Writing Right with Dmitri: Try
Created | Updated Apr 28, 2019
Writing Right with Dmitri: Try
'Try,' Mother often said.
And try I did. When Abendroth's store across from Fernwood announced a contest sponsored by Ked shoes for the best essay about an animal, many of my [fourth-grade] class planned to enter. I chose the beaver, because Oregon was known as the Beaver State....I wrote my essay and took it to Mr Abendroth. On the final day of the contest, I ran to the store to learn the results. I had won! Mr Abendroth handed me two dollars. Then he told me no one else and entered the contest.
This incident was one of the most valuable lessons in writing I ever learned. Try! Others will talk about writing but may never get around to trying.
This gem is from Beverly Cleary's wonderful memoir, The Girl from Yamhill. Beverly Cleary celebrated her 103rd birthday this month. She's sold over 90 million copies of her children's books and influence generations of children.
I remember the first time I read anything by Beverly Cleary. I was about 10 or 11. I didn't read children's books. In fact, I avoided them like the plague. I had children's book PTSD due to an unfortunate encounter with the oeuvre of AA Milne in the school library at the age of 7. But my sister, who later became Mrs Hoggett, sometimes brought home interesting books and shared their contents. So we ended up laughing in the kitchen as I read aloud about Henry Huggins.
Beverly Cleary's books are so insightful and funny that they will make adults laugh out loud. Henry Huggins, his dog Ribsy, his best friend Beatrice (Beezus) and her pesky little sister Ramona are the stuff of legends. The other day on Twitter, people by their hundreds left greetings and comments like, 'Ramona Quimby helped me survive childhood.' Cleary's a genius: if her books had been written for adults and not children, we'd consider her a world-class literary figure.
Ribsy broke loose and ran under the flag. He put his paws in the chalk tray and made as much noise as he could. He would show that squirrel who belonged in this room. Frisky ran lightly up to the end of the staff that held the flag and scolded Ribsy. This infuriated Ribsy and delighted the class. If this kept up, there would be no time at all for arithmetic.
Beverly Cleary, Ribsy, p 104.
That's Hemingway for kids.
I recommend Ms Cleary's memoir. It's a trip through time with a guide who has a very clear memory, a lot of goodwill, and no sentimentality at all. The book starts when the church bells ring the end of the First World War. You'll find out things about the Twenties you never knew.
And you might pick up a writing tip or two while you're at it. She's right, you know: try.
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