Sarah Moon, author of SPARROW, on letting go of getting it perfect

by Jocelyn Rish

We’re happy to have Sarah Moon stop by to talk about her debut novel, SPARROW.

Sarah, what scene in SPARROW was really hard for you to write and why?

I really, really struggled to write the scene with Dr. Katz, Sparrow and her mom. It felt like an important scene, and one that I really wanted to get right. So in the first (several) attempts, it was all wrong because I was trying so hard to get it all perfect. When I let go of getting it perfect, it finally came together. It was also hard to write the scene when Sparrow goes to Leticia when Mrs. Wexler dies, because I kept crying (not like, oh, I am so moved by my own words, but because it reminded me of losses I experienced as a teenager).

What do you hope readers will take away from SPARROW?

I hope they take away whatever it is they need in that particular moment — if that’s just a good book recommendation or a new band, or if it’s the courage to speak up even when everything in you wants to be silent, all of that is okay by me.

What did SPARROW teach you about writing or about yourself?

I’d never written fiction in my life before Sparrow, so it taught me a lot. I learned that I don’t have to account for every single minute of her day, I can take Sparrow from therapy to home to a flashback to the next week without providing the real-time account of everything she did in between. I learned that not every sentence is followed by “she said” or “she thought”.

What was your road to publication? How long did you work on SPARROW?

I started Sparrow in 2010. So, the road has been long and very winding. Because it’s my first piece of fiction, I had a steep learning curve. At first I thought Sparrow was going to be a prose-poem, then I thought half the story was going to be told by Dr. Katz. There was a lot to figure out! Many, many thanks to Arthur Levine who patiently read through every single version.

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 ritual is whenever I can, however I can (even more so now that I have a new baby!). I write at home, almost always. Because I’m a teacher, I write during summer break and school vacations. My wife is a music supervisor, so I tell her about what I’m working on and ask her to make me a playlist for that. The playlist she made for Sparrow was basically the only thing I listened to for months. It’s still one of my favorite playlists, even now that Sparrow has flown the nest.

What are you working on now?

I am working on a book about two teenaged sisters who try to make it on their own while their mom is in rehab. Hijinx ensue.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sparrow
by Sarah Moon
Hardcover
Arthur A. Levine Books
Released 10/10/2017

Sparrow has always had a difficult time making friends. She would always rather have stayed home on the weekends with her mother, an affluent IT Executive at a Manhattan bank, reading, or watching the birds, than playing with other kids. And that’s made school a lonely experience for her. It’s made LIFE a lonely experience.

But when the one teacher who really understood her — Mrs. Wexler, the school librarian, a woman who let her eat her lunch in the library office rather than hide in a bathroom stall, a woman who shared her passion for novels and knew just the ones she’d love — is killed in a freak car accident, Sparrow’s world unravels and she’s found on the roof of her school in an apparent suicide attempt.

With the help of an insightful therapist, Sparrow finally reveals the truth of her inner life. And it’s here that she discovers an outlet in Rock & Roll music…

Purchase Sparrow at Amazon
Purchase Sparrow at IndieBound
View Sparrow on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sarah Moon is a teacher, writer, and translator. She lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, with her wife, Jasmine, and their dog, Otis. She is the coeditor of The Letter Q, a young adult anthology. Sparrow is her first young adult novel.

—

Have you had a chance to read SPARROW yet?

Sarah points out that part of her learning curve was to stop accounting for Sparrow’s whereabouts. What’s your go-to method to eliminate the minutiae?

Like Sarah, emotional scenes are the toughest for me, too. What’s the most difficult scene for you to write?

Share your thoughts about the interview in the comments!

Happy Reading,

Charlotte, Jocelyn, Anisaa, Erin, 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 10, 2017

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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