Jodi Picoult Signing

So my sister, her friend, my mom and I went to see the author Jodi Picoult. She wrote the book that became the movie My Sister’sKeeper. The ending of her Book vs. The movie was epic, by the way. 

The night  was awesome. She spoke a bit about her new book, Lone Wolf and had some audience volunteers practice howling with her on stage. Her confidence was captivating; I didn’t miss a minute of it.

At the end, we were allowed to ask question.

People asked the usual questions, how do you get your inspiration, what did you think of the ending to My Sister’s Keeper, how was it to work with your daughter on a book?

I got the last question: If you dream of becoming a published author, what do you do?

Jodi Picoult’s reply went along these lines: Polish your craft. Take up writing classes, as many and as often as you can. Read. A lot. Learn from others. Write all the time.

Her advice, while completely sensible, was all something I’d

 heard before and am actively doing. What’s the next step though? I realised I’d missed my chance. I got to ask Jodi Picoult a very important question and I phrased it wrong?! Typical.

Afterwards she signed books. Since I don’t have any of my own Jodi Picoult books (or many books at all for that matter, most books I read are lent to me) my sister let me get one of her books she took along signed. So we went, my sister, her friend and myself armed with books. We were right at the back of the queue and I had a very, very long time to practise the phrasing of my question over and over again.

The more I said it in my head, the more nervous I became. This wasn’t because I was about to speak to an Internal Bestseller, no, this was simply because people in general make me a little nervous. I’m just shy. I had nothing to worry about because she was lovely and kind and help.

Michelle (sister’s friend) had her book and photo’s signed first. Then I went. As she signed I explained that I had already done everything she suggested and is there anything more I could do?

She said this: Write your story, edit it as best as can be done, then find an agent. (At least she said in America it’s very hard to submit to a publishing house without an agent, we don’t have that here, we just have the “very hard to get in and no easier way in” system in my country) She told me she had over a 100 rejections before her first novel was accepted. She said if you have the heart for it, you will make it work.

Basically, don’t give up, even in the face of rejection.

I thanked her, took my sister’s book with Picoult’s signature in it, and stepped back to wait.

Lil then stepped up to the table and said “Please make this to Kelan and tell her to never give up”

My eyes popped. My sister just got a personal message made out just for me and then she gave me the book (I now own my very own Jodi Picoult book).

Then my sister surprised me again, she turned to Picoult and said “My sister is going to make it big.”

I blushed. Picoult laughed and said “Good!”

Picoult then turned to me and said this: Writing is a weeding game. It will thin the herd each time. If you are the only person standing at the end of it, they will want to know what makes this girl think she has something special?

And that I will never forget.