Today we’d like to introduce you to M.D. Saints.
Hi M.D., so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My parents always read to me growing up. They also told me a lot of stories they made up themselves. Some stories always seemed quite far-fetched, but others definitely had me. My mom had me thinking that the strip of pastureland off I75 and Bruce B Downs was a cow runway. She told me the cows would catch planes there and go to work and visit other cows. She told me she would see the cow planes take off, and in my head, I saw them too. All the cows looking out the little oval windows. I’m a big animal person so this had me. It was several years later when I realized my mom didn’t even take I75 when she drove to work.
My dad had me with woodland animals and chewing gum. He said if I tossed my gum out, a raccoon would find it and chew on it. Then when the raccoon was done, a squirrel would chew on it, then a grasshopper… all the way until it was finally the ants’ turn. Since he used the clever details of the animals progressively getting smaller, this seemed perfectly plausible to my first and second-grade self.
What made those stories more believable than a giant living in the Sulphur Springs water tower… the animals… had to be the animals. X)
So, from the reading of stories and the making up of stories, and the reading of various stories on my own… I just enjoyed reading and writing and being imaginative. Thus, when I was in third grade I decided I wanted to write a book. My third-grade self very proudly wrote and illustrated “The Cat Who Wanted to Learn How to Swim.” It was about a cat named April who, obviously, wanted to learn to swim. I am sure that piddly manuscript is long lost but it was my first little endeavor.
The thing with writing, at least for me, is it takes many, many, many little endeavors. I started writing The Tale of the Starbreather’s Realm in 2015, and it began as a short story. It sat as a short story for at least a year before I finally decided it should be a preface, “The Tale of the Man Who Takes Children,” and I should expand it. Each chapter I began and deleted and began again became its own little endeavor. At least until I became distracted with other things (like writing lesson plans to sell instead) and my novel manuscript sat alone and dusty once more. When I finally determined to complete it, in November of 2019, it took just shy of a year–from January 1, 2020, to early December 2020.
The editing was another year. I’m an English teacher so I have the ability to edit my own work… but it’s hard not to edit ad nauseam and make perpetual tweaks. Formatting pages, headers and footers and editing, and all the intricacies that come with a novel is really quite the experience. I have sold lesson plans on Teachers Pay Teachers for about four years now and really, formatting a novel and designing the cover was the same basic process as creating and listing a lesson plan… only on a much larger scale. Speaking of which, if you need any quality secondary ELA materials, please check out my TpT store, Reading the Rapids!
Anyway! Only a few people knew I was even working on Starbreather’s Realm, so when I finally completed a few rounds of editing and had a lovely cover illustration very graciously drawn and painted by a former student, I ordered proofs for my parents for Christmas of 2021. Over the years my parents have both said things like “Well when you write your novel…” or “You just need to write a book,” etc. so when it came time to actually give them my novel–something they had laid the foundation for–I was beyond excited. It was a very nice and memorable moment that meant a lot to them and to me. The Tale of the Starbreather’s Realm is dedicated to them, and my little brother was consistently nagging me about writing progress.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would not say that writing is an especially smooth road. I suppose I wouldn’t say it’s rougher than other independent trails people choose to blaze, but it definitely takes a lot of determination and discipline. Especially the discipline. I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to writing and it’s hard for me to just let utter word tripe slide by, but I had to for the sake of completing the first draft of my book. My biggest challenge for myself was to be okay that it was not smooth and to just keep telling myself what I tell my students when they write essays… it can all be fixed in the editing, even if it’s absolutely terrible, but without anything on the page then we have nothing to work with.
So, terrible as it may be (and that first draft was especially terrible) I just needed to write every day and get words on the page. I started with a very small goal: three sentences. It sounds so pathetic, but sometimes it would take me an hour to get out those three sentences. And sometimes those three sentences were just a couple dozen words, but they were there and they were something to work with, and as I kept making progress it became easier until some days I could get out several pages. Once the draft was completed and I began reading and editing, I found many errors and many plot holes, but with edit after edit, it all smoothed out, and I learned to let go of some of my written OCD.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in words, especially written words, and being an English teacher has definitely helped my writing. It’s helped me see what needs to go into a clear plot and good characters. It’s helped me with creating clear instructions to give whoever is reading a clear understanding. I’ve taught English for 11 years now. I enjoy it, but at some point, I would like to do something that allows a bit more creative liberties. As I mentioned, I also make and sell lesson plans on Teachers Pay Teachers, and I really enjoy doing that. I tend to choose lesson plans to make based on which short stories I enjoy. Faulker’s “A Rose for Emily” is perhaps my favorite short story… Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado” would be a close second.
There is just so much great material to use for great lessons that it’s hard to choose from, and ideally, I’d like to write stories and lessons full-time. I like how I can incorporate animated shorts, current events, and artistic project options into lessons–in addition to the traditional quiz assessments. I have a few original articles that I’ve written for my lesson as well. One of my favorites, and a lesson that I am particularly proud of, is an informational article titled “Anatomy of a Murder” and it prefaces a mock murder vs. insanity trial for the protagonist of Poe’s “Tell-Tale Heart.”
I strive for quality in my work, and I do believe that quality work sets anyone apart from the crowd.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned has been to begin. And then once begun, persevere until the end.
Pricing:
- The Tale of the Starbreather’s Realm Paperback 12.99
- The Tale of the Starbreather’s Realm Kindle 8.99
- Edgar Allan Poe Unit, The Raven, Tell-Tale and Amontillado 19.50
- A Rose for Emily lesson, 3.25
Contact Info:
- Website: mdsaintswrites.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/mdsaintswrites
- Other: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Reading-The-Rapids
Image Credits
Eliza Passardi of Passardi Productions and The Tale of the Starbreather’s Realm cover illustration by Marlene Azer