My Mission Statement

I write to serve, to unite, to educate. I write to share literature and flesh out ideas that may be of interest to others. I write to document an emotion, experience, or a blip in time. My mission is to write in such a way that the reader is reminded that we can find humor in all situations. It's one of the great blessings of life.


Monday, December 15, 2008

Feedback is the Breakfast of Champions

I have a large drawer in my office full of rejection letters (or reverse communications as I heard someone call them once). The label on the drawer says "Breakfast" as a reminder of Lou Holtz speech "Feedback is the breakfast of champions." I have received some helpful feedback from these letters over the years, but not too much. I hold on to them, but they haven't been much use to me. Until today.

I'm submitting my new picture book manuscript. (Yes, I'm finally actually SUBMITTING for those of you who have been asking for YEARS) I pulled out the drawer and sat on the floor with it. I found letters that reminded me when and where I met certain editors or heard them speak. I found letters that reminded me which editors are at which houses AND I found letters that chronicled their metoric rise in different houses in the past five years. Very interesting and definitely reminds me of how far I've come. Now the big waiting begins, but I'm happy to have a few subs out there (4 to be exact). And it's good to know I'm using that breakfast for something. You know, it's funny about rejection letters. No one really mentions them until they're published, then they brag about how many they have. If you've ever seen Jerry Spinelli do his talk where he carts in boxes and boxes of rejection letters. Some of us unpublished writers could do that, no problem, but somehow it's not so funny when you haven't sold anything lately.

Oh, well. Each letter puts me that much closer to something, who knows what.

It's a busy time of year, but I'm really trying to stay focused of the point of Advent, this season of expectation, and that goes right along with waiting on query letters. As I wait in expectation of Christmas, I know that God has a plan for me, too.

Thank you all for your Christmas cards. Hopefully mine will arrive today, and I can get them out to you soon! xoxox

1 comment:

Dorothy said...

So glad to hear you're busy and okay, I was about to contact you because you've been so quiet. I'm thrilled about the query on your picture book. Here's hoping...and prayers thrown in...that Pillow will be adopted soon.


Isabel by Donna Jones Koppelman

Isabel by Donna Jones Koppelman

Major Bear at the Grove Park Inn by Donna Jones Koppelman

Major Bear at the Grove Park Inn by Donna Jones Koppelman