We are in the final days of the A to Z Challenge and as I think back over the other letters of the alphabet, I think about the words of wisdom I tried to pass along these past few weeks. What might have I missed? Did my words have any value to others? What can I take away from this experience and continue to pay it forward? My xenurine friend here...a certain species of armadillo...reminds me of something all writers must develop. We surround ourselves with the beauty and clarity of our own words and sometimes we are not thick skinned enough to prevent the barbs from harsh critics from piercing our armor. Rejection letters and the face to face refusals to love our work as much as we do should not be taken personally. It is not we as writers they are turning down, but a version of our work that may not be a good fit for them. Do not take this as an attack on your good efforts, but a lesson to be learned and a chance to review your words once again to make absolutely sure they are the strongest they can be. Work hard to strengthen your armor against the disappointing bumps in the road you will come across as you travel the path to publication. But just make sure you leave cracks in that armor to allow your writer's spirit to always shine through...
X Marks The Spot
Written by: Lucille Recht Penner & Jerry Smath
Illustrated by: Jerry Smath
Ages: 8-12
ISBN: 13 9781575651118
Teaser: Two boys discover a mysterious treasure map in the attic of their grandfather's house. Who left it there? Where will it lead them? What must they do in order to uncover the treasure?
What a wonderfully encouraging X post!! I won't forget our xenurine here--thanks for sharing this one :)
ReplyDeleteCheers, Jenn
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Hi Jenn! I grew up with armadillos and as poor as my family was, even sat down to a meal or two with them as the main course! But I never knew of this name for one species of armadillo until last night...and what a wonderful picture to go with my post...;0)
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I will quote one of the characters in the first Jurassic Park movie, "Clever girl!". Not that I ever doubted you.
ReplyDeleteLol, Janet...I remember that scene...hopefully you don't see me as vicious as he did...;0)
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Hello, Donna! This is such a great post. Rejection is never easy. You're right that we have to have a thick skin, but we can't let it make us numb. Thanks for the encouragement and motivation!
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely weekend and happy A to Z!!
Hi, Laura, and welcome to my blog! Thank you for your kind words and I hope you will check out some of my other posts...I try to encourage, entertain, and inspire everyone who comes to visit! Oh yeah...I'm also your newest follower...;0)
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Excellent advice! And I love your little armor friend - reminds me of the picture book Armadillo Tattletale :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Susanna! Yes, isn't he adorable? I would take him home but my old, gentleman cat would have a field day with his new "friend" and the armadillo would just roll into a ball which would only make things worse because Tommy LOVES balls! Hey! That might make a cute PB...lol...
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Hi Donna! Enjoyed your letter X post. That book, X Marks The Spot, sounds like it will be a fun book to read.
ReplyDeleteHi Susanne! Yeah, I was trying to choose between a couple of different books...there wasn't a whole lot to pick from and I didn't want to pick something like X-men which would have been so obvious and I LOVE treasure hunts so of course it HAD to be this one!
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Hi Donna. I had to find out what a zenurine was. Nice blog post today. Holly
ReplyDeleteHi, Holly, and welcome to my blog! I'm glad you like today's post. I try to entertain, inspire, and inform...;0)
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Thanks for a new X word. My daughter just did a report on armadillos.
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Happy A to Z-ing!
Hi Jenn and welcome to my blog! I hope your daughter did well on her report...;0)
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Yes, I am still developing my thick skin...not an easy task, but a necessary one. I can't believe that I titled my "x" post after the name of a book! Well done, Donna,
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Lol, Jarm...maybe that just means great minds think alike? ;0)
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Guess I will come across this at some stage, and I will remember your words Donna. Your posts have always been inspirational, some even a good kick in the %&#@ for me, and I thankyou.
ReplyDeleteAwww, Diane, thank you so much for your kind words! How are things going? I hope you are having a great weekend!
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