They Say a Writer Writes . . . and So, I Do

I Write for Children

I always told my six through nine year old students, if you write, you are a writer. They wrote, so they were writers. I write, so I am a writer. too.

I didn't always write. Not really write. I wrote letters to my husband, David, before he was my husband and I wrote letters to my Gram after David was my husband. (no correlation.)

I seriously got interested in writing when I took writing classes one summer at Teacher's College in New York City. I wrote a short story as a picture book text. My professor loved it. So did the teachers who took the class with me. They encouraged me and I was bitten by the "write" bug.

I spent years writing manuscripts and mailing them to children's book editors. None of them were ever published, but I got a lot of rejection letters. They were "good" rejections. But, they all had one word in common, "BUT."

Here are a few examples.
    •    "I think this is the strongest piece you have sent me – it’s funny and charming, and a story young children will relate to well, "BUT …"
    •    Teddy in the Backpack is a very sweet story and I think that Zoe is a great character, "BUT …"
    •    "Your sense of humor shines through in this piece, and you have a wonderful sense of rhythm, "BUT …"
    •    "You write well, no question there, "BUT …"
    •    "This is one of the best LAST lines I’ve ever read. It was great joke, "BUT …"

You can go to It's all about REJECTION! or Love it – BUT… to read more. I posted more than twenty-five examples.

My picture books, nearly 30 of them, haven't been published yet. Maybe they will someday. One can always hope.

I am a two-time graduate of Children’s Book Academy, a member of Storyteller Academy, and I am in three picture book critique groups. I am also an active member of SCBWI - Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators for more than 20 years, and that's how long I have been writing picture book manuscripts. Here are some of the stories I've written. They are lost and NEED to be found by a publishing house.

School Is NO Place for a Frog, Robert-Robert
                                                                              The Best Pest
Teddy in the Backpack
                                                                              Poor Hannah
Kanona Prattsby
                                                                              Corey's Quarter
You're a Mess, Miss Tress
                                                                              Molly Hates Pink
Too Many Bubbles

Which titles do you like best?

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