Hamline and Goddard MFA faculty Sherri L Smith is our author faculty at the Weekend on the Water Retreat at the beautiful Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine, WA from April 24-26, 2020. Sherri shares some thoughts about writing with Lily Lamotte.
Information for the exciting Weekend on the Water Retreat is here:
Interview with Sherri L. Smith
LILY LAMOTTE: What made you want to become a writer?
SHERRI L. SMITH: Books! I’ve always been an avid reader, and it was love of books that inspired me to attempt my first (awful, three page, plagiarized) novel when I was ten years old. My family also tend to be excellent oral storytellers, so their influence was undeniable.
LILY: Are you a plotter or a pantser?
SHERRI: I’m definitely a plotter. In fact, I teach classes on how to outline and tackle a story. My past as a story development executive at Disney definitely informed how I work out an idea before I write it. That said, I have pantsed a few projects and it was an interesting experience. But my goal as a plotter is to also allow for serendipity. The story knows where it wants to go. I just take notes and try to listen.
LILY: What do you do for fun when you’re not writing?
SHERRI: Is it cheating if I say “read books?” I do. I like to read, and I like to travel. You’ll also find me running a craft booth with friends at local comic book shows and the like. Baking cookies used to be a pastime I enjoyed, especially around the holidays, but too many of my friends have cut sugar or gluten or calories to make it worthwhile anymore!
LILY: What’s your earliest creative memory?
SHERRI: That’s an interesting question. I’m not sure how to answer it. I remember getting a compliment on a poem I wrote in third grade, but I don’t recall the act of creating the poem. Hmm. I also remember a few years later telling a fib to an adult—okay, not a fib. It was a whopper about my dad owning a Ferrari or something. And the man believed me! I was stunned and then I felt bad. It turns out my dad used to be known as a sports car fanatic when he was in his twenties, so it was plausible. My grandmother used call lies “stories”—“Don’t tell a story,” she’d say. But look at me now.
LILY: How has your writing process shifted through your career?
SHERRI: I’m less afraid to start a project and challenge myself than I used to be. When I started my first published novel, I wasn’t sure I could do it. After it came out, I wasn’t sure I could write the next one. Or the next. About four books into my career I realized that worry was just a delaying tactic. The only way you know you can write is by writing. So now I just embrace it.
I still do the same sort of outlining and revising steps I’ve always used, though. If anything, the biggest change has occurred as a result of writing more historical fiction and nonfiction. How I catalog and footnote my sources is more involved now. I’m trying out a new software called Zotero for an upcoming project. It allows you to click and add source materials to an online “Library” that you can use to take notes and to generate bibliographies. I’m just getting to know it, but so far it’s got me excited to dive into the research deep end.
LILY: What kind of character are you drawn to?
SHERRI: I suppose it’s different based on whether it’s something I’m reading or something I’m writing. For writing, I like characters who are willing to share their emotions and to take risks. I like underdogs and people figuring themselves out. As a reader, I like to see behind the curtains of a character, and go on adventures. It’s always fun to be with a protagonist who says the things I wouldn’t say, and does what I wouldn’t dare do—as long as it doesn’t come off as stupid, you know? Nothing’s more frustrating than crinkling the pages and going, “But why?!!!”
LILY: You are a faculty of the Hamline MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adult. Do you have a favorite lecture topic?
SHERRI: I actually teach in two MFA programs—Hamline’s MFAC and Goddard College’s MFA in Creative Writing, where I teach adult fiction and graphic novels. At Hamline I led a really interesting discussion about ethics in children’s literature. It was designed on the World Café model, which meant small groups sat at tables and discussed a presented question. They were allowed to doodle on big poster-sized post its. Then everyone switched groups for the next question, and so on. At the end, we all came together to share thoughts, and the posters were hung on a window so we could see what people had created. It made for a really interesting way to look at the role of children’s authors in our society, and the line between person and persona.
When it comes to craft classes, I teach two classes at Goddard that are a lot of fun. One is about character wants—which I’ll be sharing at Weekend on the Water—and one is an introduction to Enchantivism, which is a form of activism for introverts that uses deep storytelling, mythology, dreams, and the environment to effect positive change in the world. The character wants class is always thought provoking for writers toiling with a story, and Enchantivism is just inspirational and moving on a really heartfelt level.
About Sherri L. Smith
Sherri L. Smith is the author of seven award-winning young adult novels, including the 2009 California Book Awards Gold Medalist, Flygirl, the 2017 SCIBA YA Award winner, Pasadena, and the bestselling middle grade historical fantasy The Toymaker’s Apprentice. Her books appear on multiple state lists and have been named Amelia Bloomer and American Library Association Best Books for Young People selections. Sherri has worked in comics, animation, and construction. Currently, she teaches in the MFA Writing program at Goddard College and for Hamline University’s Children’s Writing MFA. Her latest book is Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen?— part of the NY Times bestselling Who Was? series. She returns to World War II with her next novel, The Blossom and The Firefly, in February 2020. Learn more at www.sherrilsmith.com