A recent Sunday morning, I sprung out of bed and knew my next book’s storyline. Rather than enjoy coffee with conversation as my husband and I usually do in the morning, I sipped on coffee as my story outline spilled across the page.
As I wrote, Dave said, “Do you write to release?”
I paused from my writer’s notebook page, took a contemplative sip of coffee sweetened with Italian sweet cream, and said, “I write to play.”
And in that ah-ha moment, I discovered it’s true. Why else would I still be committed to writing children’s literature knowing I just haven’t “yet” achieved publication in this genre? My writing commitment has lived in my heart since I won a writing contest in Mrs. Periat’s second-grade class.
I love writing contests. Writing contests have been a part of my writing journey many times over the last three and a half decades. Each one takes me to a special place within my writer’s heart. So when I discovered #50PreciousWords from Vivian Kirkland’s tweets, I couldn’t wait to participate.
During a break between #NYSCBWI conference sessions, I took a moment to check email. I misread one of my son’s Ninja Gymnastics Class emails. What a wonderful reading miscue: Ninja-jamas! Playing with that one word let me discover my story, Night Ninja, which I have posted to my next writing contest journey: #50PRECIOUSWORDS 2021 is Officially OPEN!
NIGHT NINJA
Written by Danielle L. DeFauw
Ninja-jamas
tucked in bed.
“Goodnight, Ninja,”
Mama said.
Lights turn off and
dark invades.
Drew must battle
unafraid.
Monsters’ shadows,
full assaults.
Ninja flips and
somersaults.
Secret weapons,
Drew attacks,
wipes out monsters,
whacks and smacks.
Monsters vanish,
unaware,
ninja-jamas
their nightmare.
Monsters conquered.
Sleepyhead,
Ninja tuck jumps
into bed.
I had so much fun playing with these 50 little words. Although they certainly did not spill easily across the page like my next book’s outline, they appeared as I followed this step in my personal writing journey.