Now to my writing journey…
I got my big idea for a children’s story about a year ago now. My muse was this unique bird who I saw every morning on my walks around the pond in our neighborhood. I let him and his little story live in my head for months. I remember he came to visit the pond directly behind our home on a particularly unpleasant day in late October. Ice was falling and it was freezing cold outside and our little pond was possibly warmer than his usual spot. I so wished I could invite him in for a warm blanket and some hot cocoa. This is why I’m a writer for children – I have a very whimsical mind. In my opinion, just about anything around me has a full personality and is capable of feelings. He was such a big part of my world. So to me, an invite for a warm up was a sensible notion. But possibly, he wanted to encourage me to get to work. That’s probably true.
One day, near the end of November, I finally mapped out the story while I was waiting in the carpool line at school. I got some main points worked through and I remember feeling really excited about it, super accomplished, pumped up for the next phase. Then, I got an email from my daughter’s school district stating we were going to 100 percent virtual learning for the weeks following Thanksgiving. My good feelings dissipated. It was like ‘so long wind,’ and my sails went limp. Looking back, that should have only been a few weeks diversion, but I was in no mood to bring life to my project.
Not until January did I find the joy and peace I needed to give this bird the attention he deserved. But that day…the day I finally sat down with the laptop…it poured out of me. The story really took off and it was a whole thing! I was so excited to read it to my Kindergartner once she got home from school.
Enter My Greatest Critic…Jemma. My writing was far too much for her – especially with no illustrations. And her reaction told me it was time to go back to work. After only a few weeks more of part-time work and tightening it up, I had the blessing of my mother, my best friend, and my husband, and I was ready to begin getting this baby published.
If you can believe it, I looked into self publishing very first. After getting a quote for the cost and reports on its earning potential, I had several very sobering conversations with Keith. I came to the conclusion, and tears and whiskey were very much involved, that if I was in fact a writer and if my story was even remotely worth reading, shouldn’t I TRY to get published the traditional way?
So what do I do next? Part 2 coming soon…
My Pilgrimage to Publication and Beyond 