Following the light

Just a quick post. I talked to Marcy yesterday, after she'd just attended her first Rutgers One on One conference. The excitement in her voice brought back a memory...the feeling that I had when I first attended and realized that here was a place where people accepted me as a writer. The rewards for writing are far and few, well, the earthy rewards like money and fame. The joy of writing is just that, THE JOY of writing. My husband once told me that I shouldn't be so serious about this writing stuff. Just do it like a hobby. After I bought a monkshood plant (which is very poisonous) I told him that there was writing and breathing and I'd give up breathing before giving up writing. Then I explained that the plant at his dinner place was a poisonous plant. It took a few moments for him to put two and two together. He just didn't understand that I needed him to believe I was a writer. He does now and the four monkshood plants in the garden are there for their beauty. I got the point across, but it took more than words for him to understand that this is a very tough world, children's writing. The One on One conference, first as mentee and then as mentor, gave me the rocket boost I needed to keep going. Now, for all those I've encouraged to attend, what a treat to hear them say, "I feel like I'm really a writer." You are. You are. It's just hard. You have to find what lights your way and follow. It's just hard. It's why special places like the One on One conference are important.