School visits

I did two author visits to local schools yesterday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Like I’ve mentioned before, these young audiences rejuvenate me. Their enthusiasm and energy is uplifting. Visiting their schools and libraries is always a treat for me.  I also enjoy the questions by the students during the question-and-answer session. They never fail to amaze me. From how old are you to how long does it take you to write a story to how many words does your story have, to do you draw the pictures for the book, etc., etc., they are always curious about how an author works.

After one of the school visits, a couple of young students (with their teacher’s permission) asked if I would take a look at the stories  they had submitted to their teacher for some writing project. I agreed. I was blown away by how well they wrote and what great imagination they had. I sort of critiqued their papers (because they wanted me to) and praised their work. They beamed. That’s what makes some of these school visits so rewarding.

“A good picture book begins with delight, ends with wisdom, humor, warmth, or love, and means more than it says.” – Barbara Williams