Passing It Forward

Good morning,


Last Saturday I was once again one of the authors giving a workshop at Mayor Daley's Book Club event. When Bill and I made it to our assigned room for the second workshop and saw the doorway filled with kids standing and waiting for us (a couple were sitting) it gave me great joy. It was also the first time I'd had younger students in my workshop so I knew I had to adjust the presentation. I still had information that they could use. Getting to know about their dreams and their writing was the catalyst for a very lively discussion.

The kids were so enthusiastic and had so many questions. One thing that I got from that was that I need to write a book for teens and preteens. LOL. I don't really have books to give them.

Anyway, that was not the point of this post. I wanted to talk about the turning point from when I thought I had nothing to give to where I now know that I do. When I began writing I did so many things wrong, from formatting, submitting to houses that did not publish what I wrote to not knowing a think about promotions. I also wasn't aware where to go to get this information.

Once I realized that I wasn't the only writer out there that had to learn through trial and error I found I did have something to give. This post wouldn't be the proper place to post all the things that happened to me in the beginning. Green. That was me.

So I now pass forward information that I know for sure, links that I've researched, conferences, books of interest, and the websites of others. And as always happen, the more I do, the more I'm asked to do. But the information I need to pass along, always in some manner is passed to me. I learn more by sharing with other writers and aspiring writers.

Lately, I've heard of a lot of jealousy in the industry, authors not wishing others well because they have not achieved the dreams that they wish for themselves. The why them and why not me syndrome. Perhaps the WHYS are passing it forward, giving and receiving in return. Try it. Seriously. Try to be happy for others, pass on any useful information you get that can help someone else, including things you want for yourself.

Pass it forward and see what happens.



Dyanne