The world is full of writers, from devoted list-makers to poets and short stories to novels and beyond. For as many writers there are, it’s not too far fetched to claim that there are as many purposes behind the writing. Personally speaking, I write because it helps me organize my thoughts…I just happen to think in a story format.
Once the decision is made to take writing from sketching little stories and poems for our own enjoyment to the next level – that elusive publication. With Self publishing making waves in the industry, these stories are sometimes mistaken (sometimes not) as lesser in quality. As such, self-published authors have come together as a community in several different formats and in online forums. Aviva Gittle is one such author with a heart for helping other self-published authors.
Aviva is my next featured author. Along with amazing stories for children, Aviva has a talent for working with others to bring stories to life and to help other authors share their work. It’s this kind of writer that makes me smile with admiration! It is my great pleasure to introduce you to Aviva Gittle:
Q: Your website is amazing. From what I can see, you have a talent and desire to work with other writers, promoting their work. What was the inspiration for your website and how has it enhanced your writing life?
Aviva: First, thank you for the kind words. My website is a mix of self-promotion, how-to articles for writers and a platform for, mainly, self-publishers. I want to transition to less interviews and more articles. I have much to share about the process of self-publishing. My website (www.GoToGittle.com) is really an experiment in marketing. Often I forget that I’m supposed to be marketing my books and not creating an online magazine. Which isn’t a bad idea, but then I’d have to market the magazine, too! I could call it, “Aviva.” How’s that for self-promotion?
Q: I found six books listed on Amazon: Moon Jump, In Nana’s Arms, Bagel Boy, Kitten and Butterfly, Mort the Fly, Snack Attack. Share a little with us about the origin of these stories.
Aviva: In Nana’s Arms is a poem to my first grandchild, Louis. I was holding him with one arm while he slept and wrote a rough draft on my iPhone with the other hand. Bagel Boy, and you’re going to love this, is based on a story idea from my ex-husband. Moon Jump and Snack Attack! I wrote with my writing partner, Mark Megson. An amazing young man whose website I stumbled upon last year. (http://www.readingjuice.co.uk/) There I found dozens of story ideas. I asked him to partner with me. Our writing styles mesh so well, I can’t always remember who wrote which parts of a story. Mort the Fly I wrote in 2005; it was the impetus to my becoming a self-publisher. (Because I prefer to do things my own way even when I don’t know what the heck I’m doing.) Kitten & Butterfly is part of the Kitten and Friends series. I wrote all 7 stories in a couple of months. But, it took a year to get the first story published. I’ve got a cute book trailer for it that I’m very proud of.
Q: What is your writing process/schedule?
Aviva: I’m not a schedule person. A former burnt out IT project manager; I yanked my watch off my wrist September 16, 2004, got in my car and drove away from my corporate life. I’m a writer for a reason. LOL! Something has to inspire me to sit my butt down and write. Kitten and Friends was inspired by an illustration of a kitten and butterfly I saw in an artist’s portfolio. I would jot down ideas for other creatures Kitten could make friends with. I was in a manically productive phase that has yet to be repeated. (Bummer, man.) I have ideas for stories all over the place. In notebooks, on my computer, iPad, iPhone. I even have photos of paper scraps with ideas scrawled on them. Like my brain, my writing process is very scattered. Fortunately, through years of college and work experience, I have learned to write very quickly. So, when I can finally sit still, I get a lot done.
Q: Going back a time, what inspired you to begin writing?
Aviva: Preteen angst. I wrote my first song at age 7. I don’t remember the words, but it was a sad love song. At age 11 I started writing poetry. I’ve been battling depression for as long as I can remember. And writers know that anger, sadness and love are the great motivating emotions. It’s great when you’ve got all three storming around your head at once. LOL! I wrote my first children’s story in 1995 at a very low point in my life. It was called Chloe and the Belly Beast. It was about dealing with fear. I went as far as hiring an illustrator last year with the intent of self-publishing it. When the initial sketches came back from the artist, I knew it was way too dark to be a children’s story. I then tried to make it a tween novel. To date, I just haven’t found a way to make it work. That’s when you put it on the back burner and move on. I did make a fun greeting card with one of the sketches.
Q: What lesson in writing has been the most difficult but the most effective? (For example, early in my writing career, I realized that the novel I was writing was in need of a major overhaul. Overwhelmed by how much that would take, I decided the best (and yet most painful) solution was to delete it all and start over. Best move of my life. Well, I married a great guy, but that has little to do with writing 🙂
Aviva: You need to hire an editor. It’s the first thing I talk about in my Birth of a Children’s Book column (about my experiences as a self-publisher).
You should listen to others, but not blindly follow their advice. If you find yourself reacting strongly to feedback, set it aside and go back to it in a few days. Once you put your ego aside, you open yourself up to some great opportunities to make your stories better. Like, a lot better than you can do all alone. Unless you just want to sit in your room and read all your stories to yourself.
The best decision I made was to partner with Mark Megson. I think of myself as a loner, but working with Mark has improved my writing and my production. In addition to Moon Jump and Snack Attack! (technically I’m the senior editor on that, but we really wrote it together), we wrote Mary’s Magic Word which will be published later this year. We are also working on a tween sci-fi novel, Quentin and the Quantum Quilt. Your feedback on the first very short chapters is greatly needed and appreciated: http://goo.gl/VQhSMD (It’s posted on Wattpad.com; real easy to leave comments and vote.)
Q: When you walk into a bookstore or library, what is the first section you browse?
Aviva: I haven’t walked into a bookstore in a very long time! When I browse Amazon.com, it’s usually for children’s books. Either I’m trying to find self-published children’s book to review or I’m looking to buy children’s books for my grandchildren.
Q: Describe the perfect birthday. Why? Because it’s fun 🙂
Aviva: The perfect birthday would have me surrounded by my grandchildren playing “Pin the Tail on the Donkey”, “Musical Chairs” and other birthday games of my youth. Oh, and a piñata stuffed with individually-wrapped pieces of fudge. I love fudge. My grandson, Louis, would strike the winning blow and I would stand underneath the poor, battered, paper Mache creature with a giant bowl.
Q: Imagine you are the keynote speaker at a writing conference. The audience includes 500 writers at various stages in their writing, with a plethora of experiences. What would the final statement of your address to them be?
Aviva: Life is a balance. You can’t just write for yourself and you can’t just write for others. Okay, you can do whatever the heck you want. But, one will leave you lonely and the other will suck the joy out of your writing life.
Credits:
Moon Jump illustrations by Carlos Brito
Kitten & Butterfly illustrations by Tekla Huzár
My links:
Buy or borrow an Aviva Gittle Publishing book: amazon.com/author/avivagittle
Website: http://gotogittle.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aviva-Gittle-Publishing/262156237258544
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AvivaGittle
Wattpad: http://goo.gl/VQhSMD
Submission guidelines for The Gittle List 2014: Top 10 Self-published Children’s Picture Books: http://gotogittle.com/the-gittle-list-2014-guidelines/