Jason Reynolds, author of THE BOY IN THE BLACK SUIT, on finding your writing voice

by Adventures in YA Publishing

What do you hope readers will take away from THE BOY IN THE BLACK SUIT?

I hope they take with them that coping doesn’t have to be a solitary thing. You don’t necessarily have to hole up in torment. It’s fair to assume that most of us are grieving the loss of someone or something, so to acknowledge the fundamental humanness in it could be a helpful tool in learning to manage it. I know that sounds deep and pretentious, but to make it plain, I suppose it’s just the concept that pain and loss are part of life, and the only way to move forward is not to negate or deny grief, but to own it and still actively choose life and happiness.

Was there an AHA! moment along your road to publication where something suddenly sank in and you felt you had the key to writing a novel? What was it?

Oh, I still don’t have the key to writing a novel. Ha! I wish I did. But I will say that everything changed for me when I realized that there was value in my voice. In MY voice. Growing up, wanting to be a writer, the one thing that we all know is that it is imperative that you read. It’s a non-negotiable rule in the “I WANT TO BE A WRITER HANDBOOK.” And I agree. It’s the cornerstone of it all. But it’s double-edged because what reading does, is expose you to everyone else’s voice. If not careful, it can create a weird box for you, one made of titanium, seemingly impossible to break out of. For me, it made me think that if I didn’t write a certain way, I wasn’t good enough. It had convinced me that my intuition, my raw, gut feeling, had no place in published literature. But then I started re-reading some of the books from my childhood. I started revisiting Walter Dean Myers. And what I found was that if I did it right, I could swing it my way. I could be really, really disciplined as a writer, so disciplined that I could make the voice and style of my work seem loose and insecure, purposely. I could make it sound honest. Real. Human. And that was it. It was like breathing for the first time, and writing became a lot less oppressive for me, and instead an incredibly liberating experience. Moral: read, but not just to expand your vocab and study story structure. Read also to see if you can pinpoint where the honesty lies in the writing. It’s not always easy to find it, but it was a big help to me when I did.

What are you working on now?

So much. I’m editing a middle grade novel, As Brave As You, that’s coming out in 2016. I have two more YA novels that will be edited right after, one written in verse. And lastly, I’m working on a four book middle grade series about a track team. I’m SUPER excited about that one! I’ve already submitted the first book of the series, and am currently working on the second. So, I’m busy, but I’m happy. And grateful.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Boy in the Black Suit
by Jason Reynolds
Hardcover
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Released 1/6/2015

Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can’t handle one more piece of terrible news, he meets a girl who’s dealt with a lot more—and who just might be able to clue him in on how to rise up when life keeps knocking him down—in this wry, gritty novel from the author of When I Was the Greatest.

Matt wears a black suit every day. No, not because his mom died—although she did, and it sucks. But he wears the suit for his gig at the local funeral home, which pays way better than the Cluck Bucket, and he needs the income since his dad can’t handle the bills (or anything, really) on his own. So while Dad’s snagging bottles of whiskey, Matt’s snagging fifteen bucks an hour. Not bad. But everything else? Not good. Then Matt meets Lovey. She’s got a crazy name, and she’s been through more crazy than he can imagine. Yet Lovey never cries. She’s tough. Really tough. Tough in the way Matt wishes he could be. Which is maybe why he’s drawn to her, and definitely why he can’t seem to shake her. Because there’s nothing more hopeful than finding a person who understands your loneliness—and who can maybe even help take it away.

Purchase The Boy in the Black Suit at Amazon
Purchase The Boy in the Black Suit at IndieBound
View The Boy in the Black Suit on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jason Reynolds is crazy.
About stories.
After earning a BA in English from The University of Maryland, College Park, he moved to Brooklyn, New York, where you can often find him walking the four blocks from the train to his apartment talking to himself. Well, not really talking to himself, but just repeating character names and plot lines he thought of on the train, over and over again, because he’s afraid he’ll forget it all before he gets home. He is the author of the critically acclaimed When I Was the Greatest and The Boy in the Black Suit. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.

Adventures in YA Publishing

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Posted: Jan 10, 2015

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Author Interviews

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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