I have always specialized in coming up with stories for

I have always specialized in coming up with stories for kids. After all, I have had to raise not just my own, but those of my sisters well. She had children young, and we sort of divided up the task of taking care of them. I would have to come up with a children story almost every night. After all, it was my responsibility to put them to bed.

I loved telling those children stories. Sometimes, I would read to them from their favorite books. They all had several books that they loved very much, books that my sister had received from some nonprofit group meant to help out needy children. My favorite thing, however, was to tell them a children story that I had made up by myself.

Every children's story that I told made my love of language grow further. Telling children's stories, I was able to understand the deep well of myth within myself. There's an almost unlimited spring of imagination within all of us, just waiting to get out. It is easy to miss when you are an adult, but it is there In your dreams and fantasies. The trick is to get it out there.

Once I realized that I had a knack for the children story, I decided to write some of my own professionally. It took me a while to realize that not everyone could make up children's stories on the spot. I had a special gift, and I was determined to put it into practice. Nonetheless, it was a tougher field than I gad imagined. Publishing a book is always hard, but it is particularly hard with a children story. After all, most people assume that kids books are easy to write.

What people do not realize is that writing a good children's story is every bit as hard as writing a good novel for adults. There is a lot of competition In the field, but there are actually very few good stories for children. The real problem is that it is hard to get off the slush pile. Getting discovered by an editor is really the most difficult part of the entire process. Actually writing the children's book is comparatively easy if you know how to tell a story. Don't give up. If you love the children story, you need to keep with it. After all, the right story can make a big difference in the life of a young child.