Jennifer Yu, author of IMAGINE US HAPPY, on bribing her muse

by Jocelyn Rish

We’re delighted to have Jennifer Yu stop by to share more about her latest novel, IMAGINE US HAPPY.

Jennifer, what scene was really hard for you to write and why, and is that the one of which you are most proud? Or is there another scene you particularly love?

There is a scene at the end between Stella and her mom that I wrote and rewrote countless times while drafting. It’s a pivotal moment in the book – the moment after Kevin and Stella’s relationship really bottoms out – and it’s shared between a girl who is being torn apart by fresh sorrow and a mother who is perhaps starting to realize that her attempts to hold her own relationships together might not be going so well. And so we watch as Stella tries to strike the right balance of mourning and processing her own feelings while feeling empathy for her mom; and we watch as her mom tries to strike the right balance of compassion and pragmatism and emotional honesty. It’s a loaded scene, and there’s a lot going on. And also, it was hard to find enough different ways to phrase “and then Stella started crying even harder” – so that was a challenge as well.

How long did you work on IMAGINE US HAPPY?

I worked on IMAGINE US HAPPY for over two years. It was kind of a crazy, transitory period in my life, which spanned graduating from college, getting my first real job, and all the usual post-graduate woes (finding an apartment, trying to figure out what making new friends looks like outside of college, and so on and so forth). There were times when writing IMAGINE US HAPPY felt like a much-needed island where I could escape from the chaos of daily life, and other times when writing IMAGINE US HAPPY felt like one more thing that I didn’t know how to do properly and would probably fail at. There were a couple weeks when I would be up at 7:30, working my “real” job from 8 to midnight, and then writing from midnight to 3 a.m., leaving me with a total of 4.5 hours a night to sleep. How I know that the rose-colored glasses of hindsight are a real thing is that now I look back on that period of time with so much fondness, and I’m bizarrely excited for if / when I go through the same thing with my next book.

What’s your writing ritual like? Do you listen to music? Work at home or at a coffee shop or the library, etc?

I really appreciate the power of a good writing ritual, because I have writing friends who will sit down in their coffeeshop and put on that playlist and then just churn out thousands and thousands of words, which is inspiring to watch. But what I’ve learned about myself is that I mostly make up writing rituals for myself in an attempt to procrastinate on writing, and that if I can make myself get off Facebook, close out the 15 tabs of cat GIFs that I have open, and turn off the Wi-Fi, it doesn’t really matter if I’m in the library or listening to a Spotify playlist with 2 hours of ambient forest sounds or attempting to bribe my muse with chocolate cake at a coffeeshop.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Imagine Us Happy
by Jennifer Yu
Hardcover
Harlequin Teen; Original edition
Released 10/23/2018

Some love stories aren’t meant to last

Stella lives with depression, and her goals for junior year are pretty much limited to surviving her classes, staying out of her parents’ constant fights and staving off unwanted feelings enough to hang out with her friends Lin and Katie.

Until Kevin. A quiet, wry senior who understands Stella and the lows she’s going through like no one else. With him, she feels less lonely, listened to—and hopeful for the first time since ever…

But to keep that feeling, Stella lets her grades go and her friendships slide. And soon she sees just how deep Kevin’s own scars go. Now little arguments are shattering. Major fights are catastrophic. And trying to hold it all together is exhausting Stella past the breaking point. With her life spinning out of control, she’s got to figure out what she truly needs, what’s worth saving—and what to let go.

Purchase Imagine Us Happy at Amazon
Purchase Imagine Us Happy at IndieBound
View Imagine Us Happy on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer Yu is an LA resident and recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied creative writing. In her free time, she enjoys reading books she’s too old for, roping unsuspecting friends into listening to her play the guitar, and being far too invested in Boston sports teams. Most of her pop culture knowledge comes from binge-watching late-night talk show clips and occasional, nervous forays into the depths of Tumblr. Find her online at byjenniferyu.tumblr.com or on Twitter @yuontop.

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Have you had a chance to read IMAGINE US HAPPY yet? Do you use writing rituals to procrastinate? What do you use to bribe your muse? Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!

Happy Reading,

Jocelyn, Halli, Martina, Erin, Susan, Shelly, Kelly, Laura, Emily, and Lori Ann

Jocelyn Rish

Jocelyn Rish is a writer and filmmaker who loves researching weird and wonderful animals and sharing what she learns. Her debut was BATTLE OF THE BUTTS, about ten animals that do weird things with their butts. Her latest book is BATTLE OF THE BRAINS, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection about ten animals with mind-blowing brain abilities. When she’s not writing, she tutors kids to help them discover the magic of reading. Jocelyn has won numerous awards for her short stories, screenplays, films, and novels and lives in South Carolina with her adorable dog. Find out more at www.jocelynrish.com.

Post @ Jocelyn Rish and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Oct 25, 2018

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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