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Cathy C. Hallhttps://cathychall.wordpress.com/I write, write, write. Then I rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. THEN I submit all those polished-up words out into the world and sell 'em. It's a plan that's worked pretty well.

What Not to Do Wednesday on Waiting

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Remember when you were a wee, little kid and the wait for Santa was a sweets-fueled, hand-wringing, will-I-get-a-Barbie-with-long-hair-instead-of-that-short-ugly-bob torture?

Or maybe that was just me. The point is, grasshopper, the wait seemed to last forever. Now that I’m ever so much older, the holidays zoom by with alarming rapidity. Then, snap! They’re gone.

But here’s a way to make your holidays last all year long: Give yourself a writing gift, something you need to get your writing to take off in 2010! Is it a specialized course? A conference? A membership to an organization, professional service or market list? An office chair, a techno-gizmo, a promise to put butt-in-chair every day? You’ve been wishing for something all year long…don’t wait any longer, grasshopper. Because snap! Just like that, time passes.

And what if all you have to show for it is the Barbie with the short bob? (But I’m over that now, grasshopper. Ho, ho, ho from the Hall of Fame!)

‘Tis the Season to Believe

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If you want others (and by others, I mean editors, publishers, and potential readers) to believe in you as a children’s writer, you’ve got to believe in yourself first.

So invest in your writing and give yourself a few gifts this year. That’s right. I said give yourself. Because you know what you need to make your writing better in 2010. And you just can’t afford to wait around any longer!

Do you need some serious writing support? Join a professional organization like the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.  SCBWI can help you meet other children’s writers in your area, get the scoop on important conferences, and provide tons of writing information on the members only website.

Could you use some help with the sticky ins and outs of children’s writing? Take that class you’ve been debating about forever. Even if you’ve been writing for a long time, a specialized class can help you learn (and climb!) the ropes. The Institute of Children’s Literature offers a great class, with detailed one-on-one instruction.

Buy a children’s market book, get a manuscript professionally critiqued, attend a conference, enter your work in a contest. You already know what you need to do. Isn’t it time you believed in yourself enough to do it?!

(Hoping your writing heart will find what will keep you believing this holiday and throughout the year!)