A Writer’s Fable

Once there was a woman who wanted to be a children’s writer, so she went to seek advice from the wisest counselor in the land.

“Wise counselor,” she said, “I have always dreamed of being a children’s writer. I long to stimulate the imaginations of young people. I want to give them a love for words, language, ideas, and books. Can you tell me the secret to becoming a children’s writer?”

“Your goal is highly admirable, dear, but it is also ambitious and difficult to achieve. You must overcome three obstacles. First, you must swim the Sea of Books.”

“I am ready!” said the woman. 

So off she went to swim the Sea of Books. She read books by the hundreds: picture books, concept books, alphabet books, counting books, easy-readers, chapter books, middle-grade and young-adult novels. She read fiction and nonfiction, science fiction, fantasy, and memoirs. She studied topics ranging from astronauts to zookeepers, zeppelins to ants. She read poetry, prose, rhymes, and raps. She learned to distinguish between trade books versus mass market, pop-up and pull tabs, tactile and die cuts, baby books and board books. She read folktales, fairy tales, and impulse-buy books. She perused craft books, cookbooks, art books, puzzle books, riddle books, and joke books. She learned about writing considered public domain and how to write parodies and adaptations. She flipped through how-tos and guidebooks, magazines, journals, bulletins, and reference books. Her mind buzzed with possibilities.

Tired but hopeful, the woman returned to the wise counselor. 

She said, “I have paddled in the Sea of Books. After some fears of drowning, I have managed to stay afloat. Please tell me about the second obstacle.”

“You are very determined,” said the counselor. “You must now climb the Mountain of Paperwork.”

The woman commenced immediately. She mailed for membership in the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She jotted down pages of ideas, themes, and engaging titles. She doodled and dabbled, dabbled and doodled. She acquired the voluminous Writer’s Market, then thumbed the pages to find editors, agents, and educational markets. She scribbled quotes, quips, and questions and learned how to write a query letter. She drew up logos and designed letterheads, found a favorite font and set off to the printer to get business cards, stationery, envelopes, and mailing labels. She bought paper, pencils, Post-its, and all things pertaining to writing. She purchased a desk, filing cabinets, and a comfortable chair. She prepared her office space with paintings, pictures, and photographs. She pinned up poems, phrases, and proverbs to engage her mind and soothe her soul.

The woman’s resolve never wavered. She was ready for the third challenge. So she went to visit the wise counselor. 

“I’m impressed with your tenacity,” said the counselor.

“Yes, I truly believe that patience, persistence, and perseverance will pay off someday,” the woman responded. “Please explain the third task to becoming a children’s writer.”

“This final challenge just might be the hardest. You will journey across the Country of Duties and Commitments. Good luck!”

So the woman headed out. She took classes and seminars, joined a poetry group at the library, and was accepted to a writers workshop with a famous poet. She helped form a critique circle, recited poems at bookstores and a few local meetings of NOW. She attended conferences, lots of conferences: one in New Jersey, the Rutgers conference, and Bank Street in New York City. She signed up for correspondence courses, one sponsored by the Institute of Children’s Literature, several more taught by students in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa. She arranged a work schedule that was often interrupted by telephone calls, plumbers, and various handymen. She sent out manuscripts by the ton: to magazines, newspapers, editors, and publishers. She waited and waited, then waited some more. Many times she never received responses to her submissions, although she always included an S.A.S.E. in every package. Twice she waited one whole year for a return response. Once she was asked for revisions, so she promptly sent them in and never heard from that editor again, despite numerous follow-up phone calls to the office in Boston. Mostly she received rejection letters from hundreds of publishing offices around the globe. This was discouraging, but she soldiered on.

Completely exhausted, the woman returned to the wise counselor.

“I have finished the three challenges,” she said. “I swam the Sea of Books, I climbed the Mountain of Paperwork, I crossed the Country of Duties and Commitments. May I at last consider myself a children’s writer?”

“Why, you have been a children’s writer all along,” said the counselor. 

“But I haven’t stimulated a single imagination!” the woman protested. “I rarely see kids! I don’t make a decent living! I’ve kept my day job! I seldom publish! No one knows me.”

“Oh, you want a living . . . you want to publish . . . you want success? I thought you wanted to be a children’s writer. Well, that’s a different story!”

After writing for many years, Dianne Moritz considers herself a children’s writer. She has published two picture books, “Hush, Little Beachcomber” and “1, 2, 3 by the Sea,” and contributes to Highlights and its related magazines. She lives in North Sea.