
Wanna feel good?
Wanna make others feel good?
I have just the thing.
You writer types have NO IDEA how cool you are.
Yep. I said it.
Cool.
See, once a year or so I go to my daughter’s school and give a chat about being an author. I ask the teachers if there’s a topic they want emphasized, and they tell me to talk about being an author, but if they have topics, those usually it falls into a few groups.
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Where do your ideas come from?
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How hard is it to go back and review your writing?
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Stuff like that.
And that’s fun, but when you get to hold up books you’ve written or edited, that’s when the real fun starts.
I hold up some titles I’ve written. “Santa Maybe is about a kid who goes to the store and they run into a guy they think is Santa Claus on his day off.”
That one gets big smiles.
I hold up The Grandfather Tree and say, “This is about a grandfather who didn’t think he was useful anymore.”
That one gets an “Aww.”
I hold up Drake and The Fliers and I say, “This is about a kid who went to sleep one night, and when he woke woke up he had turned into a dragon.”
That one gets a “Wow!”
I hold up The Navigators and I say, “This is about a bunch of kids who found a time machine and went back in time.”
That one gets a “WOW!!”
Yeah, I kinda like that reaction. Not gonna lie.
The point is, most kids have never met a real life writer or author. But with your help, they can. And when you see 20 or so little minds light up…
It’s extremely satisfying.
I highly recommend it. For them and for you. I come home feeling like a million bucks.
Wanna know the bets part? It’s ALL the best part.
“Oh, but I don’t do this full time.” “I don’t write for a career.” “I -”
SHH!
Do you think the kids care?
If you write a blog, or short stories, or books, they would love to have you come talk to the kids, believe me.
And if you have a book – one the kids can read or not – you’ll hold it up, maybe talk about it, maybe give a copy to their teacher – but you won’t forget the impact you had on the kids.
And they might not, either.
Totally worth it.
Sounds like fun! I know it was the best thing ever to hear my son casually throw out that his mom was an author to his friends.
Casually. Cool!
Teaching writing is my favorite thing at the co-op. I love to drop in that first, “well when I published my first book…”
Say what?!?!?!
Laughing. Best day ever, every time.
Cool.