Luck? (The March Theme from Jody Feldman)

The time my name was pulled from among every kid in the studio audience to be a First Mate (therefore, win a prize) on Cookie and the Captain, that was luck. The times my name was pulled to win a newspaper subscription, a photo shoot, and a voice-activated tape recorder – pretty much the only things I’ve ever won – that was luck.

This is Cookie, not me.

But this month we’re writing about luck in our writing careers.
And honestly? I’ve got nothing.

*Was it luck that the sessions I happened to choose at one SCBWI national conference made me realize I should concentrate on writing middle grade rather than YA?
*Was it luck that at that LA conference I first talked to the woman who soon became my agent?
*Was it luck said agent took me on despite the fact my first book, The Gollywhopper Games had already made the rounds of most publishers?
*Was it luck she sent my book to the right editor at the right time?
*Was it luck that I’m in a position to sit here and write this blog today?

If I thought I had that much luck, I might be basking on a beach chair, sipping umbrella drinks thanks to the multiple lotteries I’d won.

“Are you that cynical?” you ask. “Don’t you believe in luck?”

Sure I do. But more than luck, I believe in laying the groundwork to make the magic happen.