Video Transcript (computer generated - may contain errors)

Sara Gentry: Hey, writers, I feel just really lucky today to be able to interview Rhiannon Richardson. Welcome, Rhiannon.

Rhiannon Richardson: Hello!

Sara Gentry: I'm a fan of Rhiannon's book which we're gonna talk about here, but also she is an editor with the Good Story Company, and I'm also a fan of that company, a great resource for kidlit writers, especially. Rhiannon, let me introduce our writers to you just a little bit more. Rhiannon is a coffee, loving Philadelphia native who splits her time between writing books for teens and working as an editor for the Good Story Company. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor's in English literature and writing. When she isn't writing she can be found exploring local cafes and bookstores in search of the best vanilla cappuccino, and her next to read. That is awesome. So welcome, and thank you again for for this opportunity. I would just love to maybe get a general idea of how you even got started in writing. I mean, I see that you got the college degree kind of leaning in that direction. So maybe you were already thinking about it. But what brought you to writing?

Rhiannon Richardson: So first, thank you for having me. I'm excited to be able to contribute and I would say, like reading got me into writing. So when growing up, my brother and I would spend like the daytime in the summer at my grandma's house. So like 10 hours a day we would just be over there and she didn't have cable. She didn't have Internet. She like lived in the dark ages. And as I got older. I got into reading, and I would like basically sit in a rocking chair all day and just read. And I got to the point where I was reading a book a day, and my mom told me that she couldn't buy me a book every day. So I turned around and I was like, Okay, fine. I'll just write one. And I was always like, even when I was really little, I loved notebooks, and I loved like the physical act of writing and once I had like read so much. I kind of just like tried my hand at like writing my own book. And from there it was just like being able to play in the field of my imagination is something that like I greatly enjoy. And so it's like, inspiration sparks. And I see these images in my head, and I wanna like write them and share the story with other people. And that's how I got into writing. And then college was just a way that I could hone it in.

Sara Gentry: Yeah, I love that. It's like a typical kid or teen response like, well, I'll show you then.

Rhiannon Richardson: Yes.

Sara Gentry: So in all of this. Did you always want to write fiction, or were you thinking maybe you would? I don't know, go into journalism, or do maybe a different kind of writing? Or was fiction always the goal for you?

Rhiannon Richardson: Always fiction, and I think because I started writing when I was a teenager. And I felt like my life was very boring. So like I had to write these exciting stories, for these characters did all these things, and I feel like, even though I obviously continue to grow and get older. There's a part of me that's like frozen in that time of life, like writing stories and experiences beyond what I experienced at that time, and like being able to then share stories and investigate different themes. For a younger audience is something that's very important to me.

Sara Gentry: Love it. So I guess that's then how you ended up in the YA and Middle grade markets, which is super fun, because not everybody always naturally comes to the younger audiences. But it's interesting that a lot of people who are writing for under 18 readers that it's usually because of their connection to reading books as a child, and how impactful that was for them. So, in addition to being a writer, you are also an editor. So I love this, that you have this like dual perspective on the KidLit market. So I was wondering now if we can maybe flip a little bit and pick your editor brain a bit. And what do you commonly see? As issues in the manuscripts that you're working with? Maybe let's start in middle grade first.

Rhiannon Richardson: So I feel like, so I would say there's one that does fit both.

Sara Gentry: Ooh, okay.

Rhiannon Richardson: And I feel like it's easier to start there.

Sara Gentry: Yeah, absolutely.

Rhiannon Richardson: So I think plotting the character arc is an issue that I see in both middle grade and YA, and then pacing it with the development of the plot. Because, like the way I always describe it. And I like make diagrams for is that like the plot arc kind of has this kind of shape. And it's I feel like, okay, I feel like on the computer screen. Is this the left side? 

Sara Gentry: I'm not exactly sure how it will show up for people, but we can get the general idea.

