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The Time It Takes by Melissa Stewart
When I visit schools, kids seem stunned by how much time it takes to create a book and how many people are involved in the process.
My new picture book, No Monkeys, No Chocolate, is an extreme example. It took 10 years, 56 revisions, and 2 fresh starts. In this case, dumping everything and starting from scratch was the only way to find the story I really wanted to tell.
As I was thinking about creating materials that would help educators use No Monkeys, No Chocolate in the classroom, I remembered all those stunned kids. I wanted to develop a resource that any teacher anywhere could use to easily and inexpensively show students the creative process behind the book. I wanted to pull back the curtain and make the entire process—from inspiration to publication—transparent.
To accomplish that goal, I created a Interactive Digital Timeline. It’s a combination of clickable elements—videos, rejected versions of the manuscripts, an interview with my editor, sample sketches, and even “final” art that didn’t make it into the book.
Students who spend a few minutes exploring the timeline will quickly understand that the book-making process involves hard work, dedication, and patience. Hopefully, they will realize that they shouldn’t balk at the idea of revising their writing assignments once or twice or even three times.
Students who spend time closely reading the four rejected and work-in-progress manuscripts in the Timeline can chart the changes from one manuscript to the next and gain a deep understanding of how and why professional writers revise their work. They will see that revision isn’t about “correcting” mistakes, but rather, framing and reframing an idea until it works for the intended audience. And that’s a lesson that will serve them well as they tackle future writing assignments.
Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 150 nonfiction books for children. Her lifelong fascination with the natural world led her to earn a B.S. in biology and M.A. in science journalism. When Melissa isn’t writing or speaking to children or educators, she’s usually exploring natural places near her home or around the world. You can find her online at http://celebratescience.blogspot.com and http://www.melissa-stewart.com and on Twitter as @mstewartscience.
Nerdy Book Club 
Wow, Melissa, this is a really interesting and informative look at a process most of us don’t know intimately. I really like the medium you chose for sharing — it should be a BIG hit for readers (and librarians) of all ages. Thanks for sharing!
Melissa, this post is fantastic, and the book was worth every minute it took to write it (and dump it and rewrite it) and make it the fascinating book it is for readers of any age. The exploration (and explanations) of how things come to be is intriguing, whether it’s a book or a piece of chocolate. I’m going back to add your post here to my earlier post about your book: http://unpackingpicturebookpower.blogspot.com/2013/09/how-things-come-to-be-chicken-or-egg.html
Love the book, and am grateful for your generosity in sharing your process.
What a great way to visualize the work and time it takes to create. Shared it on The Part-Time Author Podcast FB page because they are always emphasizing how much time there can be between writing a book and publishing a book.
https://www.facebook.com/PartTimeAuthor
A wonderful, very informative look at the process of creating a book – not only for young writers but older ones like myself!
Good article on revision that you might want to share with students.
Bon
Sent from my iPad
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Fantastic timeline, amazing amount of information shared!
Your timeline, and post, will be very helpful to use with students. Thanks for the work involved so you can share your process. I think it’s terrific!
What a generous gift! I will be sharing your process of the process (of writing a book) of the processes (of wild roses and chocolate) with college students learning how to teach children how to write. Thank you!
Thanks so much for all your kind words and for helping to spread the word about the timeline. I set out to create a useful resource for educators, and it’s so gratifying to see that you are indeed imagining ways to use it in the classroom.