Joyously Uncool
An Interview with Mo Willems
Doing what you love for a living is difficult enough. Doing what you love and being good at it is another thing altogether. For Mo Willems, he has both down. Pat. As a kid Mo looked at the Sunday cartoons of Charles Schulz and thought, “I want to do that.” And so he did.
The New York Times called him “the biggest talent to emerge in children's books in the '00s." And it is easy to see why. His simple illustrations, witty prose, and uncanny ability to bring you, the reader, into the story all make for a fantastic read. Do yourself a favor. After reading this interview pick up a copy of one of Mo’s books (any one will do) and read it to a kid. You won’t regret it and you’ll probably read it again … to yourself.
TDS: Comedian Mitch Hedberg joked that any book is a children's book if the kid can read. Your books work that way to a degree as they are hits with anyone, regardless of age. How do you manage to make something fun for all ages of readers?
WILLEMS: My books are made for un-cool people; that is to say they’re for folks who are willing to be silly, absurd, or just plain weird. Turns out that most kids are joyously un-cool while many adults fear un-coolness. So, my books are put on the kid’s shelves where they can be enjoyed un-self-consciously by children, the occasional goofy grown-up, and their ilk. Especially their ilk.
TDS: You have written stories for television and books. How is the storytelling process the same? How is it different?
WILLEMS: TV is expensive, collaborative, and anonymous; it’s a great place to develop your writing muscles and learn with colleagues without anyone noticing. However, the industry is top-heavy with number crunchers and personnel, non-focus-grouped expression is frowned upon. Books are cheap to make, so you can get away with being completely, absurdly individual. But, you’re on your own and each mistake is noticeable. I’m as grateful to have started off in TV as I am overjoyed to be making books right now.
TDS: What is the key to a good story, regardless of the audience?
WILLEMS: If I knew what made a good story then creating new books wouldn’t be any fun. Each project I’ve ever undertaken has been a brand-new, misguided attempt to create a perfect story. Fortunately, I fail consistently; otherwise I’d be out of work.
TDS: Is there a central theme or idea that stretches throughout all your books that you hope kids learn from?
WILLEMS: Yikes. I studiously avoid teaching and shy away from other authors on a mission to ‘help’ children. Kids have it bad enough without our meddling (when’s the last time you had to ask permission to go to the bathroom?). Personally, I’m always eager to see how my audience reacts to my stories; it’s only then that I really have any sense of what they are ‘about’.
TDS: Is there something you really want to do (like the pigeon wanting to drive a bus) but have not been able to (yet)?
WILLEMS: I cannot fly or tickle people with my mind.
TDS: Is there a difference between creativity and imagination?
WILLEMS: Imagination is based on dreaming, creativity on doing. Give me creativity any day.
TDS: Do you have a particular creative process?
WILLEMS: I could tell you, but then I’d have to … well, not kill you, more like bore you to death… There simply is no getting around the hard work of molding a blob of ideas into a functioning story.
TDS: In an interview with the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature you stated that "TV is essentially disposable, so people don’t take it seriously." Could you elaborate? How does the Internet (specifically, e-books) play into this idea?
WILLEMS: A book, being a physical object, engenders a certain respect that zipping electrons cannot. Because you cannot turn a book off, because you have to hold it in your hands, because a book sits there, waiting for you, whether you think you want it or not, because of all these things, a book is a friend. It’s not just the content, but the physical being of a book that is there for you always and unconditionally.
TDS: Do you have any advice for writers wanting to break into the children's book genre?
WILLEMS: Don’t. Unless you are compelled to beyond any reasonable measure. Then, make your story superlative. All the rest of the stuff (query letters, agents, deals) is irrelevant. Oh, and have fun, people notice that kind of stuff.
TDS: Do you have any upcoming projects you would like to tell us about?
WILLEMS: I’ve got a pretty full slate right now. In addition to continuing the Elephant and Piggie Easy Reader series, I have an upcoming pop-out book entitled Big Frog Can’t Fit In! and a new series of books for very young guys starring a cat named Cat the Cat. I’m also writing a Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical for the Kennedy Center and voicing and producing short animated films based on my books. Other than that, I’m happily on the lookout for some new, un-cool thing to work on.
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