My KidLit Anniversary!!

Where Were You on the Last Leap Day?

Today is my KidLit Anniversary!  Four years ago today, Shane and I had taken a writing sabbatical weekend.  We rented a cute little bungalow in Newbern, NC after presenting for a local reading council on Thursday.  We researched and wrote and read. We also did some touristy things (including meeting up with our longtime best friends for lunch and a long visit.) This was the weekend I made the LEAP into KidLit. I started my FB author page. I jumped back into a very inactive Twitter account (which I had only used for church years before.) I began feeling my way around the Twitter KidLit community -- slowly; ever so slowly. Spring Fling was coming. Somehow I connected with Kaitlyn Sanchez early on, and she invited me to write for the contest. SpringFling 2020 (just before the world as we knew it fell apart due to Covid). 

I think back to the serendipity of it all now. I was new and hungry. I could feel retirement starting to niggle at the edges of my awareness, and the hope to write in retirement. At the time, I didn't know what area or age, as I had aspirations in several areas.  I was writing lots of short stories on Reedsy and Book Boro at the time -- adult stories.  I was writing devotionals, working on a Bible study, writing some poetry. But, for some reason, I thought back to the picture book manuscripts I had written long before -- even ones I had queried before I knew anything much at all about actually writing picture books. I'm a teacher. I "knew" picture books. I loved picture books. I read them all the time. I read them well. I used them as teaching tools. I used them to build community. I used them to share my love of story and language and words. I thought I could write picture books.  And I did, all right!! 1400 words, 1200 words. Rhyme. All the descriptions. All the things I didn't know then.

I think back to all that I have learned. Word count. Character arc. Do NOT rhyme (unless you do it really well, which apparently I don't -- YET ;-)). Stakes. Plot. Rules of 3. Meta. Agents. Agency (for your character -- and for your agent.) 

I think back to all the friends I've made in this KidLit community. You are kind, wonderful people and I am so incredibly blessed to count many of you my friends now. Many of you, I've met in person. (I'm looking at you, Armineh Manookian, Jany Campana, Mariana Rios Ramirez, Carolyn B Frasier, Sarah Meade, Ashley Belote and quite a few more. ) I've zoomed with LOTS of you -- webinars, PBJamz episodes,  and critique group meetings.

I think back to all the contests -- wins, losses, honorable mentions, "Ms. Congeniality" ;-), to the pitch events -- without hearts and finally with a heart.
Conferences.
Webinars.
Books read.
Critiques.
Memberships.
Blogs.
all. the. things.


And what I think is . . .

I'm so grateful.

Grateful for that weekend in Newbern. Grateful for the critique from John Claude Bemis that set me on the right path for picture books. Grateful for the kindness of the Kidlit community. Grateful for all the people I've met and befriended. Grateful, grateful, grateful. There just aren't' enough words -- or the right ones. 

I'm so grateful for the last four years -- the joys, the challenges, the "passes",  and the YES that started a new chapter in this book of my life.  So grateful.  If you're still plugging away waiting on that one big YES, it's waiting on you too. And one day, you'll be writing a GRATEFUL post about how long you were plugging away, a post about an anniversary, doing what you love, what you've learned and the people you're doing it with. Hang in there. It's coming!  Until then, keep moving forward. One contest, one story, one word at a time.

To all of you who've been part of my journey over these past four years, I am grateful. Thank you for letting me in, coming alongside, helping me along, sharing nuggets of wisdom, critiquing, challenging, sharpening, encouraging.   I am so blessed to have an amazing agent now, and a book deal. BUT. . .the biggest blessing of all is what I've learned and gained from this community that will guide me through all the writing and book deals to come. Your friendship over these last four years has meant and continues to mean the world to me. I'm so grateful I made the LEAP!