Today's post rings especially true for me, because, like Holly L. Niner, I love words, and books have always been a part of my life. I can also relate to Holly's experience of pushing past rejection. So, what does Holly have to say?
Rejections Be Damned! The Words
Are Calling…
If a word cloud hung over my head
it would include these words:
Daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother,
aunt, friend, speech therapist, writer, author, cook, baker, reader, good
listener, left-handed, happy, strong-willed, smart, baby boomer, Caucasian of
mixed heritage, cat lover… I’ll stop there. You get the point. This word
cloud would be in the shape of a heart because-
I LOVE WORDS! I always have.
Books have always been a part of
my life. In our home there are books in
every room, even the bathroom. I have
memories of my parents reading to me.
Saturdays meant a trip to the library.
In elementary school we could check out 3 books each week. That was not enough! So the librarian suggested a friend and I pick our books out together and trade during the week! Books were such a part of my life that my
mother even made me books for a birthday cake.
And yet, by education I am not a
writer, but a speech language pathologist.
I’ve spent my career working in the adult population. While that is not
writing, it does involve words and the power and importance of communication.
But what about writing? How did that happen?
When I had children I stayed home
for a number of years and I was immersed in the glorious world of picture books
and chapter books. I watched my children
pour over pictures, fall in love with books and ask amazing questions as we
read books. The desire to write something children would love bubbled to the
surface when my mother suggested a correspondence writing course.
I enjoyed the course, learned a
lot about writing and a little about the business of writing. Upon graduating, I was sure I would soon be
published. I was wrong! In those days, the 1990s, there were many
publishers open to submissions. You
would send your manuscript with a self-addressed stamped envelope. And then you would wait…usually many months,
for the form letter rejection. I wasn’t
prepared for the rejections.
Some big life changes happened
and I stopped writing. But years later I
returned to it because I missed weaving words into stories. This time I learned more about the business
of publishing. With that understanding, the rejections did not hurt quite as
much. I learned the difference between
stories that are right for a magazine vs a picture book. I joined a critique
group and worked on the craft of writing.
The rejections continued to pour in, but now they might have a word of
encouragement written in the margin.
My first success was in the
magazine market. Then in 2004 Albert
Whitman published Mr. Worry: A story About OCD. My son has OCD and, at the time, I could not
find a picture book to explain it to him or his sister. That manuscript found a
home fairly quickly because Albert Whitman publishes books about children's
issues. I Can't Stop: A Story About Tourette Syndrome (2005) came
about because I had a relationship with Albert Whitman and they were looking
for a book on the subject.
Success!
And yet the rejections continued
to pile up.
In 2008 I’d been working on two
manuscripts. The Day I Ran Away, grew from an America’s Funniest Home Video
clip where a little boy, standing in his yard, asked, how can I run away, when I’m not allowed to
cross the street. Like all ideas, it tumbled around in my mind until it became a
story. This one all in dialogue, where
my heroine recounts the day’s adventures while Dad tucks her in at night. After critique group edits, it began the
lonely unsuccessful trips back and forth to editors.
At the same time No More Noisy Nights was also making the rounds. The idea came from a 1st-3rd grade writing
prompt book. The prompt: write a letter
to the monster under your bed. Jackson,
a genteel mole, appeared and he moved into a house that already had a ghost in
the attic, a boogey monster in the basement and a pixie in the piano. Their nighttime activities kept Jackson
awake, but he found a way to help them occupy their nighttime hours and in the
process made some new friends.
Unfortunately, even with two
picture books published by a well-known publisher, these manuscripts weren’t
finding a home.
Discouraged, I asked a published
writing friend for advice. She suggested I contact Shari Dash Greenspan at
Flashlight Press. And so in September of
2008 a dialogue with Shari began. A
different manuscript was sent and rejected. Sigh.
But in October of 2009 she requested a story I mentioned in 2008. We
tweaked and discussed it in emails and finally it was under contract in
2012!! That story, No More Noisy Nights,
was released in the fall of 2017. During
our emails about it, The Day I Ran Away was mentioned. Shari asked to see it in
2012. It was under contract in 2014 and released in April of 2017.
Since then? Well, the rejections
continue…
At school visits I show students
a LONG scroll listing the 101 (and counting) finished stories; the four book
and 20 magazine titles are highlighted. I show them a folder of well over 100
rejection letters. I tell them that’s ok. Each story I write makes me a better
writer and the rejections show I’m still pursuing my dream!
While there are the instant success
stories, most writers work hard at their craft for years before publication.
That was how it was with me. Full of ups and downs, starts and stops,
rejections and acceptances. That is still how the writing life goes.
But I continue. For me, the words
call. They ask me to collect them and connect them. Together they are more.
Just like each of us is more than our collection of words and more still, when
we connect with others.
THANK YOU so much, Holly, for inspiring us with your words about your path to publication. I've enjoyed connecting with you and learning about you and your books ... and all because of our shared love of words!
************************
Holly Niner is a speech therapist, book lover and children’s
author. Her books include, No More Noisy Nights (Flashlight
Press) & The Day I Ran Away
(Flashlight Press). Both received a Gold
Mom’s Choice award and were nominated for Mississippi Magnolia Children’s
Choice award 2019. No More Noisy Nights
was a scholastic Book Club selection and featured on Storyline Online. Mr. Worry: A Story about OCD (Albert
Whitman) received the 2005 IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with
Disabilities Award, and I Can’t Stop: A Story
about Tourette Syndrome (Albert
Whitman) which was the winner of the 2006 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award and a
2005 Bank Street College of Education Best Book. She lives in Fort Wayne,
Indiana with her husband, in a home with books on bookshelves, on tables, in
boxes, even in the bathroom! Her now grown children, were always able to talk
her into buying them a book. Find her at
hollyniner.com. Follow
her on Facebook and Twitter. 
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