Andrea Skyberg

Today on Tuesday Tours, we are joined by Jesse Klausmeier the author of Open This Little Book, a 2013 Boston Globe-Horn Picture Book winner. Jesse, believe it or not, wrote the first draft of her award-winning picture book when she was only five years old! This weekend at the Sheboygan Book Festival, Jesse is a featured speaker, kicking off the event on Friday night with a presentation of her book followed by a book signing. She’ll also be presenting throughout the weekend and closing the three-day event with a writing workshop for adults and teens on Sunday afternoon. If you’re near Sheboygan, I’d highly recommend checking it out.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your creative medium.
Hi, Andrea! I’m thrilled to be featured on your blog and share my creative space with you and your readers. I’m the author of the picture book, Open This Little Book illustrated by Suzy Lee. I used to work at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and after that I was an assistant editor at Penguin Books for Young Readers. I have always loved to read and write, sing and dance, and host and attend costume parties.

How long have you had your space and how does it affect your creative process?
I’ve had this space for past two years, ever since I moved from NYC back to Madison, WI where I grew up. My writing area is generally organized and pretty sparse. If my workspace is cluttered, my head is cluttered. I do a lot of thinking about my stories while I clean, organize, and file.

It’s that way for me as well—an organized space equals an organized mind 🙂

Are there any kind of rituals you do before you start creating?
I stock my space with water and snacks (usually nuts, fruits, and veggies – ok and jerky. I love jerky) so that I can hunker down for a while and focus. Right before I start writing, I do some light stretching (arms, neck, back) and set my intention for that session.

Do you listen to music while you work? 
I can’t listen to music when I write because I’ll either start singing along, or I’ll want to dance. I do, however, love the sound of rain while I write. It sets a cozy, snuggly scene that helps me focus. I use http://www.rainymood.com, which is awesome and free. Yay free!

That’s a great sound to work to. Thanks for the link!

When you write, do you type your ideas out on the computer, start on paper, or storyboard/map out your text? Walk us through your process.

It depends on the project and where I am when I get an idea. I keep a small notebook with me pretty much all the time now, which is much more sanitary and less smelly than my prior method of writing on napkins. I’ll write down initial thoughts in the notebook and then let the story simmer in my head for a while before writing a first draft on the computer. For manuscripts that use unique formatting, like Open This Little Book, I use color-coded text to track what’s happening on each page of each spread.

Is there any special item/trinket in your space that inspires you?
I have my original version of Open This Little Book that my grandmother made for me when I was five-years-old. I had this grand idea for a book about books and I just started writing and drawing in the book she mocked-up. I didn’t worry about making mistakes, if it was good enough, or if anyone else would ever see it. As an adult, I’m constantly trying to shed the need for external validation and find that magical child-like sense of creating just for the sake of making something in that moment. Lynda Barry’s book, Picture This is one I come back to again and again when I need this reminder.

What is your favorite book?
GAH! This is an impossible question, Andrea! One book from my childhood that shaped me into the person I am today is Eve Bunting’s Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust. It should be required reading for every human being.

What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading Beth Kephart’s Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir. This book is an immense gift in my life right now and I can’t recommend it enough.

What colors inspire your creativity? Are those colors incorporated in your space? I’m not an artist, so I’m probably butchering the term (is it even a term?), but dusky colors have always inspired me. They’re soothing and hold a bit of magic. It isn’t until the sun goes down that we can see the stars, even though they’ve been out all day long. These colors hold the promise of secrets about to be revealed, and that’s how I feel when I’m creating. There is a print in my office that perfectly captures this magical quality called, Never Alone by Christy Andres.

I love that description and comparison of dusk and writing! What advice do you have for people who want to make a personal space where they can be creative?
First and foremost, invest in a comfortable chair. Next, pay attention to what’s in your line of sight. Get the bills, paperwork, and that pile of stuff you need to go through far, far away (preferably in another room). If you don’t, it’ll stare you down, demand attention, and suck out all of your creative juices. Third, surround yourself with items that inspire you on an emotional level. I have loved the works of Beatrix Potter ever since I was a young child. Having some of my Potter figurines on my desk takes me back to that enchanting world where anything could happen.

What would you say is the greatest source of inspiration to you as a writer?
My greatest source of inspiration (and I know this could sound saccharine) is children. Their joy and optimism, their (sometimes brutal) honesty, their resilience and capacity to evolve is completely inspiring. I feel most inspired when crafting a story that centers around a topic or character that resonates with me on a deeply emotional level. In these moments, my goal is to create a book that certain kids will feel was made specifically for them. Oliver Jeffers’ The Heart and the Bottle is a picture book that accomplishes this beautifully. 

What’s coming up for you and where can we find out more?
I’m working on a couple new picture book projects that I’m super excited about and a memoir about my struggle with endometriosis. Hopefully I’ll be able to share news about them soon! You can find out more about me at my website or on Twitter @JesseKlausmeier.

Thank you, Jesse! I’m excited to hear your presentation this weekend at the Sheboygan Book Festival!

Join us next Tuesday when we get a look inside the studio of Yuyi Morales, who just released her beautiful new book Viva Frida!

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