Nicola Reddy: How I Wrote That’s It, Said the Dandelion (Or: The Weird Life of an Author-Editor)
I’m lucky enough to be an editor as well as a writer – I work at The O’Brien Press, who published That’s It, Said the Dandelion – so my path to publication was a bit unusual. I had edited lots of brilliant picture books by other people over the years and read hundreds of manuscripts, but I never thought I would write my own. A few years ago, I put together a collection of classic Irish poetry for young readers called Tread Softly, but that was still very much in the familiar editor zone.
The idea for Dandelion came along when my little boy was three and obsessed with the books of Eric Carle. We both think The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a masterpiece; clear and uncluttered, funny and joyful. As my son grew older, he got to like books with busy backgrounds and lots of characters, but back then, the simple art and linear structure were very much his jam. And so I thought … will I give one a go myself?
Editor or Writer?
I had a fair idea of the market and what my OBP colleagues might like. I’m familiar with the mechanics of a picture book (more on that in a minute), which was helpful in putting together a submission. But even knowing the publishing world so well, the old imposter syndrome kicked in. Could I jump over to the other side of the table? Even now, I don’t really see myself as a writer – just an editor who happened to write a book!
As far as the writing went, the first big challenge was finding my subject. I knew I wanted to capture a moment from nature, and I spent months considering the lives of every animal, bug and bird I came across. I zeroed in on parent/offspring relationships, but I couldn’t find that … nugget. I don’t think there was one moment when I realised that the answer was blooming all around me, but once I settled on the humble dandelion, it felt perfect.
The Humble Dandelion
I’ve always loved dandelions, and so do my kids. They’re so interactive – other flowers are for admiring, but it’s the dandelions and daisies and buttercups that you play with. It’s one of the most important plants for biodiversity, and yet it gets such a bad rap – gardeners battle with its strong roots, trying to salvage their pristine lawns. It has a fascinating life cycle and an incredibly successful system of seed dispersal. And what’s more lovely than watching a child blow on that fluffy seed head, the world standing still as they send out their little wish?
So I had my subject, and the dandelion’s life cycle gave the book its backbone. It struck me that some kids might not know that the golden flower and fluffy seed head were in fact the same plant, so that became my secondary storyline – growth, change, finding out who you are.
The next big hurdle for me was the refrain (which is also the book’s title). This took me aaaaages to get right, and it’s the heart of the story. Everything I came up with sounded wrong, too corny or detached. I eventually had a eureka moment – literally: that’s it! – and once that line was in place, the rest of the writing took no time at all.
The Mechanics of a Picture Book
I mentioned that, as an editor, I’m familiar with the mechanics of a picture book. Every book is different, but there are some things you can bear in mind while writing. I knew this would be a 32-page book – that’s an industry standard for picture books – and that there would be a title page and a copyright page. I wanted to do some real-life dande-facts at the back, so that left me with 28 story pages; 14 spreads. So at this point, I broke my text into spreads and made sure each one stood alone and also flowed into the next. If you zoom out, you’ll notice that my story is quite structured. It goes like … intro, intro, repeat, repeat, bridge, repeat, repeat, bridge, repeat, repeat, bridge, climax, outro, outro. I think this helps with the flow, and those repeats help little ears predict what’s coming next. Of course, there’s no need to be so rigid – this just appeals to my kind of brain!
So that was it … I had my first draft. I bit the bullet and sent it to one of my colleagues who is honest and decisive (and also kind). She liked it and suggested we submit it officially. The O’Brien Press has an open-door policy when it comes to submissions – anyone can send in an idea, and we’ll always consider it. Because I was an existing author, I leapfrogged the first round and went straight to our editorial meeting. Every member of staff was sent the manuscript, and I waited … Luckily, they were very supportive, and we made a plan to publish it a few years down the line (picture books take ages!).
In Search of an Illustrator
While my editor and I worked on the text, our art director went in search of an illustrator. The text itself is quite bare bones, and unusually for a picture book, there isn’t a child or animal character at the centre. When we came across the work of Róisín Hahessy, which is so playful and open-hearted, we knew she was the right choice. As soon as her lovely, child-friendly artwork started coming in, the whole project began to take shape.
As Róisín worked her magic, the rest of us thought about the book’s format, cover and blurb. The sales team pitched it to bookshops, and the publicity and marketing folks got the word out. As I type, one of the advances is sitting beside me – it’s hard to believe it’s actually here. Publication day is approaching, and nerves and excitement are high. If nothing else, I now understand better how my authors feel!
(c) Nicola Reddy
About That’s It, Said the Dandelion:
A dandelion seed fell on the soft grass.
‘Tell me,’ said she, ‘just what can I be?’
As a dandelion turns from seed to flower to fluffy puffball, she wonders what life is all about.
A tender tale of growth and change.
That’s It, Said the Dandelion by Nicola Reddy, illustrated by Róisín Hahessy, is out now. Order your copy online here.
Read more Meet the Author articles on Writing.ie here.
