An Interview with Author
Robin Friedman
by Debbi Michiko Florence
Robin Friedman worked as a children's book editor at Walker and Co., and on the adult side at Hyperion, both in New York City, and as an advertising copywriter and freelance writer. She is currently an arts-and-entertainment reporter — working full time! — for a weekly newspaper called THE ALLENTOWN TIMES.
Have you always wanted to be a writer? Tell me a little about your journey to published author.
I've wanted to be a writer since I was little — I wrote tons of stories when I was younger about talking squirrels and girls with pigtails — and sold them to my guitar teacher for 50 cents. Unfortunately, when I stopped taking guitar lessons, this market dried up.
But I didn't have "writing role models" when I was growing up, so I didn't know people who liked to write could become writers. I thought the only jobs available to people who liked to write were reporters on newspapers, so I became obsessed with journalism.
You have written a novel (How I Survived My Summer Vacation...And Lived To Write The Story). What were the challenges to writing a novel, compared to a picture book?
A novel takes more time and involves more complicated, difficult, hair-pulling-out effort. There are tough issues like pacing and plot, character development, dialogue, voice, story arc... These are all present in picture books too, but they're bigger and scarier in a novel.
Your new picture book, THE SILENT WITNESS: A True Story of the Civil War (illustrated by Claire A. Nivola) is based on a fascinating true story. Tell me how you came across the facts and how you decided to turn it into a picture book.
When Ken Burns' PBS series, "The Civil War," was aired, it opened with the story of Wilmer McLean.
In July 1861, troops fighting in the newly begun Civil War arrived on McLean's front lawn in Manassas, Virginia. McLean worried for his family's safety, so he relocated everyone to a tiny village called Appomattox Court House, away from the war and the troops. But, in a bizarre twist years later, on April 9, 1865, two visitors in tall boots made their way into the McLean house. The McLeans were once again about to become witnesses to history.
I turned to my husband and said, "Wow — they were there when it started and there when it ended — even after they tried to escape. That would make a great picture book!"
My husband replied, "Well, why don't you write it?"
I'd never written nonfiction before, so I was very intimidated by the research. But as I delved into it, I discovered little Lula McLean and her rag doll, and that became the centerpiece of the story.
Tell me how you worked on creating this book, from idea to submission. Tell me about “the call.” How did you celebrate?
I read dozens of books about the Civil War, searched the Internet, and got in touch with the historian at Appomattox Court House National Historic Park. I wrote three drafts and sent them all through my writers group. I submitted the final version to 23 publishers. Of that, 22 rejected it and one wanted it!
The call came on a Thursday at 9:30 in the morning while I was taking out the garbage! I came back in, saw the message on the machine, and called the editor back immediately. I was stunned and speechless and spazzy. I think I giggled like a loon.
Describe a typical work day.
Well, I'm now back in the full-time workforce, so a typical work day is commuting to my office like the rest of the planet! But I absolutely love being a full-time reporter again — and getting a regular paycheck.
When I was working at home, though, the typical work day would consist of getting up at 4 or 5 a.m. and writing in my home office till my husband got home from work at 6 p.m. I often had to pry myself away from the computer to eat, drink, and use the bathroom! I was just so engrossed!
On days when I wasn't writing, I'd do typically mundane things like run errands, catch up on paperwork, clean, shop, garden, etc.
What do you love about being a writer?
I'm an addict. I get a tremendous rush from it. When I'm writing, I block out the whole world. It's absolutely dizzying to be so engaged in something like that. I rarely get that kind of single-minded buzz from anything else.
What are the challenges of being a writer?
There are the usual challenges of craft, technique, and growth. But the bigger challenge, I think, is learning to live with never-ending criticism, rejection, and pain. It's painful to be a writer, because writers are often treated badly by the world, whether it's at the hands of publishers, bookstores, reviewers, or readers. It can hurt. A lot. And there's no solution to this relentless wounding except learning to accept it as a job hazard.
What are you working on now?
I've come to a crossroads. After being in this business for ten years, and having two books published, I've had enough. The business has changed too much for me. It used to be a sleepy little cottage industry. It's now a high-profile, corporate, profit-driven Big Business. So, in addition to returning to full-time work in the 'real world,' I'm self-publishing two teen novels, THE FENCE, and its sequel, THE NECKLACE, with a web company called iUniverse.
Both novels will be available on Amazon.com and Bn.com in 2006. THE FENCE is a Depression-era story about friendship, family, and first love between two fifteen-year-old cousins during the golden age of the Jewish Catskills. THE NECKLACE is a love story in which the male character from the first book must struggle with hardship and heartbreak.
Do you do school presentations? How can teachers/fans contact you?
I love meeting with children, teachers, and librarians. Contact me through my website at www.robinfriedman.com.
What advice do you have for beginning children’s writers?
I don't envy you! When I started out, things were easier and kinder. Expect a long, hard road. Realize that most of this craziness is out of your control. Work hard on your writing, because in the end, that'sthe only thing you'll really ever get out of it.
What can fans expect from you next?
I just finished working on two more teen novels, THE GIRLFRIEND PROJECT and PURGE. THE GIRLFRIEND PROJECT is about a boy who's never had a girlfriend or even kissed a girl, but whose life will change in his senior year. PURGE is about a boy who develops bulimia. I'm shopping around both novels, but if I can't sell them, I'm going to self-publish them too.
Interview © November, 2005, by Debbi Michiko Florence.
what's new?
For more about Robin, her books, and some great editor interviews, check out her web site.
For the scoop on her new novel THE GIRLFRIEND PROJECT.
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