I’ve been thinking…

…about golf, particularly since one of the young grands asked me, “Noanie, why do you like to golf so much?”

Actually, I LOVE to golf. But it is such a frustrating game. “Golf” and “putt” are four-letter words!

I am just an average golfer. Like IQ scores, 100 is a median mark. With each round, my goal is to “break 100.” Nothing stellar about that. Yet I love the game. I love courses that are away from the world — all open land and big skies. Like Arnold Palmer’s beautiful course that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean in County Kerry, Ireland…

I’ve been thinking…

…about a special little film called Le Ballon Rouge — The Red Balloon. It premiered in 1956 and is still the only short film to win an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

I loved that film. I first watched it with my class of high school seniors at St. Anthony High School. Specifics are fuzzy – this was, after all, almost a half-century ago! My students were in the vocational program. They took the required English, History, Physical Ed, and Religion classes in the morning and then went to the local vo-tech school in the afternoon for training in careers that keep our world going – heating and air conditioning, car repair, cosmetology, etc.

I’ve been thinking…

…. A LOT about what I have learned about writing books.

The word that captures this experience is “PROCESS!” Writing a book is only the first step in a very long process towards seeing that book in print.

The other big realization is that every step of that process involves a person with a unique talent that brings the process to fruition.

I had no thought - ever – that I would write children’s books. But age and grandparenting certainly change perspectives. What a surprise to have ideas emerge and then demand attention. I complied, and “books” were written and saved in computer files.

But now what? I knew I needed an illustrator – that is certainly not my bailiwick. And how to find a publisher? Do I need an agent?

… how grateful I am to have this opportunity to share ideas with old and new friends. And I am rather amazed that I have a blog!