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| Abdo, 2016 |
I know that a big part of the problem is that the last week has been wicked. I had a book due which is normal enough. My son brought home a virus which he shared with me. Our principal vehicle broke down . . . again. And I friend went into the hospital with suspected CHF. The good news is that she doesn’t have CHF, and she is now home from the hospital. That’s actually not everything, but we’re reaching the point where if I added to the list, you’d just think I was making stuff up.
I was half-heartedly considering writing about how to squeeze writing in when life happens in great abundance. Then a message popped into my inbox. Apparently one of my books, Black Lives Matter, is being evaluated in the Leighton, Pennsylvania school district to see if it is appropriate for a high school library. The short answer? Yes, yes, it is. I don’t write for adults so it is pretty much a given that if you match the book to the age level of the young reader, it will be appropriate. The district staffer who contacted me wonders if I would like to comment. Cue the semi-hysterical laughter.
Oh, sweet mercy. You had better believe that I do.
And just like that, I have something to write about!
When you don’t know what to write about, take a deep breath and then look at your life. There are so many things that we could each write about. That said, I’ll have to come back to what to do when your book is challenged. I’m going to rewatch a video about fighting bans, download the resources, and get busy. I’m also going to contact my co-author who just happens to be a lawyer. I will write up a post about this when we get to the other side.
But I did mean it when I said that we could each write about so many things based on our own lives. I could write about dealing with an unresponsive auto dealership “service” department. I’m sorry, I just can’t write that without the quotation marks. Or I could write about the value of an extended vehicle warranty. How long do you have to keep a vehicle for that extra expense to be worthwhile?
I could write about modern wedding etiquette and what practices have gone by the wayside and what new practices have replaced them. Are e-mail invitations acceptable? What if you don’t want a destination wedding? Or gifts?
I could write about what questions you need to ask the specialist when you get an unexpected diagnosis.
See? Life feeds us ideas all the time. You may not have time when you’re in the middle of something but sketch out a few notes. That’s what I’ll be doing as I contact the editorial director, my writing partner, and a few other helpful people. Because . . . life.
--SueBE
Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 55 books for young readers.
- To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog, One Writer's Journey.
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She is also the instructor for 3 WOW classes which begin again on October 7, 2024. She teaches:
Hugs, Sue! I've had weeks like that where it feels like I'm checking off boxes on a never-ending tragedy list. So was your BLM book already in the library and now they are reevaluating it? Or is it being newly added to the library? That's a good idea to get your co-author involved. Who knows, this could make your book more popular than it already is! :)
ReplyDeleteIt was in the library. We are currently preparing a statement. We've been contacted by a teacher who is one of a well organized group opposing this. Sadly, our would-be banner is on the school board.
ReplyDelete