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Me and Kate DiCamillo at Letters & Lines 2026
I attended the Letters & Lines Writing conference put on by the Rocky Mountain region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). This was their 50th Anniversary, so they had an all-star lineup of speakers and faculty including Kate DiCamillo and Grace Lin.
I first became aware of Kate DiCamillo back when I was an elementary school teacher. I stumbled across her book The Tale of Despereaux in the bookstore, was smitten by the cover, and snagged it to read to my fourth grade students. They loved it; I LOVED it, and since then, Kate—yes, we’re on a first name basis now—has been one of my all-time favorite children’s book authors.
When I saw that she was speaking at an event near me, I had to register. Those two days of the conference were filled with writing intensives and workshops, panel discussions, and keynote speeches. I took copious notes and came away from the weekend feeling informed and inspired.
Kate is a humorous and humble person with a lot of life and writing wisdom under her belt. She’s won two Newbery medals, and her first book Because of Winn Dixie has sold over 14 million copies.
I want to share a bit of her wisdom with you in the hope that it will motivate you to keep going on your writing journey, no matter what season you’re in.
Time is short. Best get to it.
Get Started
Kate says when she was first starting on her path to becoming a published author, she spent over a decade wanting to write, but not doing it. She was terrified of starting. To those of you who can relate she says,
“Stop wanting to write and start writing. No one else is going to make it happen.”
Keep Going
Kate encourages us to write on a consistent basis. What works for her is writing two pages every day before she looks at email or social media.
“Just do a little bit each day.”
Revise Later
“You can’t aim for perfection on the page in the first draft.”
For Kate, retyping draft after draft and reading the manuscript aloud is how she gets the prose to where it needs to be.
Share your Work
“It’s crucial to find people you can trust to share your work with.
Kate enjoys bouncing ideas off writer friends to help her have clarity on the story. She suggests you join writing groups and make friends with other people who are writers. And when you share your work with them, tell them what it is you need from them.
Be Open to Criticism
It’s fantastic to have people who believe in you, but it’s valuable to have people who are mocking you.’
It’s hard to believe, but Kate says she’s terrified everytime she sits down to write, but she reminds us that while it’s helpful to hear other perspectives, we can’t control how others perceive our work.
“Control what you can control. Create work that matters. Open your heart. Connect to your readers.”
If the Story isn’t Working
When Kate is contemplating giving up on a story, she sets it aside for a time. Then she digs deep and asks herself some questions.
“Is it compelling to me? Do I want to go on with it? Do I not want to go on because I’m lazy or because I’m afraid?”
Remember This
If you are feeling discouraged right now. Don’t stop writing. Kate reminds us:
“Kids books change—and even save—lives. They help kids feel seen and less alone.”
So as Kate likes to say,
“Time is short. Best get to it.”
