Sarah Aronson’s Story Behind Just Like Rube
Goldberg (by Sarah)
Jacket Flap Copy from Book:
Rube Goldberg was a real cartoonist who got
really, really, really famous by inventing a
WHOLE lot of crazy, brilliant, impractical
funny stuff.
None of which ever got made.
Does that make any sense?
It will after you read the book!
Like all publication stories, my story starts
with some longing. It is bolstered by back story. And has an amazing open
ending that I hope will make you think.
First, the longing.
I’ve written about this
many times. It is a story I tell when I talk about the power of play.
It was Sept 2014. I had
just received a really rough rejection for a YA novel that I had poured my
heart into. That novel, Strong Girl, represented the kind of writer I yearned
to be—the writer of important books and tough topics.
As we all know,
rejections are not created equal.
This one was tough.
But I was lucky. I was
teaching at the Highlights Foundation. I had no time for wallowing. I was doing
my favorite work—helping others find their stories.
So I walked. I probably
cried. And then I decided to change the way I did things. I decided to write
what made me happy. I gave myself six months to play—to write for fun—not for
publication.
Just Like Rube Goldberg
came from this challenge!
When I think about it
now, I could have found this idea a lot earlier, if I’d been looking. I have
this memory of the first time I saw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and the Rube
Goldberg-style breakfast maker in that film. I love Back to the Future. And I’m
pretty sure I read Rube’s Foolish Questions at an impressionable age.
But the spark (or should
I say sparkle!) came after hearing Tami Lewis Brown read from her picture book
biography. Do we really ever know why an idea finds us? All I know: I worked
hard. The voice came naturally. (I think my career has been a bit like a Rube
Goldberg contraption!) I sent it to my agent. I begged her to hurry—I had a
feeling that this book was being written by others.
And it worked out!
Allyn Johnston bought
it. Robert Neubecker agreed to illustrate. We did not talk about Rube AT ALL,
but somehow, he knew how to illustrate my words. I still can’t look at the book
without getting a bit weepy, and for the record, when I’ve read it to kids,
they giggle like crazy! Someone usually falls out of his or her chair!
I can’t wait to bring
this book to classrooms! I know that the power of play—and some Goldbergian
magic—changed how I approached writing for children. Not all my ideas sell—not
by a long shot! But when I sit down to imagine, I think like Rube Goldberg.
Creativity is a gift. Revision is a challenge. A Rube Goldberg chain reaction
may disregard the laws of physics, but they always make sense on paper! Just
like our stories!
Author
Bio
Sarah Aronson began writing for kids and teens when someone in an
exercise class dared her to try. Since then, she has earned an MFA in Writing
for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and published
three stand-alone novels: Head Case, Beyond Lucky, and Believe. Her most recent
books are part of a new young MG series, The Wish List (Scholastic, 2017-2019)
as well as the picture book biography, Just Like Rube Goldberg (Beach Lane
Books), illustrated by Robert Neubecker.
When Sarah is
not writing or reading (or cooking or riding her bike), she is talking to
readers about creativity, writing, social action, and of course, sparkle power!
She loves working with other writers in one of her classes at the
amazing Highlights Foundationor Writers on
the Net (www.writers.com). She
serves as the PAL coordinator for Illinois as is heading up the Read Local
initiative. She loves sports. She overuses exclamation points. When she’s
excited, she talks with her hands.
Website
Link
Social
Media Links
Twitter:
@sarah_aronson
Insta:
@sarahnaronson
FB:
personal page
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https://literallylynnemarie.blogspot.com/2019/02/master-list-2019-story-behind-story.html
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