"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do, not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
She has determination and dedication.
Her goal is to look for an agent before her 14th birthday. I know she will achieve this! I'm telling you all this because she is so excited and would love as much help from more experienced writers when she has finished this re-write and also to inspire you! She inspires me to keep going on a daily basis!
If a 13 year old girl can cast off the shackles of teenage selfishness and laziness and look for time to finish her book, I know that a mature adult can do the same :) You may find the excuse that she is a child and has all the time in the world but I beg to differ. When I , as many of us, were children we found it hard not to answer to the call of playing, movies and hanging out with friends. She does not answer these calls and you can ignore them as well. We all can find time here and there and in no time you too will finish your book for the first time, second, or umpteenth time through!
What a wonderful feeling and sense of accomplishment you will have. Your favorite TV show will not hold it's charms if you let it go (it may even be canceled). Your favorite book that you've read a thousand times will still be their for you. But you will have accomplished your goals little by little.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do, not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I am so impressed that not only does she have the dedication to finish a book but an idea she was able to flesh out to over 250 pages. That is amazing. Way to go! That is quite an accomplishment. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteShe is sooo amazing! Did she reach her Nano goal last month?
ReplyDeleteThat is amazing. I truly have no excuse. Congratulations to your daughter.
ReplyDeleteHow awesome! Good luck to her on revisions.
ReplyDelete(Side note: have you told her it's quite rare to land an agent with your very first book? Because, truly, it is. We learn so much from writing and rewriting each book, that by the time many authors are done with their second or third, they're glad no one saw their earlier efforts.)
Jordan,
ReplyDeleteI have explained agents, publishers and the writing process to her with all it's dreary details (she has witnessed me get an agent loose an agent and then get another as well as get manuscript requests from 6 different publishers only to get rejected for not being famous enough...apparently in the craft book industry you must be famous to write a craft book. They LOVE the concepts. It's just marketing they worry about and now days they want a "celebrity sure thing".). So unfortuantely first hand she sees this but I keep persisting and therefore she keeps persisting (it's kind of like a circle. She keeps me going and I keep her going).
Tell her to go for it! I got an agent with my first book and now a publisher. If the Lord wants her as his missionary to do this, then the sky is the limit!
ReplyDeleteJenni
She's destined for great things. I had that drive when I was her age, but only wrote short stories. Don't even know what happened to them now, my father wasn't exactly supportive and I was forced to move on to more "realistic" ventures. It wasn't until I was in my 40s that I picked it up and began taking it seriously again. Don't ever let her give up on her dreams. And make sure she knows to ignore those who think her silly to have those dreams. It will make all the difference in the world for her to have such a loving and supportive mother. She's very lucky in that. If she ever needs a reader, I'd love to help.
ReplyDeleteYou go girl!!!
How great for your daughter to have a mom who is so delighted by her writing! That's wonderful! Best wishes, and if you need a gentle critiquing partner, well, thirteen-year-olds happen to be my target audience, so I'd be up for a manuscript trade.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on accomplishing what most first-time writers DON'T do and that's finish an entire MS! They usually lose interest and start another and then another and another until, well, you know the story! That is so awesome!
ReplyDelete(My 13 year old daughter is writing a story, too! So fun and satisfying to see our children have a passion for something!)
;)
What an inspiring post!! Great to know that some people identify their priorities much early in life. Just a point of thought - are these idiot boxes (read TV) killing the natural talents of budding individuals. Oflate it so happens that only those who has the hardest of passions, can break the shackles of lazy entertainment avenues provided by TV and get into doing something really meaningful.
ReplyDelete