Part of a series introducing the Mentors for the 2019-2020 SCBWI-WWA Mentorship Program. This post introduces a YA Mentor, Kevin Emerson. Applicants will receive information about acceptance into this program in early Fall, 2019. For more information about the mentorship program visit here: https://wwa.scbwi.org/2019-mentorship-program/.
Mentor: Kevin Emerson
Kevin Emerson is the author of numerous middle grade and YA novels, including the Chronicle of the Dark Star series, and the forthcoming Any Second. His recent release, Last Day On Mars received starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist, and was selected for ALA’s LITA List for science fiction and the TLA Lone Star List. Kevin is a former K-8 science teacher and teaching artist with Writers in the Schools and Richard Hugo House. He has won a spelling bee, lost a beauty pageant, and once appeared in a Swedish TV commercial. Learn more at http://www.kevinemerson.net/.
Q: Why do you like to mentor aspiring writers?
I enjoy helping writers find their best story and maximize their craft.
Q: What does being a successful published professional look like to you?
I think it’s about pushing yourself to try new things, to follow new inspirations, and then to set achievable goals and follow through. Being a professional writer means believing in yourself, learning to manage your doubt and the up’s and down’s of the publishing world, and learning how to work productively with editors and feedback. Ideas are the key to getting noticed, revision is how you get published. Setting up your life so that you can continue to improve at both is the key to career longevity.
Q: What can a mentee expect from your mentorship?
My goal is to highlight what a mentee does well and dig deep into what they can improve. This often comes down to finding ways to make a story character-driven, and to build stakes and tension that feel earned. We will also look at the world building and cause-and-effect to make sure they ring true. Sometimes, a story speaks to its author in ways they don’t even understand at first. I want to help illuminate this meaning, and make it resonate in the story.
Q: What are you reading?
I am currently reading York by Laura Ruby. Up next is A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold.
Q: What are you working on these days?
I’m currently writing the second of two original novels that tie into the Netflix Lost in Space series, and also planning out my next middle grade novel, which will come out in 2021. I have a YA project out on submission, but that’s currently top secret.