The Road to Publication and the Importance of Critique Groups, by Darcie Naslund

May 9, 2024 in Books, Culture, Press 0

Originally published on Picture books, eh!

My debut picture book, My Mom Is NOT a Superhero, was released on May 4th. It went through many drafts—honestly, I couldn’t even tell you how many—but one thing is for sure: It looks nothing like it did as a first draft. The biggest reason for that is my critique groups.

I remember the exact moment I had an epiphany and rewrote my entire manuscript. Back up a few months (okay, maybe even a year), I thought I had written the perfect picture book about

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for my children. I explained it perfectly with lots of description, allowing the reader to visualize what it means to have MS. It seemed perfect, but the truth is I had my author blinders on.

Let’s start at the beginning; I am an elementary teacher who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis while I was completing my degree in Education. After teaching for a few years and starting a family, my Multiple Sclerosis worsened, making it much more noticeable, especially to my children. My oldest was constantly asking questions, trying to understand what was wrong. Naturally, I turned to books, searching for resources that could introduce MS to my children. I wanted something that explained the concept of invisible illness but didn’t dive too deeply into all the complexities. I also wanted something empowering rather than sad or scary for the children and families reading it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find what I was looking for. So, I decided to write it myself.

The idea of superheroes came naturally to me. My kids love superheroes, and so do I. The challenge was finding a way to have my main character see Mom as a superhero even though she has no characteristics of a typical superhero.

As I mentioned earlier, my first draft sounded perfect to me (and only me). When I shared it with my critique groups, almost everyone had the same response. They loved my analogies and descriptions, but it wasn’t really a story. It didn’t even have a plot. They were right, but I didn’t accept that at the time. I took the feedback I liked and made minor tweaks but refused to look at the big picture.

It wasn’t until one of my critique partners was brutally honest (thank you) and said it sounded like a nicely written advertisement for MS that I woke up and looked at it in a new light.

After a few more critique meetings and a LOT of frustration, I put this manuscript away for a while. One day, when I was having difficulty walking, my oldest offered me her hand and asked,

“What’s wrong, Mommy? Where are your owies? Why can’t I see them?”

I suddenly realized what my story was missing. It needed something that could make the invisible visible. That’s where the X-ray glasses came in.

Once I had that, the story came together rather quickly and became easier and easier to edit with the help of my critique groups. As I cut more and more text from the story, making it a simple, fun read, I realized the importance of Back Matter. Using my experience with MS and some supporting documents I received from the MS Society, I came up with my analogy of what MS is (which later changed with my editor’s support), how young readers can help, as well as some activities to help readers experience the challenge for themselves. I hope that the activities in the Back Matter can help bring some light to the struggles of those living with MS and other chronic illnesses.

To change or not to change?

My critique groups have supported me through my edits, rejections, and even my great debate.

After some queries, submissions, and rejections, I was pulled in two directions. A few rejection letters mentioned that my story was too specific and may work better if it simply wrote about invisible illness and omitted the specifics. The suggestions seemed to come from a concern that the book wouldn’t have a wide enough audience.

My critique partners and I eventually agreed that even though I mention MS specifically, the story goes beyond just MS. My CPs, who have different health challenges, said that they could still relate to the story in some way even if they did not have MS. After receiving their feedback, I decided to keep the specifics of MS in the story even if it took longer to find its publisher. I also did some more research to ease my mind. This is what helped me the most:

Canada has one of the highest rates of Multiple Sclerosis in the world. Approximately 90,000 Canadians are living with MS, and about 2.8 million people worldwide, most of whom are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 49, the same age as many parents across the world. Statistics like these gave me the confidence that my readers are out there and that my book is needed.

Months later, I received a like from DC Canada Education Publishing during a #PBPitch event on Twitter. After submitting, I was offered a contract and introduced to Dania El Khatib’s beautiful work.

Long story short, critique groups are important.

A critique group provides editorial support, emotional support, and the motivation to never give up. If I had not found my critique groups, I wouldn’t be where I am today. If you are a writer, my advice is to find your critique group. On this incredible, overwhelming, sometimes frustrating writing journey, they will be your people.

Darcie Naslund was born and raised on a small farm in central Alberta. Passionate about working with children and children’s literature, she chose to become a teacher. Soon after, she started her family and farm. Darcie was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 11 years ago and continues to fight and spread awareness.

Learn more at www.darcienaslund.com
Or follow her on social media https://linktr.ee/darcienaslund

Tags: timeless

About Kara Cybanski

Kara Cybanski has a Master's in World Literatures and Cultures and an Honours Bachelor of Spanish with a Minor in Rédaction professionnelle et édition from the University of Ottawa. She is a doctoral candidate in Spanish and plans to become a university professor after graduation.

If you sneak into DC Canada’s office, you’ll find her editing, translating, designing, writing, or showing off photos of her cats. Kara also dreams of becoming a famous author and, with a few short pieces already published, is well on her way to achieving her goals.