Thank you, Tammy, for sharing
your hello story! You, too, can submit your hello story (300 words or less) at:
ohaginib@gmail.com. I especially would
love to hear from new members!
- Isabel Estrada O’Hagin
How?
How do you switch careers? How do
you stop writing work instructions? How do you write stories for kids? Try
writing for hire, I was told. Off to a workshop, I went. Join your local SCBWI
chapter, I was told. Years ago, I joined. Not much came out of it. Besides, I
was so far back on the path I did not feel I would ever catch up. How will
writing fit into this already overfilled life? I will stay safe writing
instructor guides to upload into learning management databases.
 |
| Tammy Layman Hall |
Then, SCBWI-MI posted a registrar
position. Someone to set up events. I can do that! So, I sent an email. Carrie
Pearson answered. She took the time to talk to me on a telephone call. What a
difference! The time she takes with me each event we set up keeps me involved
in SCBWI. Then, Ann Finkelstein said hello. She walked me through how to
set up the mentorship. Isabel said hello. She invited me to KAST. I carved out
time to go. Then, the Nonfiction Toolbox conference came. I had to put faces
with the names from the database. Again, I carved out time to go. Then, COVID
hit. Just as I was learning how! The world shut down. Why bother! Now it’s
too hard to meet people, I thought. Yet, Zoom meetings meant more people
saying hello. Conferences, webinars, and Shop Talks kept showing me how.
So, that first hello pushed me to
leap towards my dream. Now, so many hellos pull and prod me onward. Yes, my
overstuffed life keeps pulling me from the writing chair. Still, deadlines are
met. Submissions go out. Stories sell. Critique groups say hello. That first hello
started to show me how.
Tammy
Tammy lives in southwestern Michigan with her family and a
crazy menagerie of pets. She is married to the reigning neighborhood Christmas
light grand champion and got talked into adding a garden train to her
cottage-inspired tangled yard of blooms. When she's not writing, you can find
her hitching a ride over to the local park on our scratch-built go-kart,
Oliver. Her stories are pending publication in High Five Magazine and
Primary Treasure. As a storyteller, she has told stories at city gardens,
museums, and nature centers.
