Monday, June 30, 2014

Me and Laura Ingalls Wilder

Rough sketch with quick Photoshop paint.
Laura Ingalls Wilder and I have a small but significant connection. Well, we will have a connection. 
For about 10 years she pursued having her now much loved Little House of the Prairie books published. Laura became an author at the age of 65. She finished her series at the age of 76.

I have a dream that's been dormant for quite awhile. I'd really like to illustrate and write children's books.
However, if I were to receive a contract today I would be 59 when my debut children's book would be on the shelf. Two years the average time for a book to go from signing the contract to shelf display.
Not everything is quick and techy in this day and age. 
Publishing still takes time; and for good reasons. 
- Usually a year to send writing/illustration edits back and forth. 
- Final draft sent to China for printing (maybe on a slow boat)
- Then there's all the marketing stuff which includes scheduling a book's arrival to book sellers.

So...realistically I'm going to be like Laura and be looking at the 6-0 or so before I'm published. It took her 10 years. Hopefully, it will work out better for me.

At first this kind of bugged me. 
Why didn't I get started earlier with this dream of creating children's books? 
(Sigh)

Gee, maybe because I was busy doing lots of important, wonderful things. 
Through it all I've gained the kind of confidence, determination, inspiration and insight to have the disciplines needed to be a free-lance illustrator /author. I'll have to make that poster for my office so I can remind myself of that.

And through it all it's brought me to now. 
This is my time for this dream.
It was all the timing for Laura Ingalls Wilder too. Her stories were not received well in the modern '20's but in 1932 during the Great Depression publishers knew that readers would love the nostaglia and sweeter, simplier times of the Little House stories. 

Now, my thoughts have flipped.
A fresh goal...a new way to stretch myself and fulfill a dream-
What a great way to enter in to my 60's.

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6 comments:

Pattie Stockwell said...

Hooray! I also have a dream and I am not really ready to start and I am already 62. Enjoy the whole process!

Andrew Schlewitz said...

Just be careful a sibling doesn't get control of your publications, editing them, and withholding the originals. Just kidding, doubt your works will have the supposedly salacious material in the original LIW memoirs. Look forward to seeing what you do.

Julie Ann Duris said...

Patti, I'll be waiting to hear what your dream is when you're ready to share.

Julie Ann Duris said...

Wow, didn't know that part of the story. I'm going to have to look that up. Fortunately, I'm sticking with children's stories. No memoirs for me.

Lydia said...

Wonderful!

Kari said...

What an awesome goal Julie. Your art is beautiful!