Anna Staniszewski

Happy Monday! It’s starting to feel like fall, which always seems to be the busiest time of year. It can be hard to find time to write with so much going on. That’s why we need extra bursts of inspiration. So I’ve decided to give you some more of Jane Yolen’s writing wisdom from her lovely book Take Joy.

In writing for children, it’s important to focus on telling  a good story, not on teaching your audience:

Preach without the P is reach. I would much rather reach my audience than preach to it. In the end it is better for us both.

Speaking of themes in writing and how they can be interpreted differently, Yolen says:

Just as we write the story we need to write, they [the readers] read the story they need to read. A peculiar way to communicate, but there it is.

And finally, one of the philosophies Jane Yolen is most famous for:

[When] I know there is a story I must tell, then I invoke the magic word. Oh, yes – there is one. All truly successful writers know it.

I shall whisper it in your ear: BIC.

It stands for Butt In Chair.

Really. Hard work is the only real magic there is…if the book in your head is to get onto the page.

How can we argue with that advice? If you truly want to be a writer, the way to do it is to glue yourself to a chair and write. Once you have an amazing story down on paper, then you need to educate yourself on getting published. Luckily, I came across this wonderful post on Sarah Garrigues’s blog that lists all the information and resources a beginning writer could ever need.

Now that you’re armed with inspiration and knowledge, go forth and write!