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by Trisha Speed Shaskan

During the summer of 2005, because I had taught creative writing classes to children, I was hired to teach mystery writing. The catch was: I didn’t have a clue as to how to teach it. But I loved Sherlock Holmes. And I had a motive: I needed the income. So, I read a craft book on mystery writing and studied a book on how to teach the subject to kids. One approach was to write the mystery backwards (plotting vs. pantsing). You decide who committed the crime, figure out who the suspects are, plant clues, then circle back to the start and begin writing. Kids wrote about runaway chickens, flying robots, and a shapeshifting bear!

That year, I was also a student in an MFA program where I studied creative writing. I sold my first book, THE TREASURE MAP, an easy reader to Capstone Press. Afterwards, the editor asked me to write books-for-hire, meaning I’d be paid a flat fee to write them, but wouldn’t own the copyright or receive royalties. I wrote educational-based books such as IF YOU WERE ONOMATOPOEIA.

Several years later, an editor at Capstone who knew my husband Stephen was working on becoming an illustrator asked us to collaborate on the book-for-hire, Art Panels, BAM! Speech Bubbles, POW! Writing Your Own Graphic Novel. The format was new to me, but I deduced Stephen could help guide me because he’d been reading comics since he was a child. From craft books, I learned about panels, splash pages, and emanata, which are the visual elements that emanate from a character or object in a comic, such as stink lines!

Afterward, Stephen and I taught graphic novel classes to elementary students based on that book. We witnessed how much kids loved creating comics!

A couple years later, Stephen celebrated the release of his first traditionally published picture book. We both had agents. Together, we were invited to pitch an illustrated early chapter book series to a publisher. For the first time, we brainstormed fictional story ideas together. Because of the summer class I’d taught, we had a breakthrough: We created Q & Ray a mystery series about a hedgehog and rat who solve mysteries at Elm Tree Elementary. The characters are forest animals. Q is a hedgehog because they’re found in England where Sherlock Holmes originated. Ray, a rat, is her best friend.

We had fun naming characters. Q is short for Quillan since she has quills. Q & Ray is a riff on Q & A, questions and answers, which is the heart of a mystery. The media specialist is Mr. Shrew based on the media specialist extraordinaire (now author) Mr. Schu. The main teacher is Ms. Boar!

Coming up with a story, pitch, and sketches took 2 months. When our agents submitted the series: Plot twist. It was rejected. The editor “liked it, didn’t love it.” We loved the idea, but the format was very specific. We wondered: What to do?

At my job as a literacy coach, the students wanted to read Baby Mouse and Lunch Lady, but those graphic novels were too difficult. We suspected kids might like a young graphic novel series. To learn how to write the format, I reread Story by Robert McKee since graphic novels are similar to screenplays.

A couple months later, our agents sent it out on submission. Suspense! And…rejections. Publishers weren’t as familiar with younger graphic novels as they are now. Finally, we sold the 3-book series. We had proof that all our work wasn’t lost.

While working on the series, I could hear Stephen in the next room laughing while drawing. He’d found utter joy in the format! And because of Q & Ray, Stephen created the young graphic chapter book series, Pizza and Taco, which has resonated with children all over the world. The 10th book in the series was published this month:

Has the story you’re creating had plot twists or cliffhangers? Perhaps a new experience that’s come your way might help inform it? Or maybe trying a new format might help shape it? I’m no detective, but I have a hunch you’ll close the case on your story soon!

Stephen and Trisha at their launch for Q & Ray at Red Balloon Bookshop

Questions for You:

• Is there a new genre you want to try?
• Is your story fresh? If not, can you take bits–a title, phrase, character, etc.–and use it in another story?
• Is there a fun way to play with the characters’ names in your story?
• Have you tried brainstorming story ideas with a close friend or family member?
• What are the children reading? Excited about? Is there something they want to read that hasn’t been created?
• Last, but not least: Are you having fun?

Trisha Speed Shaskan has written fifty books for children, including her latest picture book The Itty-Bitty Witch illustrated by Xindi Yan. Trisha and her husband/author/illustrator Stephen Shaskan have created the picture book Punk Skunks and Q & Ray graphic novel series. They love to visit elementary schools and libraries where they share their passion for creating books for children. Trisha has taught creative writing to students at every level from kindergarten to graduate-school. She has an MFA in creative writing from Minnesota State University. Trisha and Stephen live in Minneapolis, MN with their beloved dogs, Beatrix and Murray. Visit Trisha at trishaspeedshaskan.com or on Instagram @trishaspeedshaskan.