A Tip from Eileen Spinelli Courtesy of the Highlights Foundation

Here’s a beautiful quote that I love. Natalie Goldberg said, “If you love the work, it will love you back.” How can you love the work if you’re already a mile down the road worrying about whether it’s going to be published? The publication will take care of itself. I hate to see writers just cringing and skipping ahead, and worrying about publication. I think it interferes with what you do. It makes you afraid to take risks, for one thing, because you are too afraid. “Is the publisher going to want this?” or “Is the editor going to like this?”—that’s the adult in you.

Kids aren’t afraid of risks. It’s a wonder we’re all here alive for all the risks we took when we were younger. You’ll be more able to do what you need to do and take risks if you kind of let the other parts go. Let the marketing go. Make the marketing the lower rung on the ladder rather than the top rung. The top rung needs to be the writing and the joy that you derive from it, even if you never get published. Honest.

This tip comes from a workshop given by Eileen at the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop at Chautauqua. If you’d like to learn from Eileen in person, join us for the 2008 workshop. Find out more at www.highlightsfoundation.org.

Please feel free to forward this e-mail to others who might want to take advantage of this opportunity.

Eileen Spinelli is an award-winning author and poet whose work includes the 1991 Christopher Award winner Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch. Eileen has published more than thirty books for children. Some of her recent titles include Bathtime, Rise the Moon, Moe McTooth, Three Pebbles and a Song, The Perfect Thanksgiving, and City Angel.

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Phone: (570) 253-1192
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