During school visits, students often
ask me how many books I’ve written. Before answering, I ask for clarification.
Do they want to know how many books I’ve published or how many books I’ve written? 

That’s right. The two questions have
different answers. 

So far, I’ve published 194 books, but I’ve written about 30
more that are still sitting in the middle drawer of the file cabinet in my
office. During virtual visits, I call it the “manuscript graveyard.”

Why haven’t those manuscripts made
it into print? There are a variety of reasons.

—I abandoned them because I couldn’t
find the information I needed.

—Despite my best efforts, the ideas
just didn’t gel.

—Someone else published a book that’s
too similar.

—Editors just weren’t interested.

Will I ever publish any of those
manuscripts? Maybe. Maybe not. But even if I don’t, working on them wasn’t a
waste of time. Each and every one taught me something that made me a better
writer. And that’s what the writing process is all about.

I once heard award-winning author
Ruta Sepetys say, “Your best work is ahead of you.” It’s true for young writers
and for professional writers too.

Have a great summer,
Everyone. I’ll be back with more posts next fall.