In the “Write a Novel in a Month” class that I’m taking at the Loft, Abby Cooper spoke about writers riding the horse of self-doubt. And even though I’ve had two middle grade novels published, I finally realized that I’ve been ruled by self-doubt ever since December, 2016, when my agent turned down a major revision of my first, unpublished novel because she didn’t believe she could sell the manuscript in “today’s market.” This morning, at 6:20 am on Day #2 of National Novel Writing Month, I reflected upon my young granddaughter’s self-initiated request to take a horseback riding lesson as a present for her 3rd birthday. Where does such fearlessness come from, I wondered. How is it developed? How is it best nurtured? And then, riding on the back of that little girl’s courage, as depicted in this black and white photo of her during her first lesson, I sat down with a pen and ten blank pieces of paper. By 9:20 am, I had written 1644 words!
#NaNoWriMo