I’m close to wrapping a piece for a magazine, and I’m waiting on the opinions of some of the beta readers of one of my WIPs, so Friday morning, I started rummaging though my old journals for some new-old project ideas. Among my scribbling, I found notes about a folktale that really appealed to me. A little research has indicated that there is only one picture book retelling of this story. Which is why, for the first time, I’m attempting a folktale retelling.
Good for me, right? It’s good to try something new, right?
While I’ve enjoyed the work I’ve put in so far, I’m surprised at the undercurrent of anxiety I’m experiencing. Here’s what I think is going on: past, painful professional history. As I’ve mentioned on this blog a couple times, I keep working on picture book ideas only to discover that there’s a book out there already that is almost identical to my idea (which I thought was so original) or at least similar enough and recent enough to preclude my being able to sell my project, no matter how good (I think) it is.
So, here I am, and I’m spending my limited time and effort on this book. Is it worth the investment? Only time will tell. I keep being afraid I’ll find another version of this story on the “Coming Soon in Books” page on Amazon.
Rebecca Klempner 