Behind the Scenes: Marie Helen Turner

by Rainbow Rumpus Staff Writer

Another exciting month for Behind the Scenes! We talked to Marie Helen Turner, author of “Tyler and the Tooth Ferry” and “Jeremy Pye, Private Eye.” Turner shares her experiences as a preschool teacher and a children’s writer, as well as some great advice for encouraging creativity and writing in kids.

To start us off, how did you begin as a writer?

I’ve always loved to write: stories, poems, humor. As a preschool teacher, I wrote fingerplays and felt-board stories. I shared them with other teachers and they shared theirs with me. I was 52 when I saw a “Writing for Children” class offered at a community college. I rushed to sign up and before I’d finished the advanced class I’d started collecting rejection slips—and had a poem accepted by a children’s magazine.

Why do you like to write for Rainbow Rumpus?

Children need stories about characters they can relate to in some way and Rainbow Rumpus is the only magazine especially for kids with LBGT family members. Young people in traditional families, too, gain understanding from reading about other types of families. And Rainbow Rumpus is a high-quality magazine that any writer can be proud to be published in.

Where do you get the ideas for your stories like "Tyler and the Tooth Ferry" and "Jeremy Pye, Private Eye"?

The tooth “ferry” idea came from a neighbor, years ago. He’d grown up on an island and was more familiar with ferry boats than with fairies. I always write down what I call “story seeds” and when I decided to try writing for Rainbow Rumpus I thought of this one. I spent time thinking about the who, where, and how of the story before I dreamed up Tyler and his family.

Jeremy, on the other hand, started with the character, a detective wannabe with a knack for helping people. He hung out in my mind for some time before I linked him with an old newspaper clipping from my story seed drawer, about a real Flower Lady in a nearby town.

You were a preschool teacher before you were a writer. How does this experience help you in your writing?

Beginning writers are always advised to “write what you know” and I know a lot about young children: what kinds of stories and poems they like, for a start! How they cope (or don’t) with new situations or transitions or frustration, how they interact socially, one offering playdough cookies to everyone at the table, another concentrating on the worms she’s creating. I’d studied child development but learned far more by interacting and observing.

As a preschool teacher, how did you encourage creativity in your students and do you have any unique ideas for parents to help foster creativity outside of school?

I set inviting art materials out—paint and paper at the easel, collage materials and glue—put aprons on the children, rolled their sleeves up and let them go at it, encouraging, helping or guiding as needed. At home or at school, the right music can set a mood. For a theme [like] autumn leaves, we’d take a walk outside to watch leaves fall, hear them crunch under our feet, have leaves indoors to smell and feel, compare and examine with a magnifying glass, fingerplays, songs, a story about leaves, leaf-colored paints and project materials.

This is hardly unique, but at home I always had a box of art supplies (including junk) and a place to mess with it, and no demands to keep clean (a parent’s old shirt makes a great cover-up). I think it’s important for adults to say “tell me about your painting” rather to ask “what did you paint?” Most children, if not worried about failing to achieve some standard, are naturally creative. Coloring within the lines or following directions to make a craft are all good preparation for writing, but used at too young an age they can stifle creativity. Provide them with a dress-up box and occasionally join in their role-play. Make up a silly song together, play what-if games. As Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination circles the world.”

How do you encourage a kid who likes to write?

Read her work when she’s ready to share it, and be specific about what you like. Ignore spelling and grammar errors (unless it’s for school). Suggest she keep a journal and/or writing notebook. If she wants to enter a contest, be supportive; praise her if she wins, console her if she doesn’t, and encourage her to try again. Check out biographies of her favorite authors from the library. She’ll learn that every one of them had to struggle [in] writing, revising over and over, dealing with rejection, and persevering. Most of all, remember that the most important thing for them is to enjoy the process.

How do you encourage a kid who has a hard time writing or reading?

Limit the electronics (except for Rainbow Rumpus!). Read to her and stop at an exciting moment. Hopefully she’ll read on to find out what happens. Illustrations help—magazines, comics, graphic books, and picture books, even if they’re way below her grade level. A bookseller or children’s librarian can suggest books that fit your child’s interests. Tell funny, happy-ending anecdotes about her when she was little, about your own childhood, family stories. If she likes to draw, encourage her to write captions about her pictures. If she has to write something for school, help her talk about it first, [and] ask questions (who, where, why). Your child’s teacher will have other suggestions.