Wendie Old
by vonnie winslow crist
Harford County
Librarian, Wendie Old,
does more than read
children's books and
locate them for the library's
youngest patrons she writes
them! Wendie, who has been a
librarian for almost 40 years,
began jotting down poems and stories
when she was a teenager. She wrote
newspaper and magazine articles and lots
of unpublished picture books over the
years, but her dream of becoming a
published children's book author eluded her.
So what changed? As Wendie tells it:
"Then, in the early 90s, the other
children's librarians encouraged me to
start writing again. So I wrote new
things and sent out some of the older
manuscripts. Suddenly, I had 2 contracts!"
To date, Wendie has published a picture
book: Stacy Had a Little Sister; a picture
book biography: To Fly The Story of
the Wright Brothers; 2 collaborative
picture books under the pen name, C.W.
Bowie: Busy Fingers and Busy Toes;
7 biographies (Marion Wright Edelman,
Duke Ellington, George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, Louis Armstrong, James
Monroe and The Wright Brothers);
and 2 children's nonfiction books: The
Halloween Book of Facts & Fun and
The Groundhog Day Book of Facts & Fun.
(Did you know that the critter nibbling
your garden plants is called a groundhog,
woodchuck, whistle pig or marmot?).
When asked if writing picture books is
different from writing nonfiction, Wendie
answered: "Picture books focus on one
idea something familiar to children,
like fingers and toes. You still have to do
research, just not as involved as for
nonfiction and it's a different kind of
research. You can't read and use what
others have done. The picture book
concept must be your
own creation, even
though you're using
familiar things in a
child's life."
What does Wendie
find is the hardest
part of writing?
"Sitting down and
doing it. Getting
started with the actual writing. I'd rather
be out on location doing research or reading
or taking notes. But once I've committed
myself to writing, I don't want to stop. I
have to force myself to take breaks by putting
my water some distance away from the
computer so I have to get up to get a drink."
Besides research and writing, Wendie's
favorite things about being a writer are:
"I love the smell of new books. I enjoy
talking to people about writing and about
my books' subjects."
So, what is her advice to people trying to
become published authors? "Read books
about writing. Expect and plan for rejection.
Remember, the editor isn't rejecting you.
They're not saying you can't write. Editors
really mean it when they say your book
doesn't suit their needs. Learn patience.
Publishers say they reply in 3 months, but
that never happens. You have to learn to
send a manuscript out and forget about it.
Then, begin work on something else. Keep
writing. Eventually, something will sell."
To learn more, visit:
www.wendieold.blogspot.com or
www.wendieold.com
The Writers Block is written by Vonnie
Winslow Crist, Editor of The Powder Keg,
newsletter of the Gunpowder Branch,
National League of American Pen Women.
The Branch is inviting submissions to their
literary magazine "The Gunpowder Review"
for publication this Fall. Contact her at
wincrist@yahoo.com
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harford's heart
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