Because of Mentorship Moments By Danielle DeFauw

Editor's Note: Danielle DeFauw won the SCBWI-MI Mentorship in 2018-2019 for her book Victory Stumbles (Non-PAL novel category).

There are moments we hold onto as writers, moments we know we are meant to share our stories, moments we know that no matter how many “no’s” we receive, we will always say yes to our characters and their experiences to impact our readers. A moment that centers my writer’s heart is the day I received a very special phone call from Ann Finkelstein, former SCBWI-MI Mentorship Coordinator, who shared with me that I won the 2019 SCBWI-MI Chapter’s Non-PAL mentorship writing contest with novelist Kelly Barson. As my heart quickened, my mind remembered how I had applied to the mentorship at a very low point in my writing journey, thoroughly believing I did not have a chance.

I took the chance anyway because of a moment of encouragement.

Feeling very defeated after a sleuth of rejections, I thought I might give up on my dream of becoming a published children’s book author. Then, I met a student who changed my life. As a professor of reading and language arts at the University of Michigan – Dearborn, Robin Wilson was in my elementary writing methods course during Fall 2016. I still have the email she sent me on January 20, 2017, letting me know she thought I should submit my writing. I submitted by the March 2017 deadline and, over a year later, on August 31, 2018, I emailed Robin to thank her for her encouragement and suggestion that I apply.

It was such a proud moment to learn I had won the mentorship!

The amount of growth I experienced in 2019 with Kelly Barson as my mentor still astounds me. For our first and only in-person meeting, she and I met at the Westgate Branch of the Ann Arbor District Library, and she told me we should divide the year in half to go through my completed work in progress twice. My June 30th birthday wish came true as I finished my first full pass through the manuscript with Kelly. I continued to revise and resubmit throughout the second half of 2019 and made Victory Stumbles—an upper middle grade, contemporary fiction, 52,000-word novel about grief-stricken, twelve-year-old Sarah who must choose between obeying her alcoholic father and keeping the dog she loves—even stronger.

In 2019, I learned that the most exciting part of the writer’s journey is that we never know how much stronger we can write.

In October 2021, Suzie Townsend, Vice President of New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc., selected Victory Stumbles as one of two full manuscripts she reviewed for the Pacific Coast Children’s Writers Novel and Retreat Whole Novel Critique. Suzie’s feedback informed the next revision of the manuscript. As Katherine Paterson stated, “I love revision. Where else can spilled milk be turned into ice cream.” That revision process brought more success! On April 14, 2024, I won the SCBWI-Marvelous Midwest Conference writing contest.

Tiara Kittrell, Editor, Putnam Young Readers, Penguin Random House selected my first five pages of Victory Stumbles and is currently reviewing the full manuscript!

I fully understand that the road to publishing is riddled with no’s. I certainly can relate to writers who may be questioning whether or not they should apply for this mentorship. With everything that makes me “me,” I encourage writers with works in progress to ignore any nagging “no’s” keeping them from taking their chance to apply. Each of us, as aspiring writers, understands it will take one yes from our future agents agreeing to represent us and/or our future editors agreeing to publish our books. At that point, there will be multiple yes’s, but only one yes truly matters right now.

 

Your YES right now to your work matters more than any future yes’s. Apply for the mentoring and seize your moment.

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Reminders about Upcoming SCBWI-MI Events

• Fall webinar with Cate Berry- Nov. 12th at 7:00 pm Registration period: Oct 22-Nov 12
• Mentorship program applications for the 2026 novel mentorship with Sheela Chari open in January.