Everywhere you go, someone tells you "It's harder to become a published children's book writer then a professional athlete! You'll have a better chance of playing a lead in a movie then getting published. No one is buying picture books anymore..."
Yes, something negative around each corner. And it's good to know. But does it mean you should stop writing?
NO!
Yes, I am told over and over that less and less (fewer and fewer?)picture books are being sold. But I sold one! And so have many people I know (thanks to networking). So if everyone gave up, well, then none would ever be written.
Here's the thing. Why do you write? Do you write to be sold? Probably. But if that is the first reason you write, well, then you probably are not very good. Your heart can't be in it, and good stories come from the heart and soul. A real writer has to write.
My son had a band concert last night. The flutist in the front row tapped her foot to the beat and was focused. She will go on and play and play. It was easy to see who the real musicians are. You could see it, music is in her. Even when she doesn't have a flute, I bet she makes music inside her head.
If you go around reading bio's, you'll see over and over, "I always wrote! I told stories! I loved to read!" Many of these begin at young ages.
See, I always wrote, literally, from the day I could hold a pen. I told stories, I acted them out, I forced my friends to act them out, and when I was old enough to babysit, I made productions from the kids I sat for. Yeah, I know, poor kids. But they had fun. I had to create and share stories.
As I was saying, you write because you love to write. So keep writing! You may have just that story that the world is looking for! And you'll never know if you don't try.
And if you are a true writer, nothing I say will stop you from creating stories. So really, this whole blog entry is pointless.
Pick up that pen!
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