In 12 days I'll be on a plane destined to Monterey, California, the recipient of arguably the best gift I've given myself in my journey to becoming a published children's book author. When I started down this path about 18 months ago, I couldn't even comfortably call myself a novice. I was, in fact, simply aspiring.
On September 22, 2010, I posted on this blog about my adventures in Wonderland, comparing my foray into children's book writing and publishing with the enduring popularity of Alice's adventures. I was prompted to craft the Wonderland post by my discovery of an editor. See, as an aspiring author, every step in the process...every discovery...every stumble...every class...every work in progress is wondrous, and can at times feel preposterous. Yet, my sense of wonder has not diminished and continues to burn brilliantly bright with each word that I commit to paper.
In 2011, I discovered a workshop that promised "a hands-on intensive weekend designed to ready [writer's] manuscripts for publication." I was intrigued, but skeptical. Not that anything created in the spirit of Henry Miller could disappoint -- but I was fearful that my work would be an utter disappointment to the cadre of published authors, editors, and agents assembled to guide the work of new writers. That my talent lived only in my imagination and would crumble under scrutiny. So, I watched from the sidelines. I attended the SCBWI annual conference. I took a picture book writing class. I wrote another manuscript and began revisions with an editor. I even wrote a novel (now two). And as I scuttled between adventures in my wonderland, I kept an eye on the Big Sur Writing Workshop.
The decision to submit my work was not easy. Though I've learned a lot in the year since I first discovered Big Sur, there still exists doubt. First, I made money my excuse for not attending. Then I decided that my work in progress needed more revisions and wasn't ready for the light of day. And as the deadline crept closer and closer, my excuses began to fade. I did have the money, if I prioritized. And my work in progress was just that -- a work in progress that might be made better once examined by professionals whose one goal is to help aspiring authors become published.
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