Interview with Todd
Kelgard
Interview by Jenna Glatzer
Born and raised in Albuquerque, NM, Todd Kelgard is the author of Outside
In, a middle-grade novel about a young tennis player who has hit a turning point
in his life. Todd attended Dartmouth College, after which he played
a few years on the pro tennis circuit. He currently lives in Los Angeles with
his wife.
How did you get your start as a writer?
I traveled a lot after college, and I tried to keep a journal and write about
all the places I visited, but that effort was sporadic at best. I'd have
to say I got my start as a writer by taking a personal essay writing class at
NYU not long after I stopped traveling. I had stories I wanted to tell, and a
class seemed like a safe and constructive way to get started. By the end, I had
a few writing samples that I could show to potential employers, namely
magazines. I got a job at a local magazine on Long Island as an assistant
editor, which is where I really started writing on a regular basis--for pay, no
less.
I understand you played tennis both on the junior
circuit and professionally. How much of this novel draws from your own
experience?
I have strong memories of playing tennis as a young kid, and those memories
definitely came into play when writing the book. I loved the sport, was
dedicated to it, but around seventh and eighth grade I became aware of what I
was missing out on-- playing other sports, hanging out with friends after school
or on the weekends instead of having to go to tennis practice or tournaments.
That's really what the book is about, making choices and sacrifices, something a
lot kids, as well as their parents, have to deal with.
What are some of the challenges of writing for the
middle grade market?
One of the biggest challenges is gauging the vocabulary level of the readers.
Occasionally over the past several years, I have taught tennis to kids in that
9-12 age bracket, and just interacting with them, paying attention to the words
and phrases they use, what they like, don't like, etc., helped. Also, reading
award-winning children's books for that age group helped me with the vocabulary
range I could use.
How did you sell this book?
I had heard that it was very difficult for an unpublished writer to get an
agent, so I sent out a bunch of query letters to publishers of children's
literature, cross-referencing those that had a middle-grade audience with those
that had put out sports-themed books. Royal Fireworks responded, asking to see
the whole manuscript, and a few weeks later they sent me a contract.
You wrote the rough draft of this book while taking a
correspondence writing course with the Institute of Children's Literature.
Tell me about that experience. Was it very helpful?
It was very helpful in the sense that the instructor/editor I worked with
(though never met) broke my rough draft into thirds and imposed deadlines on
when I was to finish each section, thus forcing me to become a more disciplined
writer. In addition, having someone to offer constructive, honest criticism of
your work is always a plus.
What's something you learned in the course that
surprised you?
One thing that surprised me was the sheer volume of magazines in the children's
market. From AppleSeeds magazine to Yes magazine, there's a wide range of
youth oriented publications that need articles and stories for their readers.
Tell me about the editing process. Did you go
through many drafts?
For better or worse, I'm a big self-editor; I often can't get to the end of a
page without going back to the top and reworking it. So when I finished the
book, there were just a couple areas that I needed to fine-tune.
What's your writing process like? How do you
begin a new work?
I usually start with an idea that I'd like to work with, or a "what
if" scenario. Sometimes I just have a scene in my head, maybe some dialogue
between characters, that act as a springboard for a story. From there, I jot
down a rough outline. (I don't really like the outlining process; I'm much
happier once I'm at the writing/creative stage, the
coming-up-with-the-right-words-to-move-the-story-along stage.)
What has it been like working with Royal Fireworks
Press?
Royal Fireworks has been fair and true to their word, in terms of getting my
book out in their stated amount of time. They are a small, privately owned
publisher that, as such, is able to give the authors they work with more
personalized attention. Whenever I call, I am able to get through to the person
who can address any issue I might have. Royal Fireworks markets mostly to
schools and libraries, so their books don't always command a lot of shelf space
at bookstores, though they can be found at Amazon.com.
If you could pass on one piece of advice for aspiring
children's authors, what would it be?
I would suggest taking a class to any aspiring children's writer, or any
aspiring writer, for that matter. Anything to weed out rookie mistakes and
fine-tune your writing. Even if you only learn one thing in a class, that one
thing could be what separates your work from others on an editor's desk. What's
more, the confidence you gain along the way is worth the price. Other than that,
I would suggest reading as much children's literature as possible.
Todd can be reached at TKelgard@aol.com.