Rhiannon Richardson: So this is the beginning of the story, and at the beginning the plot kind of goes like on an upward, like, maybe like in terms of tone, there's a sense of like pursuing perceived success. And then, on the other side of, like the midpoint, it kind of comes down and then the character arc is the opposite of that. So usually on the plot level there's like a goal that's identified in Act One, and they're pursuing the plot like they're pursuing that surface level goal. But the character on an emotional level usually tension comes from them getting farther from what they actually need. And the midpoint is when they're close to achieving some version of success. But they aren't fulfilled. And that's where we have like this height intention, and, like the climax in my opinion, I always say happens more towards Act 3 when they're put in a position like where the 2 plots kind of come together. And it's the intersection of okay, like they kind of deconstructed whatever they didn't understand in the 1st half. And now they understand what they're truly after. And they've developed now, instead of moving away from the goal. They're moving towards it. And there's like that intersection here. And so that's like a common thing that I've seen for both age groups like remembering that is kind of like the visual of the character arc and creating the emotional depth really is them going on an emotional journey that makes them question what they thought they originally wanted at the beginning of the story, and the goal can either change or it can remain the same as what they identify in Act One. But there's this development that takes them kind of like down through like an emotional journey.

Sara Gentry: Yeah, I have actually never heard anybody describe it quite that way. And I think that that is really helpful. I happen to be a pretty visual person, and I'm a math person. So when you are talking about like graphs and things like this, I will definitely geek out on the shapes and the graphs and the diagrams and all of that. And I I just think that's really concrete and and super helpful. Yeah, that's a really interesting perspective. So okay, so then. If that's the most common problem for everything, do you see specific problems per age group. Or maybe they're the same problems for middle grade and YA.

Rhiannon Richardson: So for middle grade, I would say I see more of like figuring out, and then kind of refining what the theme is. Like, I get a lot of manuscripts that come to me where they like, identify the goal. They establish stakes. And the characters are going on this journey, but we don't necessarily like we come to the end, and we don't necessarily know what the point is. And so either we're like missing some development of the theme, or the language itself is like too preachy, and we have to like kind of dial it back, and, like the action of the story, should be reflecting. The way I describe it is like when you have the plot it builds upon itself, so like they identify, like they identify what they want. And the issue at the opening is that they aren't the person capable of achieving it. And that's why we have to go on this journey of them, growing and changing to become that person. And so in the beginning of the story, based on who they originally are, they're gonna attempt to accomplish this goal. But the whole point is that they can't. And so they're gonna go through trial and error. And they're gonna learn from whatever didn't work. And then they're gonna change their method. And that's how you end up in the rising action. And so as you build upon the like action, consequence, reaction that should naturally reflect some kind of theme, some kind of lesson, and then coming to the end, like how I said, like when they become the person capable of achieving that goal that in itself represents realization of whatever the lesson of the story is.

Sara Gentry: Yeah.

Rhiannon Richardson: And then I would say for young adult, it's not so much that they are under developing the theme. I feel like I usually see that there's room for a little more depth because it's an older age. And then recently, I've seen like a lot of talking heads like a lot of dialogue, but we're missing interiority. And then we're missing like action in the story, like a lot of scenes are just characters talking through things, and while dialogue is engaging, it's like the character has to do stuff. We have to make sure we are maintaining some amount of agency.

Sara Gentry: I wonder if the talking head issue has to do with, you know, more people now have grown up on television, or you know, like, so maybe they're just used to hearing what's in movies or on TV or whatever. I wonder. But that's yeah, that's really interesting. So since you do wear both of these hats, you've got your author hat and your editor hat, I don't know, I just wonder. Is it difficult for you when you are writing to be like I am a writer now, I'm not going to edit? Because, you know, like, while you're writing the 1st draft. I mean, unless maybe you're a genius, I don't know. Maybe your 1st draft comes out perfectly the 1st time. But yeah, is it hard to balance those different roles that you play while you are trying to work on your own books?

Rhiannon Richardson: It's hard to separate, and it's like it's never something that I do consciously like. I like, try to edit myself, but I'm not trying to edit myself, but I'll write something like, no, that's not right, that's not it. No like I gotta go back like. Then I'll like, try to write a little bit more on this, but no, that wasn't working, so I have to go back and fix it, and like as it. There are things in my own writing. I'm not gonna see it, even though I'm a trained editor. There's things that I'm not gonna see, or I'm gonna struggle to let go of them, because I'm the writer, whereas I know, like as an editor looking at somebody else's project, I'm not as connected to certain elements, so I can question them and challenge them. But I can't do that for myself so I definitely like it definitely slows me down sometimes but like the key is like catching myself like realizing. Okay, like I am. I'm trying to edit right now. And what I really want to be doing is writing so that I can then have something to edit. That's the goal.

