Attending the conference helped create a clearer picture of what life is like as a children’s book writer. It also put in front of me again the question – do I want to be a children’s book writer? Knowing it may take years and years before a book to be picked up and even longer for it to get published and on the shelves, is that something I am game for?
To know whether I am game for the long road ahead I should first ask myself why write children’s books in the first place? The main reason is the creativity aspect. I love being creative, I can take a scenario or even a small gesture and create a whole world from it. When I was younger I watched a show where one person would draw some random line or curve and another would draw a whole picture from that randomness. The idea of creating a whole world from one simple idea intrigues me. And children are much more open to new worlds and imaginations than adults, so it’s a natural fit.
On the other side the main reason I would not want to write children’s books is more of a question of my ability. True, I have a great imagination and can dream up worlds and scenarios. Yet, can I take those worlds that live in my mind and put them down in words that allows others to join? Sometimes I have a hard time explaining things, which is exactly what an author does. At times I don’t think I have the talent to pull words together adequately for fiction. And attending a writers conference where others have written more and for much longer than I have makes me question myself.
At the end of the day, however, I find myself tired of myself. My constant back forth of yes but no, no but yes is even grating on me. Starting and stopping, stopping and restarting – it’s all such a waste. The questions of ability, questions of desire and passions – what’s the point if nothing gets done? Whether my ideas are strong or not, whether my writing ability is adequate or clumsy, these are things I want to find out. I do not think I can be satisfied if I never learned if I have what it takes to be a children’s book author. To find out I have to keep pursuing, so that is what I am going to do.
I learned quite a bit while at the writers conference, a lot which I will share next time. What it did do was help instill in me the curiosity to know whether I have what it takes to be a children’s author. So I going to start working on those things I learned, again which I will share next time, and follow the question all the way to the answer, even down the long and sometimes windy path that it may be.
Attempt it. Chance it. Try it. Get to It![/cs_text][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section]