Monday, January 2, 2012

Persistence is the key.

Let's start off with an introduction.

Hi. I'm Krystin.

I suppose there are a few things you need to know about me before we get started; I'm 38 years old and married to a wonderful man named Don. We have five children between us, the youngest of which are twins almost 11 years of age, who have numerous medical issues and are autistic. Our oldest children have recently entered into college but have yet to move out on their own. My husband owns a business specializing in Finish Carpentry so he works on location during the week, while I taxi my children back and forth to college, school and doctors appointments. Our family also works together on our small animal farm and vegetable gardens.  Why am I telling you all this? Simply so that you understand that I am just like many other people you come in contact with daily, extremely busy and over scheduled.

You might be reading this and thinking to yourself, "Then why did you start a blog, you idiot!" So it is that thought which points us back to the title of this entry "Persistence is the key." When I was in high school I enjoyed both research and writing, which led me to write a number of reports and essays that captured the attention of my instructors. This interest continued to thrive throughout college where I was majoring in both criminology and psychology and was coupled with a love for fantasy fiction, mythology and the obscure. 

Not long after the twins were born, I was sent a package. Who knows how the sender got my name and address but yet they had found me. The package was from The Institute of Children's Literature and contained an aptitude test. After months of looking at it laying on the office desk I finally sat down while the girls were asleep and filled out a section of the test, after a period of about a week I had it completed and sent it in. Sometime later I received the results and an invitation to attend their program. Which at the time I declined due to lack of time and a serious case of sleep deprivation, but the institute continues to send me information on current available classes.

Even then I felt that I could write, putting emotion on paper and conveying ideas was something that came easy to me however grammar and character development proved to be another matter entirely. I have a number of half written stories, detailed characters with no tale to star in, and miscellaneous ideas sprawled out on notebook paper and shoved into a portfolio for later use. However no book, even in non-published form has ever made it to fruition. 

Do I have what it takes to have a children's book published? I am not sure, but what I do know is that I know my audience. I've studied people, cultures, values, theories of child development, social problems and juvenile delinquency throughout my college career. I have children, I watch children and I am around children every day so I am fully immersed in their world. But most of all I have a passion to write and the drive to keep trying no matter what obstacles have come before me.  I feel strongly that eventually I will be successful in completing a well written book even if it never gets published and that is why I have chosen to start by saying...

Persistence Is The Key.

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