Kirby Larson: Wild Horses Dragged Me In...


Newbery Honor winner Kirby Larson delightfully recounted her journey as a writer in her Monday morning speech. Kirby had published a couple of picture books, but "after The Magic Kerchief, I didn't sell anything for five years," she said. She talked about the idea spark for Hattie igniting as her grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer's, mentioned that Kirby's great-grandmother was a homesteader. Read the whole story on Kirby's website.

Here are a few things she said she considers as she reads a manuscript:

• Did I connect with the story?
• Where is the story problem introduced?
• How is the story problem resolved? Who resolves it?
• Are there at least two plot lines?

She also recommends studying opening lines and looking for hooks.