When is a book born?
My 1st grade daughter got a school writing assignment this week. She had to write a book "about your religious traditions." The assignment included text and illustrations. Parents were warned not to draw or write or basically influence our kids in any ways. Our only contribution could be to help with spelling. She was quite excited as we talked about it going home. As we walked home she had decided on her title and layout. When we got home she began writing. The first part was about Hannukah because that was the first holiday coming up. The second part about Christmas. We celebrate both since my husband's family celebrates Christmas and I am Jewish. What intrigued me was watching her writing process, her thinking, and how she layed out the book. She wanted to think about it a couple of days before she continued. She had specific ideas about where to put the text, what to write, how to illustrate, and where the page numbers would go. Of course her cover page needed to include a special reference to the author. I watched her carefully craft her book. I silently wondered what the source/inspiration for her ideas was. All the budding authors in her class will be reading and displaying their books to parents and students this week. She was very mindful of this as she wrote. She wanted to feel comfortable with the material she wrote and her ability to read it and answer questions about it. It got me wondering about how early we begin to develop our personal concepts about writing and books? How are these ideas shaped, changed and influenced as we become adults? What impact do these early seeds planted by our teachers have on our thinking and writing? Mix this with later contacts with family/friends/mentors, more education, our reading habits. Blend it all with our life experiences. The end result will be unique for each and every one of us. The possibilities exciting and endless. Good luck with your writing. Anything is possible!
I am Iris Waichler, MSW,LCSW, author of Riding the Infertility Roller Coaster: A Guide to Educate and Inspire.
