Monday, May 12, 2008

Like Dr. Seuss

Over the weekend I happened to read a funny tidbit about Ted Geisel (otherwise known as Dr. Seuss). It seems Mr. Geisel was dining in a restaurant one evening when a woman realized that she was sitting next to a famous children's author. She told him that she had raised her children on many of his books like Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat. Then she said something that Mr. Geisel found very amusing.

"I've always wanted to write a children's book," she said. "And I have a great idea for one. The next time I get a free weekend without distractions, I'm going to sit down and write the book and send it to your publisher."

Wow, Geisel thought. If only I'd known it was that easy to write and publish a book! He'd been slaving over each of his books for months, sometimes years at a time, perfecting the drawings, rewriting the structure of the book, making sure that every word and sentence was pristine.

And to think . . . all he needed for success was one weekend free of distractions.

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