Artist Profile: Rochelle Melander
Rochelle Melander is a Milwaukee-based speaker, certified professional coach, and the bestselling author of twelve books, including “Level Up: Quests to Master Mindset, Overcome Procrastination and Increase Productivity” and “Mightier Than the Sword: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries Who Changed the World through Writing.” Through her writing and coaching, Rochelle Melander helps writers, creatives and entrepreneurs overcome distractions and procrastination'; design a writing life; turn their ideas into books; navigate the publishing world; and connect with readers through social media. She is the founder of Dream Keepers, a writing workshop that supports teens in finding their voice and sharing their stories.
1) What are challenges you encountered en route to becoming a published author?
When I first started writing professionally, I was working a full-time salaried job—which meant I logged in way more than 40 hours a week. It was challenging for me to find time to write. When I did find time, I’d be so burned out, I had trouble getting work done. I began setting aside time to write at the beginning of the week. At the end of each writing session, I would make a note about what I wanted to work on next. Soon, writing became a habit, and I was able to produce plenty of work.
Although I had several successes, I also got rejected—a lot! I took classes and joined critique groups to improve my writing. I joined professional organizations like SCBWI and ASJA to network with other authors and learn more about the market. And I studied the market by reading everything I could get my hands on.
I was lucky—with my early books, I found publishers who loved my work. And after getting an agent, I sold “National Novel Writing Book Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (And Live to Tell About It”) to Writer’s Digest.
But I struggled to publish a book for children. In 2017, I got serious about my interest in writing a book for young people—and decided to focus on the project that I thought was most sellable, a collection of stories about people whose writing changed the world. I wrote the proposal and sent it to an agent. She rejected it—but gave me some good feedback. I revised the proposal and sent it out again. One agent gave me a Revise and Resubmit (R&R). After more revisions and rejections, I finally pitched it during #PitMad—and four editors expressed interest in it. I sold it to Beaming Books. Now “Mightier Than the Sword: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries Who Changed the World through Writing” is out in the world!
2) Describe past &/or present themes explored in your writing using only two words.
Interactive: Every single one of my books includes an interactive element: writing exercises; questions for reflection or discussion; or quests. I value my readers and the gifts they bring. As a coach, I realize that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to the challenges people face. As a result, I tend to create work that allows readers to examine their lives and create their own best solutions. For Mightier than the Sword, I included a writing exercise with each story—so that readers can consider how they could use writing to change the world.
Resilient: As a professional coach, I believe in a growth mindset—that our character, creativity and intelligence are not fixed but grow throughout our lives. When we wrestle with challenges or failures, we grow and get stronger. When I wrote Mightier than the Sword, I was especially curious about how each of the writers faced and overcame obstacles. These writers became mentors for me—and hopefully will give young readers some ideas about how to be resilient. This value is part of everything I write. In my (unpublished) fiction, I tell stories that show young people using their strengths, creativity and curiosity to face and solve their own problems.
3) Any creative writing resources you're particularly fond of and/or have found to be useful?
When I write, I have thesaurus.com and rhymezone.com open on my desktop. I’m always searching for the right word—and these resources are so helpful!
For great writing practice tips, I love Jordan Rosenfeld’s book, A Writer’s Guide to Persistence.
For writing exercises, I recommend Josip Novakovich’s Fiction Writer’s Workshop.
And for pure inspiration, I re-read Walking on Water by Madeleine L’Engle.
4) What books are currently in your ‘to be read’ pile?
That’s a big stack! But three I am excited about are:
A Girl Called Justice by Elly Griffiths
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard
I also have Tracy K. Smith’s Life on Mars next to my reading chair for my 'daily dose of poetry.
*Melander’s newest release “Mightier Than the Sword: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries Who Changed the World through Writing” is a middle grade social justice book that tells the stories of historical and contemporary writers, activists, scientists and leaders who used writing to make a difference in their lives and the world. The book features people from a variety of disciplines who used their words to educate people about the stars, advocate for women’s rights, end slavery, save the environment, protest injustice, and more. The stories are accompanied by writing and creative exercises to help readers discover how they can use writing to explore ideas and ask for change. Sidebars explore types of writing, fun facts, and further resources.