THE NERVOUS BREAKDOWN interview by Susan Henderson
Belle Yang has created a story that is both personal and multigenerational in her illustrated memoir, FORGET SORROW. We'll talk about her story of fleeing abuse, of seeking shelter with her Old World Chinese parents, and the dedication required to see this book to publication. Please welcome Belle and feel free to join the conversation in the comments section.
Belle, your graphic memoir is stunning, and I know it took quite a long time to create. Talk to me about the process, and I'm curious about your endurance-the faith and the patience you needed to see this project through to the end.
I was a good sprinter but not a long distance runner. In my writing/painting, I've always told myself I have to run an emotional marathon. Forget Sorrow took 14 years to finish. And, yes, I worked 14 years, beginning the year 1996, because each time I received rejection and revision notes from my agent, I reworked the entire book, originally meant to be a prose novel with full color illustrations. My agent, who has a very strong personality-god bless her-the very person who gave me a chance at publishing nearly 20 years ago, became problematic, sending me off to find the holy chalice. Every time I received a NO from the world, I'd pass out on my bed for a day or two and then rose to begin the task of revision all over again. I was also ill for a couple years, from 1998 through 2000, but all the while I was in the hospital or at home in bed, I did not give up on this project. On the night I returned from the hospital, my great grandfather came in a dream as if to say, You have no excuse to be in bed. You have not sent my story out into the world. So, I got better and began rewriting the manuscript for the umpteenth time. Ultimately, I had to leave my agent and went to the East West Agency. I contacted my first editor, Alane Mason, who is now at WW Norton, and she suggested I turn the prose manuscript into a graphic novel. I spent a year drawing the first few chapters. Norton gave me a contract in the fall of 2007, and I finished the bulk of the work by the fall of 2009. And here we are, less than a week to the official pub date. I must say my former agent was very gracious. When she saw the starred Kirkus Review, she emailed me her congratulations.
Another aspect of my process was the boiling down of the prose into near-poetry, and I refer to poetry in words and pictures. I thought I'd lose a lot in the transformation, but what I learned was that the more I condensed, the more powerful the story became.
How is it to write a memoir? Because I know it's one thing to reveal personal things about yourself, but a memoir requires you to also reveal personal things about family. Did you feel free to write whatever you wanted, or did you feel a duty to protect those you were writing about?
(To read the rest of this interview, click here.)
Belle Yang drawing her comic book in a Youtube vide
Belle Yang Asia Society, NYC, Talk on Video (complete)
Barnes and Nobles Review (new)
Wall Street Journal video of interview
About Belle
Belle Yang, subject of the PBS documentary, “My Name is Belle,” is often asked whether she is primarily a writer or a painter. Answer: "When I'm writing, I'm a writer; when I'm painting, I'm a painter." Is she a children's author or writers of adult...
Connections
Causes Belle Yang Supports
826 Valencia Street
Belle is a fan of
"As for me, tragedy plus time equals humor."--Belle Yang
I'm placing "Forget Sorrow, An Ancestral Tale", on my reading wish list and plan to make the wish come true myself for my birthday if no else does :-)
Please allow me to commend you on your perseverance, courage, and ability to adapt to the changing currents of creative genius to see this project through to completion over 14 whole years! That is no small accomplishment. Your shared journey with this book gives me hope for certain projects of my own. I don't know if my "tragedies plus time" will add up to humor but your story has certainly blessed me with needed inspiration. Much gratitude,
Aberjhani
author of The American Poet Who Went Home Again
and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File)
Always great to hear from you, Aberjhani
Now that the book is out in the world, sometimes I wonder if I didn't just put the ingredients in a jar, shook it all up and it fell into place. The difficulties and disappointments are easy for me to forget. I don't know why this is. My father has a strong memory for hurts and insults incurred in his youth. He still has nightmares of starvation time and betrayals. My mother went through difficulties nearly as traumatic, but she laughs in her sleep. I guess I take after my mother.
Good luck in your pursuits. It's worth the fight to get your story told in your own words. It's all worth it.
Thank God (for all concerned, now and in the future)
the caged bird kept singing!