Writers are my Heroes (and Heroines!)

                Writing sucks! People who think it’s easy haven’t written a 300 page novel, only to have to tear three quarters of it out and start again. And the problem isn’t throwing out all those beautiful pages. The problem is, knowing which ones to keep and which ones to throw out. A novel is like an ever evolving life form. Except in this case, the author is trying to decide who’s the fittest and who isn’t. If they are wrong, then that’s a year and 200 pages into the trash. And it’s start all over again!

                That’s why I love authors. Because no one in their right mind would torture themselves this way unless they had a story they just had to tell.  Authors give me hope that it’s possible to go back to a manuscript every day, beat myself over the head a little more, and still have a story that won’t go away, that has to be told.

                Grant writing – although not nearly as glamorous, fun, or high profile, is a lot the same. First, it is an incredible amount of work. Second, you need to really believe it what every project you are trying to get money for is worth the effort. Third, you send the grant out into the world unsure if it will be accepted. And then when it is, you realize that’s only the beginning of all the work coming your way.

                When ever I get a grant accepted, my first thought is yippee, and my second thought is “oh crap, now I’ve got to do the work!” So, here’s my number one rule for getting a grant – make sure it’s something you love and want to do. Hence, the reason the library received a grant from The Bernard Carl and Shirley Rosen Library Fund of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County to hold a series of fantasy author visits.

                I’ve now spent hours/days/weeks making all the arrangements with authors, the school, travel arrangements etc. etc – but the fun is almost ready to begin. We have four fantasy authors coming this fall. They’ll spend a day at either the Homer Intermediate, the Jr. High or the High School. Then they’ll do a writing workshop for youth here at the library, followed by an evening program open to the whole community.

                So here’s the lineup:

                Frederic Durbin, author of The Star Shard will be here Thursday, Sept. 27^th

                Laura Ruby, author of The Wall and The Wing and Bad Apple will be her Wednesday, Oct. 17^th

                Julie Berry, author of The Amaranth Enchantment and The Rat Brain Fiasco will be here Friday, Nov. 2^nd and 3^rd

                Tamora Pierce, author of Trickster’s Choice and Terrier will be here Wednesday, Nov. 7^th.

                Check the library calendar and the Fantastical Worlds page for an exact schedule. All writing workshops will be held at 4:00 pm and are free, but space is limited so pre-registration is required. All students who participate in a writing workshop will receive a free copy of one of the author’s books and be able to post their own stories to the Fantastical Worlds Wiki. So come to the library for a fantastic fall and help support those people who do the hard task of telling stories for us!