Children’s Book Writer and Illustrator, Yangsook Choi
By Terry Hong
Special to AsianWeek
By the time Yangsook Choi graduated from art school, she already had her first book contract for what would become The Sun Girl and Moon Boy, a Korean folktale which Choi adapted and illustrated, published in 1997. Her advisor at NYC’s prestigious School of Visual Arts was so taken with her work that he called a few big editors on her behalf. She got immediate results, and she’s been incredibly busy ever since.
A native Korean, Choi had a whole other career before books — as a flight attendant with Cathay Pacific Airways. She pursued her dream to study art when she moved to the United States in 1991 to attend Kendall College of Arts and Design in Michigan. In 1993 she arrived in New York to continue her art studies, and never left. Since then, she’s produced nine picture books, some she has written as well as illustrated, including New Cat and The Name Jar, and others that she’s illustrated for other authors including Nim and the War Effort by Milly Lee and This New Next Year by Janet S. Wong. Her accumulated awards include the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award and the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. Her latest title, Good-bye, 382 Shin Dang Dong by Frances and Ginger Park, is about a young girl’s move from Seoul to Boston and debuts in September.
AsianWeek: Aow much of your Korean background gets played out in your books?
YC: I don’t tend to think too much about my Korean background. That just comes out in my stories naturally, because that’s what I know, what I’ve experienced. A story is an experience, so in that sense, the Korean influence comes naturally. I’ve noticed that in the children’s book market, my Korean culture and background are very unique and different, which make my stories unique and different. It’s a lucky match — not because I’m Korean and I have a Korean cultural background, but because I’m always on the lookout for something new and different to write about, so it all fits perfectly.
AW: Do you have a writing process?
YC: I like to collect ideas, characters and even plots, all of which I store in my notebook. I might store them as words or as little pictures here and there. I also try to read as much as possible. Once I have everything collected, I think about how all those pieces can come together. Even when I don’t have enough for an entire story, if I have a solid idea for a character or an ending, then to me that’s enough to start writing. Once I have that foundation, I just build on it until I get a full story. Perhaps a unique part of my writing process is that since I have a visual background, I go back and forth between the visual storytelling and word-based storytelling. A lot of people think that the visual story exists to support the text, but I think the visual story can tell the story first for young readers. Sometimes I have the visuals first — a story board — and then I rely on writing to support my visuals.
AW: What would you tell a new writer starting out?
YC: I don’t know about writing in general, but as far as writing for children, I would say that you could be a very crafty writer and have great technique, but the first thing that you must make sure of is that you have the right relationship, the right kind of communication with kids. Writing for kids is not like writing for adults. The message in a kid’s book has to be positive, and you have to believe that your writing has the power to change and enhance children’s lives. The second thing about writing for kids is that if you have the imagination to go back to being the child you were 20 years ago — if you remain a kid at heart — then that will definitely help you to write more appropriately for kids.
A person’s writing technique can always be improved, but you can’t fake that love for kids. You have to be a kid yourself at heart — no preaching, no dragging on with your story.
AW: So what are you working on next?
YC: I have two projects right now. I’m doing black and white illustrations for a chapter book, The Key Collection by Andrea Chang, about a little Chinese boy. Illustrating a chapter book is a first for me, which I’m very happy about. It will be out next year from Henry Holt. The other is a story I’m writing and illustrating, based on an experience that happened to me in Korea. The working title is Peach Heaven, and it will be out in early 2004. I like to alternate between my own stories and illustrations, and illustrating someone else’s story.
For more information on Choi, check out www.yangsookchoi.com. |
