For a Warmer World (short story) by Leanne Dyck

all photos taken by Leanne Dyck on Mayne Island (unless otherwise stated)

Once upon a time, women wore gloves and below-the-knee-length skirts. Men wore fedoras and ties. We all knew what was expected of us. We knew because our mothers had bounced us on their knees to the rhythm of... 

What are little boys made of?

What are little boys made of?

Snips and snails

And puppy-dogs' tails

That's what little boys are made of

What are little girls made of?

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice

And everything nice

That's what little girls are made of

Puppy-dog tails always seemed to be a lot more fun than being nice. Especially when this nursery rhyme was used to justify why my male cousins, in their dress pants, could run around, screaming at community gatherings while me in my dress couldn't.

The world was a lot simpler back then, but it was a lot colder. People hid certain things. They had to.

I attended an author reading, not that long ago. One of the authors didn't wear a skirt or a fedora. His well-written short story was about three witches. The story revealed the author's inner strength. He was on the way to becoming herself. 

After the reading, I saw the author standing with friends, waiting for a ride. 

I'm shy, but I had no choice--I had to say, "Excuse me. I'm sorry for bothering you, but I had to tell you how much I enjoyed your story." I received a warm smile and kind words, so I continued, "The courage you showed in claiming your truth has encouraged me to try to claim my own."

Share your truth, you don't know who needs to hear it. Share your truth and the world will grow warmer. 

Next post: (May 1st--published around 5 p.m. PST) May Day! May Day! I've been learning a lot lately about writing picture books. The danger is that I won't remember this information when I need it. I solved this problem by creating a checklist. Want to see it? You will in my next post. 

Sharing my author journey...

The rejection letter read, in brief: 

 'you have an excellent way with words, we feel, with regret...'

This month, I took a break from submitting manuscripts to focus on a major rewrite of my novel. (brief update:  I'm almost done.) I took a break, but the publishing houses didn't. I walked down to the mailbox this week and walked back with a rejection letter that read like a pep talk (scroll up for a quote from that letter).