Writing Kiss My Math by Danica McKellar

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Last year, after releasing Math Doesn't Suck, for back-to-school '07, we got such a positive response that we decided to follow up with the next step up in the math curriculum with Kiss My Math. And just in time for back-to-school ‘08.

When I wrote my first book, Math Doesn't Suck, I had about a year to turn in the first draft, and several months afterwards for rewrites. This time, we wanted to turn the whole thing around in a year! A year had always seemed like a long time, until I became an author.

It was more labor-intensive to write it more quickly, so I completely stopped acting for about 7 months in order to basically chain myself to my computer, and turn out the best book possible! An odd thing about Kiss My Math? For some reason, I wrote this one almost entirely during nighttime hours. I'd work late, until around 5am or so, go to sleep around 6am, and then sleep all day, wake up at 2pm and start again. I think I did that because there were fewer distractions, and I could get more done. See, I was determined to make Kiss My Math not only on par with Math Doesn't Suck, but even better. Thankfully I was cheered on by countless emails from girls, telling me how much Math Doesn't Suck had helped them, and how much they were hoping for a sequel. They made the late nights a lot easier!

So, what are the main differences between Math Doesn't Suck and Kiss My Math?

Math Doesn't Suck covers things like factors, fractions, decimals, percents- using shopping, guy crushes, choosing the right necklace for an outfit, and more. Why not teach this stuff in a context that girls are already thinking about? That was my feeling, anyway.

In Kiss My Math, I teach the next level of pre-algebra concepts like Integers, Inequalities, Absolute Value, Distributive Property, Exponents, Graphing, and more Solving for x in the same fun, conversational way, using colorful analogies - everything from pandas to popularity. This book include lots of fun extras, too, like new personality quizzes, reader polls, an "Embarrassing moment" section, and real-life testimonials. And believe me, the math is solid: By the time you finish KMM, you'll be ready for anything Algebra tries to throw at you!

In terms of the math tips and tricks, here's been my strategy: At every stage of writing the various sections of the books, I'd think to myself, "What tool do I wish someone had given to me in middle school?" Or, "What would have made this topic so much easier to understand?" And then I simply sit there until I figured it out.

I'll give you some tips and tricks for back to school in the next blog. For now, I hope you've enjoyed getting a bit more insight into my books and what fuels them - and me!

Cheers, Danica

kissmymath.com

mathdoesntsuck.com

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Read Danica McKellar's posts on her first book, Math Doesn't Suck

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