Create your own mission statement

• Siobhan O'Brien Holmes
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When I started Writer and the Wolf, I set out my three core values: the things I believe in that drive me to do my very best work every day. They’re the reason I do this job and what sets me apart from other editors. I recently combined these three values into a mission statement:

Young readers deserve…

• the best books
• authors who care about their readers and what’s important to them
• to see themselves reflected in the books they read
• to feel valued and important
• stories that help them see the world in new ways

and I couldn’t be more excited to lift you up and support you while you create those stories for them. 

Then the other day I thought: wouldn’t it be great for children’s book authors to write their own mission statement? Something that can get them while they write, or plot, or read. So try it! Ask yourself:

• Why do you write for children or teenagers?
• What drives you to sit at your desk or pick up a pen?
• How do you want your readers to feel when they read your book?
• What’s missing from the children’s book market that you can bring?
• What sets you apart from other writers?

Jot down a sentence or two that sum up what you stand for and what values motivate you to write, and look back at it now and again when you’re struggling with a story or feeling fed up and wondering why you bother. This is why you bother.