Author Visits DO Make a Difference

Yup --  there weren't enough black letters "o" to go around, but even then I smiled happily when I saw the sign.  It wasn't just outside the school, it was at the entrance to the town itself.  This was an entire community that supported literacy.

Do author visits make a difference?   Do they truly encourage readers and writiers?  Over and over I have been told "yes!" by teachers, librarians and parents.

But the real proof happened last year when I received an unexpected e-mail.  A student who had grown up in a community very much the size of the one above, a location  I had visited 20 years ago, was writing to tell how well she remembered my author visit.    She remembered that I hadn't just shared my success, I'd shared my failures too....the number of times I rewrite, the times my stories are turned down, And she remembered how much I still loved (and still DO love) the creation of  stories.

On that day, 20 years ago,  she had decided to become an author. Today she was writing to tell me she had just signed a contract for the publication of her own very first novel.  

Author visits DO make a difference but it takes teachers, librarians, parents and supportive community members to make them possible.  Thank you literacy lovers everywhere!

How Authors Sometimes Travel

I'm going through past school visits to get photos for a new home page (coming soon at www.hazelhutchins.net....but not there yet!). I'd forgotten how many times those visits included smaller communities with limited access.  Flying in little airplanes sometimes feels like riding in an eggshell with wings!  This is from a trip to outlying areas around Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Show Me Yours

Thanks Canmore Public Library for inviting me to be part of "Show Me Yours!" last night.   Thanks to Cherill for the "action photos" and thanks to all the staff for the great research help,all round support and wonderful book recommends over the years.  I LOVE Public Libraries!  

A Writing Analogy

Hammer, saw, wood, instructions.

Needle, thread, cloth, pattern.

Pen, paper, ideas......   and a sort of hazy sense of how those ideas might be pointing towards the heart of a really good story and an inkling of how (maybe!) one might begin to put those words together. 

Apophenia

Trying to read the tea leaves of the universe ...  and seeing them all pointed towards your current writing project.     Okay...the analogy isn't quite exact.  And I do feel the universe is trying to gently show us a few currents that might be the best way to go.   (It's comforting to feel that way and heaven knows we all need a bit of comfort.)
    But it can be deadly in crafting a story.  Adding things that don't belong just because you stumble upon them.  Stopping much too soon instead of doing the hard work needed to get to the precious underlying areas where the story really lies.
    Today may I be open to the tea leaves of the universe ... but not ruled by them.   The quest for a good story deserves that. And so much more.  

Around the World

One of my books - with illustrations by Ruth Ohi - was recently mentioned in a totally interesting way on Momo Celebrates Time To Read.  I'm not sure how to put the link to it here, so you'll see the blog's URL  posted below.

Momo lives in Sydney Australia and mentioned that we met in Sundre, Alberta, Canada many years ago when she was on teacher exchange far from home and I was doing author visits close to my home...relatively speaking.  
I remember meeting her!   How wonderful to reconnect in this way. It's also spurred me into starting my own blog...we'll see how long it lasts.  If nothing else, I'm happy to celebrate a reconnection and I'm delighted to pass along her blogs URL below to others who enjoy the great world of children's literature.  Enjoy!


http://momotimetoread.blogspot.com/2012/01/nicholas-at-library-by-hazel-hutchins.html