Sara Gentry: Right. Do you find that you prefer the editing process like once you get to that point, or are you someone who likes to draft? I'll admit someone who hates to draft. So just I'm always like [...]

Rhiannon Richardson: I feel like I love the outlining stage.

Sara Gentry: Yeah, me, too.

Rhiannon Richardson: Like I love when the idea is developing, and I'm putting the pieces together, especially because, like working. So my 1st book came out before I started working for Good Story Company. And even though, like I studied literature in college, and I like kind of created a bit of an editorial track for myself, Good Story Company’s where like I was consistently editing manuscripts, and I refined like the whole like plot thing that came about as I was like working with writers, and I was like, this is an issue. And I was like, how do I explain to them? And now that I have that knowledge. I can kind of use it for myself. And it's I love like cause for me. It always starts with the images in my head, and so plotting like it happens so much. It happens so much faster in my head than it does when I'm actually writing. So the outlining stage is my favorite. And then, usually for me, like I get really excited when I'm writing like my favorite scenes, like when I'm like, I pictured this, and it's fantastic. So now I gotta make it happen.

Sara Gentry: Yeah, fun. Well, I would like, if you don't mind. Could we talk just a couple of minutes here about your books? Because I'd love people to find the things that you've written. So do you maybe wanna just tell us a little bit about what's out there right now?

Rhiannon Richardson: Yes, so my 1st book is called The Meet-Cute Project, and it's a young adult novel that follows Mia as she prepares for her sister's wedding. At the near last minute. Her like her best man pairing, drops out of the wedding, and her sister is like we're not gonna have uneven photos. So either you can find a date to the wedding or you're gonna have to go with my fiance's 12 year old brother, and that is unacceptable, embarrassing to Mia. But the issue is that Mia doesn't really have a romantic bone in her body when her friends want to watch romantic comedies, she wants to watch murder documentaries, and so they come up with a plan. Her friends come up with a plan to help her by setting her up on meet cutes in the hopes that she will have a quirky moment and fall into something real with somebody, even if it's for the purpose of the date, or perhaps something more. So that's it's about her, her journey on those different experiences. The second book is called Pizza, my heart, and that follows, Maya, I did not intend on doing [...] And Maya's world is falling apart. Her parents own a pizza shop called Soul Slice in Brooklyn, and they are expanding their franchise, and it's gonna be in a suburb of Philadelphia. So they're picking up and moving so they can watch this new location. Maya doesn't wanna leave her friend. She doesn't wanna leave Brooklyn. She doesn't wanna leave her life behind. But she's forced to. And on her 1st day, working as a pizza deliverer on her bike, she trips and falls in front of this boy and makes a fool of herself, and she is so embarrassed and ends up facing him the next day in school. So she's juggling new friends. She's juggling, taking on this responsibility within her family where she doesn't always feel like she gets to be a kid, and she's also trying to sneak in time for her passion for art. So it's this combination of juggling responsibility with what she wants to be doing and kind of growing in the process. And then my 3rd book is the second book in the that Girl Lay Lay Series and it's called Free styling at the fair. And that girl Lay Lay and her friends are coming together to create booths for the upcoming fair to raise money for the local food bank, and in the process they end up. I actually, I kind of am forgetting a little bit of how it goes. I believe they end up kind of competing against each other, and it's kind of like a journey of them coming back to like they're the root of their friendship. And in the end it's about the overall triumph of raising money for the food bank, and that being the focus.

Sara Gentry: Yeah fun. And that one's part of a series. Right? You said.

Rhiannon Richardson: Yeah, that was part of a series.

Sara Gentry: Yeah, yeah, very good. So writers, we will have Rhiannon’s books featured in the book fair, so you can easily find them there. And if people would like to connect with you online. What's the best way to do that?

Rhiannon Richardson: I am on Instagram as Rhiannon_writes. And you can, I would say, if you want to see Content, go to Instagram, if you actually want to reach me, you can fill out, cause I don't check it all the time. If you go to goodstoryediting.com. You can fill out an inquiry form and select me as the editor, and I'll get a direct message. Whether you want editing services or not. If you just have a question, I can still answer it that way as well.

Sara Gentry: Well, lovely! I wanna thank you so much for your time. And for this fabulous conversation.

Rhiannon Richardson: Thank you for having me.

Sara Gentry: Alright writers. Thanks for joining us, and we will catch you next time. Bye.