What led to that decision? Did you have plans to eventually resurrect the story, or did you think it was doomed to the drawer forever? LL: After those initial rejections, you decided to shelve WIG. But putting that on the page while also addressing our second most common note, MAKE IT SHORTER, was a bigger challenge. It makes the world more beautiful and encourages performers and audience members to imagine bigger, better realities. That question was easy for me to answer: Drag elevates and empowers a community that is often made to feel small.
JH: One editor sent a longer editorial letter asking how this book might explore the ethos of drag. A few generous editors asked how we might contextualize drag within the universal childhood experience of playing dress up.
Bedazzle was an adult drag queen for all my drafts (that didn’t change until I got an offer). JH: The most common note we received was that this book was for adults. Did the editors who sent those first rejections give any feedback? LL: Not to spoil things for our readers, but you and I have discussed that this early draft didn’t sell. Everything about WIG’s early life went fast! On the very first morning, we received several rejections and a note of interest from one editor. It wasn’t long after signing with Brent (maybe a week or two) that we went out on submission. By the end of the day, I had an offer for representation. I sent him another picture book, THE WISHING MACHINE (which will be published in 2023), and the first 15 pages of a YA novel. And within a matter of hours, he requested to see more of my work. My now-agent Brent Taylor slid into my DMs asking me to send the manuscript immediately.
Bedazzle originally had a rival queen named Umbrella Shade (that’s the cut I miss the most).Ībout a month after having the initial idea, I pitched the book on Twitter during PitMad. The story was much grander in scale, seeing Wig fly through the streets of New York City and all the way to outer space! B.B. Those early drafts were long-over 750 words. Her warm reception to my first few drafts encouraged me to keep going. WIG was my first attempt at a picture book. lockhart) suggested that I experiment with forms, since I’d only written YA up to that point. JH: Thanks so much for having me, Laura! I first started writing BIG WIG (then titled WIG FLEW) in early 2018 when I was in my third semester at Hamline University’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults (MFAC) program. What did those early drafts look like, and what was the timeframe from your first draft to WIG going out on sub? LL: Welcome, Jonathan! To start out, tell us when you started writing BIG WIG.
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