Interview with Maria Scrivan, Author and Illustrator of Nat a Chance
Welcome to Smack Dab, Maria! Please tellus a bit about Nat a Chance.
Thank you, I’m happy to be here!
Nat a Chance is the sixth book in the Nat Enoughgraphic novel series. Nat is sure she’s not an athlete. She’s either falling onher face, in the nurse’s office, or both. She considers herself a failure atevery sport, and is consistently picked last for gym. After a few mishaps, herbest friend, Zoe, persuades Nat to join her to train for a triathlon. This isway out of Nat’s comfort zone; so much so that on the first day of training shetells the coach that she doesn’t belong there because she’s not an athlete. Thecoach responds, “that’s just a story you’ve been telling yourself, don’tbelieve it.” Nat a Chance is about the stories we tell ourselves, and whathappens when we challenge those false beliefs.
I’m a total sucker for a humorous voice,so of course I fell in love with Nat on page 1. How’d you tap into MG humor?
When I first had the idea to write Nat Enough, I just started writing vignettes of things thathappened in middle school, without having any idea where it was going. The moreI wrote, the more I realized that while many things that had transpired werenot funny at the time, years later there was a lot of great material in all ofthe mishaps and life lessons along the way. Having a syndicated comic for overa decade taught me to look at life through the lens of humor, and I appliedthat same filter to my middle grade experiences. It was exceptionally catharticto relive those experiences with an entirely different perspective.
I can also empathize with and relate toNat. I've always been the completely non-athletic bookworm. You speak quite abit in the Author’s Note about not being an athlete, either. Can you say a bitabout those limiting stories we tell ourselves?
I share the same story as Nat, that I wasn’t an athlete, and Icarried that to college when some friends invited me to join the rowing team.This was so far out of my comfort zone, extremely challenging, and fostered alife-long love of sports, and a realization that the story that I wasn’t anathlete was entirely false.
We are so used to hearing messages about who we are from ourselves,our parents, friends, teachers, and often adopt these ideas as our own withoutquestion.
We can carry a story around for a long time — whether we’re not anathlete, we’re bad at math, can’t sing, or think we’re shy. Those thoughtsbecome beliefs, and those beliefs shape our reality, and our definition of whowe are. I have done so much research about how much our words and thoughtsmatter, and this book was written as a reminder to myself to be mindful aboutthe internal language I use to describe who I am.
In the beginning, it’s friendship thatmotivates Nat. Friendships are so incredibly important at this age. Howimportant was friendship in actually crafting Nat’s character?
Friendships are especially volatile and challenging during middleschool. In Nat Enough, Nat’s bestfriend from second grade, Lily, no longer wants to be friends once they get tomiddle school. I had this same experience, and while devastating at the time, Irealized the importance of surrounding myself with people that lift me upinstead of put me down. Nat learns a lot about herself through her closestfriendships. Zoe gently guides Nat out of her comfort zone, Flo is always thereto offer wisdom, and Luca becomes her partner in creating a comics club in Natfor Nothing. Through their own kindness, and willingness to show up for her,Nat’s friends teach her to be a better friend by example.
I also enjoyed how Nat lists being Zoe’straining partner as just another impossible thing in her life. The book reallychallenges the concept of natural talent. What did you want young readers toknow about innate ability?
I think the idea of innate ability can also be a limiting belief,and can stop us before we even begin to try. Nat a Chance explores the concepts of perseverance anddetermination. There is so much power in just showing up, and letting each ofthe next steps be revealed to us along the way. I loved exploring the idea of“impossible things” both in the main story and in the Nat in Wonderlandmini-comic at the end. I know from personal experience that stepping out of ourcomfort zone and achieving one ‘impossible thing’ opens the doors to realizingso much more is possible than we imagined.
I also enjoyed the way Nat battles doubtsand struggles with training throughout, asking herself, “Why is this funagain?” How did you go about depicting how really hard it can be to perseverewhile maintaining an encouraging tone?
Growth is hard! Especially when we're moving out of our comfortzone and trying something new. I've been in that place so many times in mylife, and have realized time and time again that the greatest growth comes fromthe biggest challenges. The encouraging tone comes from knowing that there is areason for the challenge, and even if I don't want to have that experience atthe time, I always know that I am stronger for it.
I’m an author who recently got back intoart. Any drawing tips for the young or young at heart?
My best advice is to draw a lot and read a lot of illustrated booksand comics. Keep a sketchbook with you at all times for any tiny moment thatyou have to yourself. Waiting for a friend at a coffee shop or being in awaiting room is a great opportunity to draw. Participate in events likeInktober and Hourly Comic Day to help create self-imposed deadlines. Above all,have fun. Art is meant to be joyful. There are no mistakes in art. Each drawingleads to the next drawing, no matter what happens on the page. Every time thepencil hits the paper, it’s an entirely new adventure.
Often, I find graphic novelists arefrequently more tightly organized plotters than writers. How did you go aboutplotting Nat a Chance?
Once I know what the story is, I start out by writing a briefoutline that only takes about three pages. This is purely a roadmap, in thesame way that on a road trip I know where I’m headed but have no idea what I'mgoing to see along the way. Watching what develops is the magic of writing. Ilike to have a basic idea of what the plot points are, but I never really knowwhat will happen in the story, until I start sketching. My first draft is roughdrawings of the entire book. I sketch as much detail as I can includingexpressions, body language, and dialogue. I work best to write and drawsimultaneously.
The end of the book also doesn’t stopwith the race. We see how life changes for Nat after conquering this goal. Whatdid you want young readers to see with this extended resolution?
My hope is that readers realize they have the agency to changetheir thoughts and beliefs about themselves to remove self-imposed limitationsof what is possible. I also hope that readers laugh, have fun, and realize theyare not alone in their feelings.
What’s next?
I have a few projects that I’m so excited to talk about but can’tannounce just yet. Keep an eye out on social media @mariascrivan for moredetails, coming soon!
Photo Credit: Kyle Norton
Where can we find you?
You can find me at http://www.mariascrivan.com as well as@mariascrivan across all social media. If you’re looking for me in person, I’mat my drawing table, in a coffee shop, or running on the trails in the nearbywoods.
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Maria Scrivan is a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning syndicatedcartoonist.
The first book in her graphic novel series, Nat Enough (Scholastic/Graphix),launched on April 7th, 2020, became an instant New York Times bestseller. It was followed by: Forget Me Nat, Absolutely Nat, Definitely Nat, Nat for Nothing, andAll is Nat Lost. Nat a Chance will be available in Spring 2025. She is also acontributor to Marvel’s Super Storieswhich released in October 2023.
Website: https://www.mariascrivan.com/
Instagram: @mariascrivan
Facebook: Maria Scrivan
