I have been a writer all my life. I wrote my first screenplay in fourth grade, The Swiss Family Jones. My parents recorded it on a Kodak Super 8 movie camera, then recorded the voices separately. It was 1969, and I remember thinking I was becoming a famous writer, and my fans would look back on my work and be amazed at my brilliant creativity at age nine.

In middle school, I moved to handwriting a novel about horses in a steno pad while sitting in my favorite tree listening to my AM radio. I started drawing, too, and kept a journal of my work—much of it copying Sandra Boynton’s characters. I was going to be a writer or an artist.

My freshman year of college I was required to take a basic writing class because I scored so poorly on my SAT. I was insulted because I knew how to write. Even though I argued with every piece of feedback my instructor gave me, I learned to use a thesaurus and my writing improved.

Throughout my college career I worked for the Ball State University literary magazine and daily newspaper, and I became the first women’s co-sports editor of the Daily News. I learned the importance of editing.

I was a struggling reader in school and didn’t learn to love reading until I took a children’s literature course in college. For extra credit, I wrote and illustrated my first picture book. I sent it to a publishing company and promptly received my first rejection letter, which I still have. I planned to continue pursuing my love of writing by working for a children’s magazine when I graduated. I worked for Ranger Rick’s Nature Magazine as an intern and thought it was my destiny.

Instead, after graduation, I worked for nonprofit organizations in membership and marketing, and my style and priorities changed. In the 1980s, I got married and had my first daughter. In the early 1990s I became a full-time working mom of two.

As the girls grew, I started writing children’s stories for them. I took a children’s writing class where I learned about receiving feedback on my work, and I started using a computer. But as my children’s lives became busier, my writing took a back seat to life. I went back to school to get a masters in Elementary Education and became an English teacher.

Fast forward to 2013. I became Grandma Julie at the birth of my stepdaughter’s son. When his brother was born four years later, I started writing and illustrating picture books for them. At the beginning of the pandemic my oldest daughter had twins—a boy and a girl. I became Gigi and started creating board books. My audience for each book was only one, but each grandchild was my biggest fan.

I thought my stories would become best-sellers. Then I had someone outside of my family read them. I learned I had a lot to learn about writing children’s books. Deterred because of time constraints, the writing dream was put on hold again.

On October 10, 2021, the worst happened. My husband died unexpectedly in our home. My identity and soul were crushed. He was my best friend and cheerleader, and he was often a collaborator or character in my books. We were Grandpa Phil and Grandma Julie, and I didn’t know how I would live without him.

Writing became my way to process his death and to develop a new identity. I joined the Frederick Writing Salon in Frederick, Maryland to find comfort and extend my social life. That led to taking a short story and flash fiction course. I started honing my craft by incorporating feedback and developing thick skin. My writing started to mature and improve.

Next, I hired published illustrator and author Olga Herrera as a children’s story mentor. She made me rethink and rewrite my stories and encouraged me to join the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and enroll in a picture book writing and editing cohort to provide critiques and support. Published children’s author Joe McGee and the members of my cohort gave feedback, and they helped me polish my stories. Now I can start thinking about submitting them to potential literary agents.

Finally at age 62, I am working toward becoming a professional writer. Every week I write or revise stories, and I create the monthly blog, My Audience of One. In January I will start reaching out to literary agents to represent my picture books. In short, I am working to make my fourth-grade self’s writing dream come true.

 Thank you for expanding My Audience of One.