Hello all!

I hope everyone is enjoying the nicer weather, longer days and smells of spring that are wafting around.

I’m so excited because tomorrow morning I’m leaving for NYC to do some publicity stuff for my book, In Their Shoes! So why am I telling you this? Because 1) I won’t be able to post a new Smart Girls Know Affirmation tomorrow, and 2) I just thought you might wanna know.

On a side note, apparently I had some technical difficulties with my blog last week, and many of you didn’t receive last Monday’s affirmation, Smart Girls Know That Jealousy is a Waste of Time. So, I’m going to keep that affirmation up for another week, since it’s such important stuff to keep in mind (for me, too!). And I will try to post a few things while I’m in the Big Apple, so check back to Smart Girls Know throughout the week.

Lastly, I am going to begin answering career questions from girls on Smart Girls Know and on a I created for In Their Shoes. They can be about anything from how to break into a specific career field to what kind of grades you’ll need to be able to work in a certain industry.

Here’s the first question:

Dear Debbie,

I want to be a famous author someday. People always tell me that it would probably be very hard to publish a successful book, but how exactly can you get a book published by a decent publisher? Must you have an agent?

Yours Truly, Eri

* * *

Dear Eri,

That’s such a great dream and goal, and one I can certainly relate to! When people tell you that it’s hard to publish a successful book, they’re right. But then again, what dream and goal worth working towards doesn’t take hard work and dedication? People ask me about how to get published all the time, and my advice to them, and to you, is to be committed to your idea (or ideas) and create mini-goals for working towards your big dream. Whether you need an agent or not depends on the kind of book you want to write and the kind of publisher you want to get it in front of. To get you started, here are some things you can do now to make your future dream of becoming a published author a reality:

• Visit the teen section of your local library and ask them if they know of any writing clubs or classes that you could get involved in.
  
• Write all the time…in your journal, on scraps of paper, on your computer. The more you write, the better you’ll become.
• Read books about how to break into publishing, like by Blythe Camenson for fiction, and by Michael Larsen for nonfiction.
• Find writing communities online where you can learn more about writing and publishing, like published teen Dallas Woodburn’s site, Write On.
• Be willing to smart small…even many successful authors have had to self-publish their first books, literally traveling around the country selling them out of the trunk of their car before getting the attention of a major publisher.
• Be persistent and committed…it might take a while to break in, but if you’re dedicated to your idea and your goal, you can make it happen!

Good luck, Eri!

Peace & Love,

Debbie

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Have you got career questions? No matter how bizarre, silly or challenging, I’ve got answers, so send me an ! If you’re on Facebook, join my and get involved!

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Lastly, my publisher, Simon Pulse, is looking for teens to join its Pulse IT Board. If you’re a book lover and can’t wait to get your hands on the next hot title, then apply to be part of the board. You could receive free books and advance reader’s copies…all you have to do is tell Simon Pulse what you think! Click here to sign up!

If you answered “no,” then go to your local library or bookstore and track down this book! I just picked it up last week and have been poring through it. I know there’s a movie and everything, but there’s nothing like reading these teens’ real diary entries to make you feel connected with the writers’ innermost thoughts.

If you have been living under a rock and don’t know what this book is all about, here’s a quick description of :

As an idealistic twenty-three-year-old English teacher at Wilson High School in Long beach, California, Erin Gruwell confronted a room of “unteachable, at-risk” students. One day she intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature, and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust—only to be met by uncomprehending looks. So she and her students, using the treasured books Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo as their guides, undertook a life-changing, eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against intolerance and misunderstanding. They learned to see the parallels in these books to their own lives, recording their thoughts and feelings in diaries and dubbing themselves the “Freedom Writers” in homage to the civil rights activists “The Freedom Riders.”

With powerful entries from the students’ own diaries and a narrative text by Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers Diary is an uplifting, unforgettable example of how hard work, courage, and the spirit of determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students.

* * * * *

What I love the most about The Freedom Writers Diary is that the you can see the transformation of the students through their writing. Many of Erin Gruwell’s students lived in gang-infested projects, where they saw friends and family senselessly murdered, while others experienced painful circumstances like being the victims of sexual abuse, rape, and violence. Many students were filled with skepticism and even hatred towards people of other races and cultures. On top of that, Erin’s students had been given the message by “society” time and time again that they didn’t have a chance at doing anything meaningful with their lives.

