Pam Muñoz Ryan

Pam Muñoz Ryan, has written over thirty books for young people that include picture books for the very young, (MUD IS CAKE, MICE AND BEANS, HELLO OCEAN) picture books for older readers (AMELIA AND ELEANOR GO FOR A RIDE, WHEN MARIAN SANG and NACHO AND LOLITA) to middle grade and young adult novels (ESPERANZA RISING, BECOMING NAOMI LEÓN, RIDING FREEDOM.) ESPERANZA RISING received the Pura Belpre Medal, the Jane Addams Peace Award, an ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults, the Americas Award Honor and other accolades. Most recently, BECOMING NAOMI LEÓN received the ALA Schneider Family Award, the Tomás Rivera Award, an ALA Notable book and the Pura Belpre Honor. She is twice the recipient of the Willa Cather Literary Award for Writing (The Willa).  Born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley of California, she received her bachelor's and master's degrees at San Diego State University and now lives in north San Diego County with her family. For more information, Pam's website is www.PamMuñozRyan.com.

 
*Can you tell us a little about your writing process? How many drafts do you average for each book?

It’s not really a process but rather a very messy evolution. I start in a scene and go from there. I start like most writers start – with a very bad first draft which becomes something to fix, and change, and hopefully make better. It’s hard to know the precise number of times I rewrite because with the computer, there are many times in which I revise a manuscript but don’t print. I would say that I rewrite each story, regardless if it’s a picture book or a novel, somewhere between twenty and thirty times.

 *How many books do you work on at one time?

If I’m working on a novel, I usually just work on that particular story. But I’m always thinking down the line, especially if I have projects under contract, so that if I’m reading or at the bookstore, I’m  paying attention to research or resources I might need in the future.

*How many times a day do you get an idea for a book? In other words, do you have many more ideas than you will ever find time to write? Do you keep an idea file and find that more than one idea works its way into the same book?

I have many more ideas that I’ll have time to write. I do have a “manuscript ideas” file but I find I read it only when I’m adding something to it. It’s an exercise, really. Not something to which I make myself feel compelled to follow.  I don’t get an idea for a book every day. Like many writers, I often interpret real-life situations, articles, or an overheard saying as a possibility for a book idea. I don’t follow through every time, but that process is an exercise, too. I’m always considering, collecting, and discarding ideas. And sometimes laughing at my often ridiculous presumptions.

*You do such a great job at capturing the “voice” of a young girl in both BECOMING NAOMI LEÓN and ESPERANZA RISING. Would you ever try to write from the perspective of a male main character? Would you find it more difficult?

I have ten chapters written for a future novel and it’s in the voice of a boy protagonist. I didn’t find it more difficult. But I’m surrounded by boys so that might have something to do with it. 

**Do you focus more on your readers or on the story itself as you are writing?

Initially, I become immersed in the story. I start all of my novels “on scene” with the main characters and my stories evolve from there. As I continue to rewrite, I evaluate the progress of the plot and the pacing of the story, wanting very much for the reader to want to turn the page. That’s always a pervasive goal for me.

*Do you write to try to fit the market or do you follow your heart?

I pay attention to the business of publishing because it’s my job, but I don’t allow it to overwhelm me.  And besides that, trends are hard to predict!  It takes about two years for me to research and write a novel so if it publishes and happens to match a market trend, it’s most likely a random coincidence. I also tend to be one of those people who doesn’t want to do what everyone else is doing. I suspect that once a trend in publishing is publicized, that an avalanche of writers will attempt the same. That said, I would encourage aspiring writers to look for gaps or needs in publishing, which is a different issue.

*Do you continue to read current children’s literature and do you find it difficult to read while you are in the middle of finishing a manuscript?

I don’t read as much if I’m on a deadline and writing all day. It’s a time issue. But I do read a lot.

 *Tell us a little about your most recent book release (or the next one).

 Paint the Wind will publish in fall 2007. It is an adventure story about a girl named Maya and a wild horse, named Artemisia. Maya is a prisoner in her grandmother’s house in California. She is forbidden to play or have friendships. Every word is strictly monitored. Even her memories of her mother have been erased, except within the imaginary world she has created. A world away in Wyoming, a tobiano colored Paint horse runs free, belonging only to the stars. And holds the key to Maya’s memories. The story is about how these two worlds intertwine. To research this book, I went on two research rides, one in May of 2007 into the eastern Sierra mountains for a four day ride to see wild horses and in July 2007, on an 8 day ride near the Red Desert of Wyoming, where I slept in a tepee on the banks of the Sweetwater River, rode 6-8 hours a day and tracked a harem band. It is there that the story is set.

*What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing award-winning books?

First, not all of my books have been award-winning, but that does sound lovely, so thank you. My successes are the tip of a very big iceberg of rewrites, discarded manuscripts, rejected manuscripts and “start-overs.”  But when I’m not grappling and wrestling with words, I like to read, travel, go to movies (I love movies and theatre), get together with my family and ride horses. I ride about once a week.

 *What are some keys to maintaining a good relationship with your editors?

I’ve had many different editors over the years. Imagine fifteen colleagues and how idiosyncratic they might be and how you approach, confront, or interact with each one differently. Like any working relationship, I’ve had stellar ones and I’ve had one that were much less than stellar. When I receive a direction letter from an editor, I’ve learned to let it sit for a few days until I make a decision about how to proceed. An editor’s comments are for my consideration. It doesn’t mean I must “obey” them. But, I pay very close attention to what an editor says because he or she is often right and has brilliant suggestions that make my writing better.