On Saturday evening I attended a presentation by Shannon Hale, the author of the Newbery award winning book The Princess Academy. Her experience as a writer has some invaluable lessons.
She shared that when she was in graduate school everyone in her cohort received assistantships except for her. She was told by one of her professors that only the best writers were given assistantships which meant that she must be regarded as the worst writer in the cohort. Yet, she continued to write.
Shannon had also received her share of rejection letters which she had laminated altogether. She unrolled the list which covered a considerable area. She said that in spite of the hurt caused by each rejection she continued to write emphasizing that each rejection nudged her closer to her unique niche.
These lessons from Shannon's life are important for all of us who will be part of Esperanza Elementary.
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