Top Five Things That Make an Author Smile

 

Top Five Things That Make an Author Smile

 

I had never heard of World Smile Day until recently, but now I know that it takes place on October 1, and since it’s now October 2, I thought I’d list my top five things that make the author/writer in me smile.

 

5. That moment when my characters do something I hadn’t expected. My fingers are moving across the keyboard, but I’m not in control of what I’m typing. The characters are, because clearly they want a particular thing to happen. So I let them do what they want. Like when the kid who’s more likely to mock the chess club than join it shows up…at the chess club meeting. And he wants to learn to play. All of a sudden, I had a much better idea of what really was going on in his life.

 

4. Spotting one of my creations “in the wild.” For many years, one of my books, George Washington and the Magic Hat, could be found in the Washington Nationals team store, of all unlikely places. I did a book signing there years ago, because George the Racing President (a Nats mascot) is a minor character in the book, and whenever I’d go back, they’d have copies of it on a rack along with various baseball-related books. Alas, on my most recent visit to Nats Park, there were no books in the store, mine or anyone else’s!

 

3. Starting a new project. A lot of times, I have a hard time getting started. I procrastinate for weeks, or months. And when I actually sit down at the computer and start writing—even if it’s only a few paragraphs—I feel a huge sense of relief. Finishing a project feels good, too, of course!

 

2. Meeting kids on Zoom and talking with them about my books. Their questions are always thought-provoking and make me think about my characters, or about writing, or about time travel, in a whole new way. One of my favorite questions was about how I, as a middle-aged person, could write from the perspective of a kid. It really made me think!

 

1. Of course, the most important and worthwhile thing is meeting with kids (and other readers—teachers, librarians, parents, and more) in person. A whole roomful of people. I have an immunocompromised family member, so am being incredibly careful in these perilous Covid times, but I do hope one day to be able to experience in-person book events again!

 

--Deborah Kalb