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An Open Letter to Marguerite Henry

6/2/2015

3 Comments

 
Marguerite Henry (April 13, 1902 – November 26, 1997) was an American writer of children's books. Her fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals captivated entire generations. She won the annual Newbery Medal for one of her books about horses and she was a runner-up for two others.

When I was in the fourth grade, I wrote to tell her about my story and she wrote back.  

Dear Marguerite Henry,

I am writing to you for a second time to let you know that I have finally done what I promised in my first letter. I stuck to it and I am now a published writer.

I'm sure you have forgotten. You must get hundreds of letters from budding young writers, enclosing their stories.

"A Star For Roseann" is long gone. The plot was a bit on the thin side, but I still remember it.  I never stopped writing. I have dabbled in most genre. I had a weekly newsletter column for years and years. I wrote short stories for my daughter who is now an adult and an author as well.  She no longer needs hand illustrated works on what happens when Mommy goes away. I dabbled in fantasy, tried science fiction, and westerns. I even wrote a bit of liturgy. I was in my 50s when I settled on mystery and wrote my first novel.

I realized something else that you taught me. Historicals can be fun and engaging. I found this out when I read Born to Trot. My father told me the book was about real horses and real people and was set in the recent past. Well, recent back then. I looked it up and sure enough there were photographs of the horses and the people. I have loved research ever since.

Somehow I figured out that short stories were for me, and I have written almost one hundred, and have had a dozen or so in anthologies.

Would I still be writing if it had not been for your kindness in answering my letter? Most likely. Even at the time, I knew it could not have been the quality of my writing the made you urge me to keep it up, but the fact that I had finished a story, no matter how poorly done. I was, after all in the fourth grade at the time, and I was new to writing. I didn't know how hard it really was, or how much time it took. At the time I believed a writer sat down and wrote, and then it was a book.

When I discovered how difficult it was, and how much persistence it took, the memory of you letter kept me at it.

I hope in my turn I have been helpful to new writers, and someone will remember me kindly for the support I have given.

 

Sincerely,

KB Inglee nee Whitney

3 Comments
Kaye George link
6/2/2015 03:32:11 am

I devoured her books from the library! Great post, great books for young girls.

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KB Iglee link
6/2/2015 06:41:46 am

My grandmother gave me one of her books each Christmas and birthday. Made the books doubly dear.

Reply
Kaye George link
6/2/2015 07:54:47 am

I wish I had owned them, but I never did own many books as a child. I'm making up for that now.

Reply



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    The best advice anyone gave me about writing historicals was that you need to experience what you are writing about. The result has been not only more believable settings but a wonderful job teaching history to kids at living history museums.

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