The SCBWI summer conference is just days away.
People are on planes, packing bags, and anticipating the event of the year.
This year's conference is sold out, but you can still be there with us, just
follow the live conference blog and tweets. We would love
to have you join us.
Just before he flew out to California, I had the
pleasure of asking Matt
de la Peña a few questions.
Matt de la Peña is the
author of four critically-acclaimed YA novels—Ball Don't Lie, Mexican
WhiteBoy, We Were Here and I Will Save You—and the
award-winning picture book A Nation’s Hope: The story of Boxing Legend
Joe Louis. This year his fifth YA novel, The Living,
will be released as will his fist middle grade novel, Curse of the
Ancients. Matt received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State
University and his BA from the University of the Pacific. He teaches
creative writing at NYU and Vermont College and visits high schools and
colleges throughout the country.
I
know you just met an intense deadline. Can you give us a little taste of what's
coming soon from you?
My newest YA novel, THE
LIVING, comes out in November. And I just finished the sequel to THE LIVING a
couple days ago (tentatively titled THE FORGOTTEN). In this two-book series, my
main character, Shy, lands a summer job on a cruise ship, and while he's out at
sea the "big one" slams California (a massive earthquake). THE LIVING
is part adventure story, part romance, with a little bit of class and race exploration
thrown into the mix. I also have a picture book coming out next year called
LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET (illustrated by the talented Christian Robinson).
Once
you've turned in a manuscript, do you usually have another in the works or will
you start the brainstorming and drafting now?
I have a file on my
computer labeled "future novel ideas." Whenever I'm writing a book
under contract, and I find myself beginning to fall under the spell of the
"slutty new idea," I take a few rough notes about the idea, file it
away, and get back to the story I'm supposed to be writing. As soon as I'm
finished with a project my reward is that I get to open the "future novel
ideas" file and sift through the descriptions, looking for my next
journey. I love trying to figure out what to do next. Each story has so much
possibility. (Some of them are dumb, of course). And luckily my memory isn't
the best, so I never remember how incredibly long and arduous the process of
writing a book is. This allows me to start with the same naive smile I've
started every book with.
You'll
be presenting an Intensive on dialogue during the conference. Is there a common
mistake you see writers make when it comes to writing dialogue?
I get bummed when I read
dialogue that's too cute or too "on the nose." And I throw the book
out the window when I come across exposition that's masquerading as dialogue.
On the flip side, nothing makes me happier than reading a well-crafted scene
with artful and organic dialogue that still manages to stay on point.
Speed
Round:
I love revision so much!
Least
favorite part of the writing process?
First draft. (This is
where drugs and alcohol come into play. Not really. But something like that.
Because the whole "white page" thing really hurts.)
Favorite
writing snack?
Iced lattes.
Favorite
place to write?
The Brooklyn Writers
Space, where I've written my last six books.
How
do you celebrate when you get to "the end"?
An old fashioned or two
at my favorite bar in Brooklyn. Three if the book was especially hard to
write.
Follow
Matt on Twitter: @mattdelapena
Follow
SCBWI on Twitter: @scbwi
Official
conference hashtag: #LA13SCBWI