Cindy Chang: Playing with the Past
KidLit Craft is back with another Snack-Sized Author Interview. In this series, we ask authors five quick questions that give us insight into their craft and process. Today we’re talking with author-illustrator Cindy Chang.
I first met Cindy at a local author meet-up to write postcards thanking librarians for their work, especially in the face of book banning. Cindy was delightful–ready to jump in and engage with community efforts. Her debut middle grade graphic novel How to Draw a Secret is delightful as well. It focuses on big secrets kids are sometimes asked to keep and how isolating they can be, and how sometimes telling the truth about messy things is the most necessary thing of all. –Anne-Marie
Welcome, Cindy!
Question 1: What's your writing superpower?
I’m not sure to be honest —still figuring that out! I do enjoy crafting stories with emotional resonance that tug at the heart.
Question 2: What’s an element of craft you explored in your latest project and what tips can you share with other authors for growing in their use of that particular element?
I incorporated many flashbacks into How to Draw a Secret. At first, my tendency was to use flashbacks to provide an overview of what happened over a time in the past, but I learned to be more intentional in using flashbacks to further character development and enhance or complicate the plot.
To help me with this, one tool my agent suggested to me during the revision process was to add an explanation for each flashback about 1) how the flashback contrasts with and/or emphasizes the present scene surrounding it, and 2) how we see the present scene differently and/or more fully once we’re out of the flashback.
This allowed me to be more thoughtful about why a flashback should exist and why it should be placed within a particular moment in the storyline.
Question 3: If you could travel back in time, what advice would you give yourself as a new author?
Writing about a lived experience, especially a difficult one, can be challenging. As much as you may want to share exactly how the events unfolded in reality (which was the case for me), it’s okay to take some creative liberties. Ultimately it’s more about figuring out the story and focusing on communicating the wants, conflicts, and lessons learned through your lived experience. And in doing so, you may find yourself feeling a little freer from the past.
Concretely, it can help to see the story from a more detached perspective. I recommend color-coding as a way to break down your outline during the revision process to solidify the story structure and understand your characters better. For example, using different colors to indicate where the main character shares their feelings with the reader, where change complicates or adds to our knowledge of a situation, where the main character’s feelings are complicated by news or others, and where the main character creates or confronts conflict through action. You may find yourself using too much of one color and not enough of another in different parts of your story. It’s about balance!
Question 4: What inspires you as a writer?
Real-life experiences of my own, people close to me, or what I see and hear around me. Good movies, TV shows, and books. Sometimes I’ll hear something on the radio or someone will say something that gives me an idea. Inspiration can strike anywhere!
Question 5: What’s one book you think every kidlit author should read?
The Magic Words: Writing Great Books for Children and Young Adults by Cheryl Klein. This book was recommended by my agent and I found it immensely helpful as a debut writer! The advice and exercises within helped me get unstuck multiple times in the revision process.
Bonus Question: What can fans look forward to next?
I’m working on another middle grade graphic novel! It’s still in the early stages, though. I’m interested in exploring the idea of “never enough” and what success means-- the fact that sometimes, what you think it means actually isn’t the thing that you’re chasing or that you really need.
Cindy Chang was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and holds degrees in education and computer science. She works as a digital product designer in addition to writing and illustrating children’s books. Her graphic novel, How to Draw a Secret, is her first book.
You can find her online on her website and on Instagram: @cindobindo
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