When Shawn told me that Sarah Dessen was scheduled for an author visit--I was just as excited as the students! I am a total Sarah Dessen fan! And I could not wait to meet her and listen to her speak about her writing process. Shawn knew this was a huge coup for her students and as she went around letting her readers know that there was a special surprise in store for them, she got a wonderful array of over the top reactions! Some students even cried they were so happy! Overjoyed! It was such fun to let them in on the secret! Shawn was smart to have her iPhone rolling to capture the excitement. It made for great social media!! Students were not only thrilled to attend the speaking event, they were responding to Shawn's Twitter challenge to send her the reasons why they should be invited to the special select group meeting with Ms. Dessen. One of the best responses Shawn got on Twitter was from a student who wrote, "Seeing Sarah Dessen would be so amazing...just like seeing a real live Unicorn!"
So, not only did Sarah Dessen agree to speak to the students at large (in the cafeteria--the only space big enough to hold them!) but she also came early to speak to a smaller group of young women who were the most devoted fans. I was lucky enough to be included in the first group and I had the great good fortune to listen as Ms. Dessen spoke about her writing life. She let us in on her process for formulating characters, book ideas, good plot lines and the rest. She was very candid not only about her great successes, but she also addressed her failures. She said that sometimes things get in the way. One time it was her own gut instinct that prevented her from publishing a completed manuscript. She said, "It just didn't feel right." I so appreciated that she had that message for the young women--that we have to follow our own best instincts. It wasn't right--so I didn't. I hope that message sunk in for them, as it did for me. We were in awe of her complete casual-ness. Her complete normal woman-ness. She could have been a friend, or a mom from my daughter's school. And yet, lurking beneath that regular gal facade, was the mind of a romantic writing genius!
It was one of the best author visits I've ever attended. And again, the Ann Richards young women did not disappoint. They were all engaged; asked great questions; and responded with good humor and good cheer to every part.
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