I always thought that being a writer meant that there were
nice stories to write and that editors and publishers bought them. I couldn’t
have been more wrong.
“I admire anyone who has the guts to write anything at all.”
- E.B. White
The first children’s book that I ever wrote, and the reason
that I became a children’s writer, was terrible! I remember bringing it to my
first critique meeting. Convinced that it was the most wonderful story ever
written (don’t we all!), I volunteered to read it for the group. Afterward,
there was no applause, no standing ovation, and no whistles from the crowd.
Instead, the leader pronounced it “interesting”. I was devastated!
Fighting back the tears through the rest of the meeting, I
couldn’t wait until it was all over and I would take my precious story and go
home, never to come back to this horrible place and certainly never to write
again.
On the way out, one of the ladies at the meeting invited me to
come out for coffee with the group. She also said that she like my story. She
liked it! She really liked it! I digress.
I went for coffee and the rest was history.
“What people are ashamed of usually makes a good story.”
- F . Scott Fitzgerald
The truth is, I had a lot to learn. I still have a lot to
learn! The discouragement that I felt turned into determination. I began to
take classes. Lots of classes. And, eventually, I joined my local chapter of
SCBWI. There, I finally met kindred spirits who understood my writer’s angst,
and I learned the rules for writing for children.
"There are three rules for writing. Unfortunately, no one knows what
they are.”
- W. Somerset Maugham
I began to write about new and more interesting topics that
interested me. It wasn’t until I was sitting in my allergist’s office and
realized that there were no children’s picture books about allergies that I
went home and wrote one! With the help of my co-author, Gloria G. Adams, our
book, Ah-Choo! was finished and
published in 2016. What was my inspiration? The allergies that I have struggled
with for years!
“Write like it matters, and it will”
- Libba
Bray
Inspiration can come in many forms and from many sources. My
current project, a biography, has yet to be sold, despite my longing for others
to know about this person as I do. I continue to submit to a variety of editors
and publishers in the hope of enticing someone to buy it.
In the meantime, I will always look for new topics to write
about in unusual ways or from unusual places. I hope that you will, too.
“What doesn’t kill us gives us something new to write about.”
- Julie
Wright