Yet over the course of the four years during which the diaries were written, Erin’s students realized that they could make the choice to speak out against intolerance of all kinds, and that they really could create the life they wanted if they tried.

I must admit…sometimes I feel like I live in a bubble where everyone gets along, everyone is color-blind, and people are always accepted for who they are. And then I hear about things like the tragic Virginia Tech shootings or read about the continuing genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and I am shocked back to reality and I realize that the picture in my head doesn’t necesearily reflect the truth.

I am so happy I picked up The Freedom Writers Diary…it came to me just when I needed it, and it filled me to the brim with optimism and hope. So thank you to all of the Freedom Writers, past, present and future. You are an inspiration, and you can change the world!

* * * * *

If you’ve read The Freedom Writers Diary, share your thoughts here! And keep checking back on The Freedom Writers Diary website…a new interactive hangout for teens will be premiering there soon!

* * * * *

Paramount Home Entertainment, the people behind the Freedom Writers movie, just announced that they’re distributing 22,000 teaching kids to schools across North America to help further the Freedom Writers mission in schools. They’re also sponsoring a contest challenging students to write a 300-word essay on their inspiration to change. Winners will receive a $1,000 scholarship prize. Ask teachers at your school if they’re going to be a part of the change!

If you answered “no,” then go to your local library or bookstore and track down this book! I just picked it up last week and have been poring through it. I know there’s a movie and everything, but there’s nothing like reading these teens’ real diary entries to make you feel connected with the writers’ innermost thoughts.

If you have been living under a rock and don’t know what this book is all about, here’s a quick description of :

As an idealistic twenty-three-year-old English teacher at Wilson High School in Long beach, California, Erin Gruwell confronted a room of “unteachable, at-risk” students. One day she intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature, and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust—only to be met by uncomprehending looks. So she and her students, using the treasured books Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo as their guides, undertook a life-changing, eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against intolerance and misunderstanding. They learned to see the parallels in these books to their own lives, recording their thoughts and feelings in diaries and dubbing themselves the “Freedom Writers” in homage to the civil rights activists “The Freedom Riders.”

With powerful entries from the students’ own diaries and a narrative text by Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers Diary is an uplifting, unforgettable example of how hard work, courage, and the spirit of determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students.

* * * * *

What I love the most about The Freedom Writers Diary is that the you can see the transformation of the students through their writing. Many of Erin Gruwell’s students lived in gang-infested projects, where they saw friends and family senselessly murdered, while others experienced painful circumstances like being the victims of sexual abuse, rape, and violence. Many students were filled with skepticism and even hatred towards people of other races and cultures. On top of that, Erin’s students had been given the message by “society” time and time again that they didn’t have a chance at doing anything meaningful with their lives.

Yet over the course of the four years during which the diaries were written, Erin’s students realized that they could make the choice to speak out against intolerance of all kinds, and that they really could create the life they wanted if they tried.

I must admit…sometimes I feel like I live in a bubble where everyone gets along, everyone is color-blind, and people are always accepted for who they are. And then I hear about things like the tragic Virginia Tech shootings or read about the continuing genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and I am shocked back to reality and I realize that the picture in my head doesn’t necesearily reflect the truth.

I am so happy I picked up The Freedom Writers Diary…it came to me just when I needed it, and it filled me to the brim with optimism and hope. So thank you to all of the Freedom Writers, past, present and future. You are an inspiration, and you can change the world!

* * * * *

If you’ve read The Freedom Writers Diary, share your thoughts here! And keep checking back on The Freedom Writers Diary website…a new interactive hangout for teens will be premiering there soon!

* * * * *

Paramount Home Entertainment, the people behind the Freedom Writers movie, just announced that they’re distributing 22,000 teaching kids to schools across North America to help further the Freedom Writers mission in schools. They’re also sponsoring a contest challenging students to write a 300-word essay on their inspiration to change. Winners will receive a $1,000 scholarship prize. Ask teachers at your school if they’re going to be a part of the change!