Gold Stars
by Karen
O’Connor
“I
sold it! I sold my article for kids,” I
called into the bright morning sky from the balcony overlooking our backyard.
“I am now a professional writer! And I
can prove it,” I added waving the publisher’s check with giddy abandon.
Three
birds perched on the telephone line overhead flapped their wings in a sudden
flurry. “Thank you. Thank you,” I joked
and bowed from the waist. The ‘applause’
died down and my feathered friends rested at attention. “It’s all up from here,” I shouted, and off
they flew, self-appointed messengers of my glad tidings.
I
leaned against the railing and breathed in the scent of Spring. It was a solemn moment--and a grateful one.
This was the ‘gold star’ I had reached for, ever since I left the tender care
of Sister Mary Pius, fourth grade teacher at Our Lady of Charity Elementary
School. I could still picture that sweet
old nun--not much taller than the boys and girls in front of her--pinning my
prize-winning story to the bulletin board in the back of the room one sunny
April day. “This is a gold-star story,”
she said aloud, as she licked the small glittery sticker and placed it above
the title line for all to see.
After
school that day she called me to her desk, and in a tone that sounded serious
to my little-girl ears, she said, “Karen, you’re going to be a professional
writer someday.” Then her eyes sparkled
like the star on my story. She leaned forward and a soft smile broke across her
wrinkled face. “That star,” she said, pointing in the direction of the bulletin
board, “is just the first of many gold stars to come. Reach for those stars. Write the words God gives you.”
The
whistle of the tea kettle brought me out of my reverie and I stepped back
inside my house. I sat down with a cup of Mint Medley, my thoughts and
memories, the letter of acceptance from the editor of Crusader Magazine, a copy of my ‘sold’ manuscript, “A Trail of Tips for First-Time Campers,” and
the check--for twelve dollars and fifty cents! I didn’t know what was ahead but I couldn’t
imagine anything topping the wonder I felt in that moment. “It’s all up from here,” I reminded myself.
What
I didn’t know at the time, however, was that to go up requires a lot more than
simply hitching your dream to a shooting star.
Though it felt good to have my head in the clouds for a moment or two of
celebration, I would soon discover that to earn the next gold star I had to
plant my feet firmly on the ground. Even
to go underground for a time--to learn my craft, to unearth the thoughts and
ideas that are worth writing about, to mine my soul for the words God has for
me. Gold stars do not come easily.
That’s why they’re special.
I
sold twelve articles that first year. I
also received enough rejection slips to wallpaper my old fourth grade
classroom! It seemed to be a test of my
resolve--and an opportunity to dig a little deeper. Would I give up or would I remain committed? Whenever the question arose in my mind I
thought about Sister Mary Pius and my gold-star story.
I
kept on writing, and the more I wrote the easier the words came and the more I
had to say that was worthwhile. Sales to
magazines led to children’s books and curriculum guides and scripts for
educational films. One film even won a
Certificate of Screening at the Chicago International Film Festival. I tried it all--public relations and
advertising copy, poetry, and fiction.
And
then came the day when I sold an article to Reader’s
Digest for the princely sum of $3,000!
A big jump from the $12.50 that had thrust me into the family of
professional writers. Next, an award-winning book, Sally Ride and the New Astronauts--a best-seller at the time for
publisher Franklin Watts. Later, my book
When Spending Takes the Place of Feeling,
was nominated for the Gold Medallion Award, and later still I received the
distinguished Writer of the Year Award from the San Diego Christian Writers
Guild and the 2002 Mount Hermon Special Recognition Award for 25 years of
writing and teaching.
Day
after day, year after year, I wrote and read, and wrote and prayed, and read
and wrote and prayed some more. And
sometimes I cried! Or threw a book
against the wall or slumped to the floor in frustration. A finished book ready for the printer was
pulled from the publisher’s catalogue at the last moment. CANCELLED!
A series of early readers for
children cut short of the four volumes planned.
An information book for teens dropped because the editor left the
company and her replacement had a different vision. Articles returned after so many months I had
forgotten I’d submitted them!
Today,
however, twenty-five years after my first sale and fifty years since I sat in
Sister Mary Pius’ classroom, I continue to write--despite the rejections and
the revisions--even despite the awards and the acclaim. For I have learned something important in all
of this. I am a writer. Sister Mary Pius said I would be. I believed her. I still do.
When I feel scared or shaken, uncertain or unworthy, I sense her
presence and hear her encouraging words dance across the cold dark night. “Reach for those stars. Write the words God gives you.”
Copyright
2002 Karen O'Connor
Karen
O'Connor is an award-winning author and retreat speaker from
Visit
Karen on the web at http://www.karenoconnor.com