Cuteness

A few weeks ago, I gave a reading at Cook Memorial Library in Libertyville, IL.  The reading was well attended and during the Q&A, a woman asked if I had any advice for young wanna-be writers.  Well, naturally, I waxed effusively about the joys and wonders of the writing life and encouraged any as-yet-unpublished scribblers to write away, keep the faith, never give up, etc.

After the reading, a ten-year-old girl came up to me and confessed that it was her mother who had asked the question about writers for her.  We chatted for a little while and the little girl told me that she was already “writing a lot” – in her diary and in emails.  Recently, she had also started a blog and had a right smart number of followers.  I told her that she had a great start as a writer since she was already doing exactly what she needed to do – practice.  I told her to keep writing and she would have a book herself someday.

She thanked me, grinned sweetly, then presented me with this little bit of origami.  “It’s a bunny,” she said.  “I made it for you.” 

How adorable is that?  She absolutely made my day. 

Of course, I gladly accepted the bunny, and still have it sitting on my desk.  Whenever I see it, I smile, thinking of the little girl who made it and her wishes and dreams.  I can only hope the advice I gave her had half as much impact on her as her impromptu gift had on me.

Here’s a toast to up-and-coming little writers everywhere – may your pencils be sharp and your imaginations unfettered!