Friday Speak Out!: Are You a Writer?

by Mary-Lane Kamberg

Are you just embarking on the writer’s journey and feel reluctant to call yourself a “real” writer? Don’t be intimidated to declare yourself a member of the tribe. Take heart, fellow traveler. Check off the items that apply to you on following list. The more you check off, the better creds you have. However, even if you check only the last one, you’re in. You are a writer.

You might be a writer if:

· You find a grammatical error in a New York Times best seller and think, I can do better than that!

· You miss your exit on the Interstate because you’re working out the next plot twist for your novel.

· You hear “last call” at the library.

· You eavesdrop in a restaurant and think, I’m gonna use that!

· You thrive on conflict.

· On an airplane a flight attendant tells you to turn off electronic devices, and you close the hardcover book you’re reading.

· You love office supplies.

· You hear “last call” at Barnes and Noble.

· Sitting behind home plate at a Major League Baseball game, you see a pitch coming right at you until the protective netting catches it. You think, so that’s what it’s like to see a fast ball screaming toward your head. I’m gonna use that!

· You go to Chipotle to read the cups.

· You think pajamas qualify as “business casual.”

· You procrastinate until the last possible minute and still meet your deadline.

· You’re addicted to adrenaline.

· You have unread books stacked all over the house.

· You hear “last call” at Starbucks.

· Your favorite friends are other writers.

· Your only friends are other writers.

· You might have a friend who is an artist or musician.

· You walk into a plate glass window and think, so that’s what it feels like to get punched in the nose. I’m gonna use that!

· You tell your spouse to stop creeping up behind you and reading over your shoulder.

· You hear “last call” at Staples.

· You pick up a cereal box and turn to the back just to have something to read.

· You meet someone with an unusual name and think, I’m gonna use that!

· Your cat walks across your computer keyboard. You interrupt your writing session to feed her.

· You look up from a late night writing session and see the sun and hear birds singing.

· You people-watch from a corner at Whole Foods.

· You think of an idea for a poem, story, novel, essay, article or book and think, I’m gonna use that! And you do.

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Mary-Lane Kamberg is a professional writer/editor/speaker in the Kansas City area. She is the author of more than 30 books, including The I Love To Write Book: Ideas and Tips for Young Writers and The "I Don't Know How to Cook" Book. She writes nonfiction books for middle school and high school libraries and has published a poetry chapbook Seed Rain. She roots for the Jayhawks during March Madness.
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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
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3 comments Friday Speak Out, lists, Mary-Lane Kamberg, qualities of a writer, writer, writer inspiration

Do You Have What It Takes to Write Children’s Nonfiction?

I was well on my way to a master’s degree in history when I realized what I really wanted to be when I grew up.  I wanted to be a writer and I wanted to write for kids.

I remember calling my mom with the news but I don’t remember exactly what I said.  Why?  Because her reaction is etched in my memory.  “It’s about time you figured it out.”

How had she known I would make an excellent writer?  Here are a few of the earliest clues.

I love to read and do research.  I am a voracious reader.  Last year I read 184 books.  I write for children so there are a number of picture books, beginning readers and others shorter works on that list but the reality is that I read a lot and I always have.  I actually used to read during spelling tests in grade school.  This love of reading folded over into a love of research.  Any assignment was a chance to go to the library and retrieve an armload of books.

I collect the stories of other people.  My mother always knew that she could find me with my father and grandfathers and uncles.  Sitting among them, I listened to someone tell about a mine cave in, blowing the windows out of the garage or rescuing a stranded hiker.  This desire to collect stories came into play when I studied anthropology and history in college, interviewing a Kiowa pastor and immigrants who came to St. Louis during World War II.

I am interested in a wide variety of things.  History.  Knitting.  Archaeology.  Animals.  Art.  Caves.   Beading.  These topics and more litter my bookshelves.  Unlike academia, writing children’s nonfiction allows me to explore a wide variety of topics and satisfy my many curiosities.

What about you?  Do you love to ferret out a variety of facts on a topic?  Searching for just one more interesting bit of information?  The more types of information the better.  Your sources can range from print materials such as diaries and journal articles to interviews and photographs.

Maybe you’re the kind of person who gets bored easily and you like to work on a variety of different topics ranging from early elementary pieces on animals for Highlights to hiking and camping topics for middle school Boy Scouts (Boy’s Life).

If so, you may have what it takes to help young readers explore this world and beyond through nonfiction of all kinds.

–SueBE

In addition to writing her own nonfiction, SueBE is teaching the upcoming WOW! course Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults.

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5 comments Being a Writer, qualities of a writer, traits of a writer