids about books, is surely the greatest job in the world, and I never stop feeling lucky that I get to do it—even when I am on draft #47 of a story that refuses to cooperate.
Read more about Laura Gehl and her author visit presentations on her speaker page.