Randy Ribay, author of AFTER THE SHOT DROPS, on testing an idea as a short story

by Jocelyn Rish

We’re thrilled to have Randy Ribay stop by to tell us more about his latest novel, AFTER THE SHOT DROPS.

Randy, what was your inspiration for writing AFTER THE SHOT DROPS?

At the time I wrote After the Shot Drops, I was teaching English at an all-boys’ charter high school, and my kids loved any books about sports–basketball, in particular. However, there were only a limited number of YA basketball books out there, so I decided I’d try my hand at adding another one. Since I’m not the world’s biggest watcher of sports, I didn’t want to tell a straightforward rise-to-success tale. I decided I’d focus more on the friendship between a kid who was on the verge of “making it” and his best friend who felt like he was getting left behind. I tested the idea first as a short story, and then expanded it into a novel.

What book or books would most resonate with readers who love your book–or visa versa?

Hoops and Slam! by Walter Dean Myers, Next by Kevin Waltman, and Ball Don’t Lie by Matt de la Peña are all basketball stories set in the inner-city that have a similar feel. But beyond basketball novels, I think fans of anything by Adam Silvera, Angie Thomas, Nic Stone, Jason Reynolds, Brendan Kiely, or Jeff Zentner would also enjoy After the Shot Drops.

How long did you work on AFTER THE SHOT DROPS?

I finished the first draft in the fall of 2013, and my agent sold it in 2016. In between those three years there were several rounds of edits I did on my own and after input from early readers and my agent at the time. After HMH acquired it, I went through three more rounds of edits with my editor, Margaret Raymo. The core of the story has remained the same, as well as a few scenes, but much was entirely rewritten at some point or another.

How long or hard was your road to publication? How many books did you write before this one, and how many never got published?

I started writing seriously in 2010. Each year for three years, I wrote a manuscript, queried agents, and watched the rejections roll in. I then went back and heavily revised the second manuscript. I found an agent and publisher in 2014, and it came out in fall of 2015 with Merit Press as An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes. I then went back and did heavy revisions on the third manuscript I had written, and that became After the Shot Drops. The first manuscript will forever chill in a dark corner on my hard drive, as I think it’s pretty bad. It was important to write it, though, because it showed me that I could actually do this writing thing.

What advice would you most like to pass along to other writers?

It’s nothing original, but I think it’s important that you both read a lot and write a lot. To use a sports analogy–which feels appropriate give my book–somebody watching basketball all the time isn’t going to become a good player if they never actually practice playing, and somebody who plays but never bothers to analyze film or professional games probably isn’t going to understand the game as much as they need to.

ABOUT THE BOOK

After the Shot Drops
by Randy Ribay
Hardcover
HMH Books for Young Readers
Released 3/6/2018

Bunny and Nasir have been best friends forever, but when Bunny accepts an athletic scholarship across town, Nasir feels betrayed. While Bunny tries to fit in with his new, privileged peers, Nasir spends more time with his cousin, Wallace, who is being evicted. Nasir can’t help but wonder why the neighborhood is falling over itself to help Bunny when Wallace is in trouble.

When Wallace makes a bet against Bunny, Nasir is faced with an impossible decision—maybe a dangerous one.

Told from alternating perspectives, After the Shot Drops is a heart-pounding story about the responsibilities of great talent and the importance of compassion.

Purchase After the Shot Drops at Amazon
Purchase After the Shot Drops at IndieBound
View After the Shot Drops on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Randy Ribay is the author of the contemporary YA novels AFTER THE SHOT DROPS (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018) and AN INFINITE NUMBER OF PARALLEL UNIVERSES (Merit Press/Simon & Schuster, 2015). He’s also a high school English teacher, reader, gamer, watcher of great TV, husband, and father of two dog-children. He can probably be found somewhere making lightsaber sound effects with his mouth.

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Have you had a chance to read AFTER THE SHOT DROPS yet? Do you have a novel that will forever chill in a dark corner on your hard drive? When it comes to writing are you both practicing and analyzing? Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!

Happy Reading,

Jocelyn, Halli, Martina, Anisaa, Charlotte, 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: Mar 11, 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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