Guest Post: Writing Mascot

 For the next few months, I'll be hosting a series of guest posts from the Class of 2K21 Books!  Enjoy!

What’s Your Writing Mascot? By Louisa Onomé

Growing up, we loved those fun animal associations that we had to do in class. Questions like ‘what animal would you be?’ or ‘what creature best represents you?’ filled each fun activity, letting us broaden our imaginations and really think of ourselves in a different light.

That’s why the Class of 2K21, a group of debut kidlit authors, decided to have a bit of fun with this question (even though we’re waaaaay past school age now!)

Take a look at what we came up with and answer the question with us: if you and your writing could be any animal, what would it be and why?

The Last Windwitch author, Jennifer Adam, says definitely a crow. “Not only are crows a central element of The Last Windwitch, they’re also significant to me personally. In many cultures and spiritual traditions, crows symbolize the ability to cross between worlds – something I think writers also do. When I sit down and face the page, I often feel that I’m leaving my ordinary life behind and slipping into a magical realm of possibility and promise. Crows are also clever problem solvers – a quality I need to find within myself when I am tangled up in plot threads or stuck in a story bog! And crows also have a reputation for picking up bright, shiny things that  catch their attention… which is TOTALLY something I do metaphorically. I am forever jotting interesting things down in my notebook as I come across them: facts from nonfiction I’ve read, random observations, snippets of conversations I’ve overheard, even names. Some of these odds and ends end up in my stories.”

 What about a whale? Words Composed of Sea and Sky author, Erica George, can’t seem to outrun them! “It seems like no matter what genre of book I sit down to write, a whale always ends up among the pages. In my debut, one of the characters is actually a whaler. Writing his story helped me to explore a time period that didn’t view whales as the gentle, intelligent creatures that we know they are today. They were ruthlessly hunted, brutally killed, and driven to almost extinction. It was a challenge constructing a character who was struggling to come to terms with the occupation he held (and was good at), and the more sensitive feelings he was trying to bury. In my sophomore novel, whales take on an even larger significance, as my main character is determined to study and even save a humpback whale after it becomes entangled in fishing gear. My portrayal of whales is a love song, a thank you, and an apology for what they’ve endured, and I hope that through them, my main characters discover something within themselves that’s gentle and worthwhile.”

 “Oh goodness, can I say an octopus?” asks Melissa Hope, author of Sea of Kings. “As a mother of two young children and a third on the way, I sometimes feel I need eight arms to accomplish everything. And I may or may not have practiced octopus-like camouflage to sneak an extra moment of writing when I can! In truth, octopuses fascinate me. Not only do they play a surprisingly dangerous role in Sea of Kings, but they are curious and innovative, and have even been known to use tools from items they found on the ocean floor. As an author, I see writing a book as a similar scavenging of materials. Everything has potential to be a story, and I never know what I can use until I’ve tried it!”

No matter what your writing mascot, or no matter your favorite animal, Class of 2K21 has you covered. Check out our collection of kidlit authors and see if you can’t find a new writing mascot for your adventures!

Do you have an answer for this question? I don't think I ever grew out of that horse loving phase. Horses seem like they would be pantsers when it comes to writing. They would write fast and furious.  And I'm also a huge dog person. I feel like dogs would never give up and keep working on editing to get everything just right. (The stage I'm in right now.) Can you have two? Does that count? We have one more guest post coming up. Stay tuned for next month's edition.