A Milestones Met Interview
Please share your exciting news (agent signing, book sale, etc.)!
I recently signed with an agent!
How long have you been writing/pursuing an agent/publishing deal and how has the Courage to Create program/tools served you in reaching this milestone?
I’ve been writing seriously since early 2016 and submitting to agents almost as long. Courage to Create has been the most fantastic support system at a point when I was losing faith in myself and my creative abilities. It taught me to stay the course, to find joy in the journey, and to share my successes and setbacks with this incredibly supportive community. The behind-the-scenes webinars with editors and agents increased my industry knowledge and allowed me to form opinions about where (and with whom) my work might be a good fit. CTC kept me sane and motivated and helped put everything in perspective. It’s been powerful to learn that much of what we creators experience is universal. We are not alone. Thank you, CTC!
When we reach a milestone, it means we may encounter new fears and challenges, as well as joys along the journey. How has being a part of the CTC community prepared you for both enjoying the celebration of a milestone reached and the work that is next to come?
CTC has helped prepare me for the reality that celebrating a milestone will most certainly bring new challenges, new concerns, and lots more work! The rejections will keep coming. The ups and downs will continue. But now I know that’s the norm and I won’t be taken by surprise. With continued support from the CTC community, I will be able to face these new situations with grace and determination.
In the Courage to Create, we call on our Big Why as we engage in the ups and downs of the literary life? What’s your BIG WHY and how does it keep you motivated to keep working towards new milestones?
For a long time my BIG WHY has been: “I want to make a kid laugh.” That has expanded over the last few years to include: “I’d like to make a kid feel delight, amazement, wonder.” But perhaps the person whose BIG WHY I aspire to most is that of author Alastair Heim, who said: “I don’t want to win a Newbery or a Caldecott. I just want to win bedtime.” The idea that a kid might request a book I wrote at bedtime is enough to keep me motivated for a lifetime!
It’s not easy to keep creating courage when it comes to our literary lives. Did you ever encounter a low point or period and did you lean on any of the CTC tools or practices? What did the no/not yets, or near misses/champagne rejections teach you in hindsight not that your YES is here?
I hit so many low points on my journey I thought I’d end up at the Earth’s core. At every CTC webinar or gathering I would re-read the Beliefs and cling to each and every one of them like a lifeline. At various times, “Creativity is not a competition” and “Compare/Despair is a sign we care” were my life rafts; at others “It takes the time it takes” and “We believe our books into being.” But with the benefit of hindsight, I think the most important practice I learned from CTC is to focus on the goals — my own goals, my own craft — and to let them take me where they would. And like so often in life, once I focused on internal goals (becoming a better writer) and let go of external ones that were mostly out of my control (finding an industry partner), something finally happened.
As we celebrate your milestone reached, what thoughts can you share with other writers who may doubt they will reach their first or next milestone?
Stay the course. Focus on goals you can control, like improving craft. Seek out compatible critique partners (I found great ones in classes where we shared and critiqued each other’s work) and really listen to their feedback. Take every opportunity to share your work. And even though it may feel like an eternity, there is someone out there who will truly believe in your stories — written, visual, or both. Wait for that person. You deserve a champion.
What is your favorite Courage to Create Belief?
Focus on the GOALS. Milestones happen on their own.
A former landscape architect, Claire Bobrow lives in San Francisco, CA, where she works part time at a local independent bookstore and volunteers with several organizations, including 826 Valencia, helping kids with creative writing projects. Claire started her own creative writing journey in 2016 and, to her surprise and delight, won the SCBWI Work-In-Progress award for picture books in 2020. When not word-wrangling, working, or volunteering, Claire loves to garden, hang out in bookstores and museums, listen to opera, and spend time with friends, family, and her adorable senior dog, Zuzu.
Recent Comments