A different kind of fan letter:
“Dear Avi …
… now [I am] a freshman in college and seek wisdom. Any advice for an aspiring children’s novelist? My family had convinced me it was a bad idea to take creative writing classes. So I defaulted on my plan B: business (which is drastically more miserable than I had imagined.) Any words of any reply would be, beside miraculous, awe-inducing appreciated.”
I wrote back:
“Thanks for your letter. I am delighted you have read and enjoyed so many of my books. Pleased too, that you would like to become a children’s novelist. There is always room for more good writers.
“Whatever you choose to do, I hope you will follow your heart’s passion because the writing profession is a hard one, and requires a great deal of work. Rewards are somewhat iffy. Nevertheless, I am a writer who was not—by my family—encouraged to be a writer. It took many years of work to support my own family and myself by writing. That said there are those who have achieved high levels of success very much sooner than I did.
“To become a writer requires first that you become a voluminous reader … and stay a reader. Write every day. Write what you enjoy reading. Rewrite constantly. Be with other writers. Exchange work and ideas. Since you are in college, there may well be a writing group or society. Be part of it. Perhaps there is a literary journal. Work for it. Submit your work to it. Just know that there is a lot of criticism that comes to writers. Painful, sometimes, but try to learn from it. In addition, yes, there is a business side to writing that is good to know.
“I wish you much good and hard work—and a little good luck. Good luck never hurts.
“Your fan,
“Avi”
4 thoughts on “Student seeks advice”
A vi,
Excellent advice. I wish I’d written it. And I sincerely wish someone would have written that message to me when I was a college freshman. I avoided English classes like the plague.
I’m also a Creative Writing and Business major so I understand where this Freshman is coming from. In my business classes I like to get to know people for inspiring stories and interesting tales. English majors are great but allowing yourself to explore other avenues expands your experiences which you can draw on later. With that said, it is important to follow your passion and know other people are always on your side if you just look.
Generous advice — especially at the end when you signed the letter with “your fan.” I hope this “kid” keeps in touch with you — during the challenges and the successes. You have earned a deep and wide fan-base, Avi, and this blog entry reminds me why you’re respected, admired, and contacted for advice.
I’m a freshman in college as well. I think this is my favorite post so far.