Pablo Cartaya. Photograph by Zoe Milenkovic.
We chat to acclaimed author Pablo Cartaya, the faculty of the MCWC 2022’s Middle Grade/Young Adult Workshop, “The Villain Speaks”.
Who/what are your key influences and sources of inspiration?
My inspiration always begins with my abuela and abuelo. They are the foundation for my work and how I represent their legacy through culture, family, and community in the stories I write. And my kids are a parallel inspiration—they teach me so much about the world. And they're funny!
What drew you to begin writing books for kids and young adults instead of for grown-ups?
I don't necessarily write with the aim to tell stories for young people. I write to tell human stories and young people are often my protagonists. Sometimes I write adult protagonists but I don't change my approach to the craft. Exploring the multiplicity of the human condition is what I'm most fascinated by and writing characters who are young people are great vessels for that creative exploration.
What's the secret to a great MG/YA novel?
Read. Write. Revise. Revise. Revise.....Repeat.
How does being fully bilingual influence your writing and creative practice?
It influences every aspect of my creativity. It's like breathing air. It took me a long time to feel I had permission to write sentences akin to the way I think—where thoughts often begin in one language and end in another.
What do you love most about teaching writing?
One of my favorite parts of teaching writing is watching students get that glimmer in their eyes when a story emerges. Helping them discover the hidden secrets of that story and then watching them fly off with it is an incredible feeling. I've had several students get story ideas in my class that turned into full novels and became published.
What are you hoping participants of your MCWC workshop will get out of the time they spend with you?
That they feel free to explore the endless possibility of their creativity and come away with a renewed sense of where their stories will go next.
About Pablo’s workshop
What’s the deal with the antagonist in your story? Why do they make the life of your protagonist so miserable? Is it merely to exist or is there something more profound going on? How do we provide nuance to our protagonist’s foe? In this workshop, writers will immerse themselves into the world of villains to get an understanding of why they do what they do. The workshop will be aimed at spotting static villains and learning to avoid stereotypical depictions of the antagonist. This class will consist of writing the villain monologue. Writing the villain’s backstory. And imagining the life of the villain without the protagonist getting in their way. Sample texts will be explored as well as several writing exercises.
About Pablo
Pablo Cartaya is an internationally acclaimed author, screenwriter, speaker, and educator. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC, and on Oprah’s Booklist. Pablo has worked with Disney, Apple+, and Sesame Street on projects adapted from television series and movies. In 2021, he served as a judge for the National Book Award in Young People's Literature and is currently an associate professor in the low residency MFA creative writing program at the University of Nevada. He calls Miami home and Cuban-American his cultura. Novels include: The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish, Each Tiny Spark, and the upcoming climate dystopia The Last Beekeeper. Awards and Honors include: 2020 Schneider Family Book Award Honor, 2019 ALSC Notable Book, 2018 American Library Association’s Pura Belpré Honor, 2018 Audie Award Finalist, and 2018 E.B. White Read Aloud Book Award Finalist.