#FirstDraftFriday with Steena Hernandez

Steena Hernandez is joining us on #FirstDraftFriday today with the story behind her upcoming picture book debut, LUPITA'S BROWN BALLET SLIPPERS. Read on to get inspired and then draft your own picture book manuscript today.

LUPITA'S BROWN BALLET SLIPPERS, written by Steena Hernandez and illustrated by Melissa Castillo, is out this month from Beaming Books.  

To pre-order or learn more about Steena, visit steenahernandez.com. 

Steena is generously offering a manuscript critique prize for someone who completes a draft today! Details on how to enter at the end of this post.

Welcome, Steena! Can you tell us a little about your book and what inspired you to sit down and write the first draft of it?! 

LUPITA'S BROWN BALLET SLIPPERS is about Lupita, who is preparing for her upcoming dance recital. The traditional peachy pink ballet slippers don’t match her skin, and she searches for a pair that will blend with her for the big performance. 

I started ballet classes when I was 3 years old, and dance has always been a big part of my life. Once I started writing children’s stories, I entered a writing contest called Sun Write Fun held by the wonderful author, Karen Greenwald. I didn’t win the contest, but Karen messaged me later and encouraged me to turn my entry into a full picture book because she thought it had potential. I was immensely inspired by her kind words, and I wrote the first draft.

Did you dive right in and start drafting then or did you let it stew for a while? Is this how you typically work?

Having brainstormed the story for the contest was great motivation for me to jump into the first draft. Since the contest specifications were for informational fiction, I knew that I wanted to include facts in the story, specifically about ballet slippers. I do not typically work this way; however, this was a unique situation. I generally like to let a story idea simmer in my mind for a few weeks or even months before drafting, but I’m glad I took the chance and entered the contest!

When you are letting a story idea simmer, do you do any pre-drafting or brain-storming exercises to help you flesh it out?

I love to go for walks/runs, and I find that being outdoors helps me brainstorm new ideas. I often use the notes on my phone while I’m out and about to pre-draft a sentence or two that gets the story going. One thing I try to do is to write a pitch early on in the process, and that helps me figure out the story problem, what’s at stake, and how the story might be solved. 

Do you remember what you thought of your first draft of LUPITA'S BROWN BALLET SLIPPERS when it was done? Did you think it was a winner or were you not even sure you’d keep working on it? 

I remember feeling so excited about the first draft, and I couldn’t wait to share it with my critique partners! I don’t know if I thought about it being a winner at that point in time,  but I was hopeful that if I revised and kept working on it, maybe one day it would shine.

What is one technique you used to work on the story that helped make it shine?

Something I like to do is make a book dummy. I took Arree Chung’s Making Picture Book Dummies at Storyteller Academy and learned how to put one together. This book was one of the first stories I ever put into book dummy form. I did NOT think I would ever illustrate the book, however making rough draft sketches was fun, and it helped me visualize Lupita’s world and how the story structure would look on the pages.

Did you have any favorite darlings you had to cut that you’d like to share here. Tell us why you loved it and why it had to go.

Yes, there was one line that I would say was a darling, where Lupita asks her Mami for a new pair of ballet slippers and says, “Pretty please with a tutu on top.” I thought it was a fun “kid way” of how Lupita would say it, but ultimately my editor and I agreed the scene was stronger without it and that moving the action along would give Lupita more agency.

What is the hardest part of writing a first draft for you? And how do you deal with that?

Ahh, the “messy middle!” I often struggle with this part of the drafting process. I generally have a pretty clear beginning and ending in mind, but the middle is a section where I can go round and round. I turn to my critique partners and my agent for suggestions to help me work through it. 

What are your tips and tricks for getting that first draft committed to the page?

Just go for it and get that idea on paper! I try not to think about making it perfect, especially not on the first draft. I know that in revisions I can work to make the story better. 

#FirstDraftFriday is all about just going for it! And it starts now!

To enter for a chance at a free picture book critique from Steena (<800 words, fiction, non-rhyming), do the following by 10 pm ET today (Oct. 4, 2024):

1. Follow me and Steena on Twitter (if you are on it): @HollieWolverton and @HernandezSteena (or find her with on Instagram with the handle: @steenahernandez)

2. Complete a full picture book draft

3. Return to this blog post and comment that you’ve completed your draft and provide your Twitter handle or full name. You will need to Sign Up/Log In to leave a comment (it’s easy - just an email and password).

You don’t need to send in your draft or provide proof - we’re all about the honor system here! The lucky winner will be randomly drawn from the comments and announced on Twitter shortly after 10 pm ET tonight

Happy drafting!