Sarah Everett, author of EVERYONE WE’VE BEEN, on real life worming its way into your writing

by Jocelyn Rish

We’re thrilled to have Sarah Everett join us to share more about her debut novel EVERYONE WE’VE BEEN.

Sarah, what book or books would most resonate with readers who love your book–or visa versa?

Everyone We’ve Been has been described as 500 Days of Summer meets Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (both films). I think it would appeal to fans of Jenny Han, Sarah Dessen, Sara Zarr, Morgan Matson and Lauren Oliver. Readers who like More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera (who was kind enough to blurb Everyone We’ve Been), Noggin by John Corey Whaley and Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon might also like it!

What did this book teach you about writing or about yourself?

When I finished the first draft of this book, I didn’t see much of myself in it at all. Addie is an amazing viola player (I’m not). She’s gotten involved in some shady memory altering business (I have not….I don’t think. Wait…). Many rounds of edits later, I laugh at my naivety. Even when all the details are different, things I’m thinking about in real life somehow worm their way into my writing. So even though this book is in no way autobiographical and all the characters are completely made up (relax, siblings!), my fingerprints are still all over it. That’s happening in my next book as well, so I’m thinking this just might be a permanent thing. 🙂

What do you hope readers will take away from EVERYONE WE’VE BEEN?

First of all, I hope readers are entertained and temporarily transported into the lives of the characters. I also hope it makes readers think about the ways our experiences shape our lives – how we are different after certain things, and how we have the power to determine how those experiences change us.

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

My writing rituals seem to change all the time, which I think maybe makes them not rituals? Just random things I sometimes do. I prefer to write in complete silence, but when I’m fully engaged in a scene, I can forget all the noise and conversations around me. I usually write at home on my laptop, but I’ve occasionally written in public. And I’ll sometimes use music to get myself in the right frame of mind for a particular scene. Sometimes when I’m starting to write for the day and am feeling super intimidated by the blank screen, I’ll play some music (any music, though upbeat is better) and just start free-writing, and that usually does the trick. I find that the music drowns out the self-doubt in the most literal way and I’ve used this for writing everything – research papers, important emails, short stories, WIPs. It’s like a warm-up before a workout.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Everyone We’ve Been
by Sarah Everett
Hardcover
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Released 10/4/2016

For fans of Jandy Nelson and Jenny Han comes a new novel that asks, can you possibly know the person you’re becoming if you don’t know the person you’ve been?

Addison Sullivan has been in an accident. In its aftermath, she has memory lapses and starts talking to a boy that no one else can see. It gets so bad that she’s worried she’s going crazy.

Addie takes drastic measures to fill in the blanks and visits a shadowy medical facility that promises to “help with your memory.” But at the clinic, Addie unwittingly discovers it is not her first visit. And when she presses, she finds out that she had certain memories erased. She had a boy erased.

But why? Who was that boy, and what happened that was too devastating to live with? And even if she gets the answers she’s looking for, will she ever be able to feel like a whole person again?

Purchase Everyone We’ve Been at Amazon
Purchase Everyone We’ve Been at IndieBound
View Everyone We’ve Been on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sarah Everett remembers growing up in enchanted forests, on desert islands and inside a magical wardrobe. She would only ever erase her memory of past karaoke performances and certain fashion choices. She was born in west Africa but currently resides in Alberta, Canada where she attends graduate school and writes YA novels. Visit her on Twitter at @heysaraheverett.

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Have you had a chance to read EVERYONE WE’VE BEEN yet? Do you see yourself in your writing even if you didn’t mean to put it there? Does music help you drown out the self doubt? Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!

Happy reading,

Jocelyn, Shelly, Martina, Anisaa, Sam, Erin, Susan, Michelle, Laura, and Kristin

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 9, 2016

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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