Behind the Scenes: Revising My Novel-in-Verse with author and mentor Robin Gow through We Write to Empower

I’m so grateful to be revising my middle grade novel-in-verse about losing my mom to the opioid crisis when I was eleven with author Robin Gow, who is my mentor in the We Write to Empower program.

Not only has this mentorship been so empowering – and forced me to face some truths about trauma and art – but Robin truly understands what I’m trying to do with my passion project, and I’m making some headway. For fun, I wanted to give a little sneak peek behind the scenes.

Since it’s spooky season, why not give an excerpt from that section?

This is a book about grief: how it changes your perspective and so much more. This specific poem is about how death steals big (and little joys).

This is the latest version:

The original version was much longer and also refers to other sections in the manuscript. Some key elements I’m trying to change is making my poems more succinct, reworking my titles to be more impactful, and make them completely standalone (so not referring to overall plot). For those curious, this is the original for comparison:

You can definitely see a big difference! And I love how Robin’s notes are breathing new life into the work.

Anyway, I truly hope I can get my story out in the world one day. I want other kids who’ve lost loved ones to addiction to know they aren’t alone and that their unique grief – that society often shames – is valid. My mom, I know, would be a little embarrassed to have her biggest secret shared with the world. But I also know in my heart that she would be extremely proud that I turned my greatest pain into a story that could help others.

Back to revising,

~SAT

P.S. One of the last letters my mom ever left me is below. She had to type everything because she suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis and other pain, her biggest injury being from fused vertebrae after breaking her neck in a car wreck. It brings me great peace and joy knowing she got to see me find my love for writing and creating stories. ❤