I would have written 'Brown Girl Dreaming' if no one had ever wanted to buy it, if it went nowhere but inside a desk drawer that my own children pulled out one day to find a tool for survival, a symbol of how strong we are and how much we've come through.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of creating for oneself rather than for the validation from others.
Jacqueline Woodson expresses the idea that the act of writing is valuable in and of itself, irrespective of external validation or commercial success. She highlights the notion that her work, 'Brown Girl Dreaming', serves as a legacy not just for her own children but as a testament to resilience and strength, reflecting the struggles and triumphs of her life and heritage.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of pursuing your passions, this quote can be used to inspire others to create for their own enjoyment and fulfillment.
'Brown Girl Dreaming' was a book I had a lot of doubts about - mainly, would this story be meaningful to anyone besides me? My editor, Nancy Paulsen, kept assuring me, but there were moments when I was in a really sad place with the story for so many reasons. It wasn't an easy book to write - emotionally, physically, or creatively.
In the midst of observing the world and coming to consciousness, I was becoming a writer, and what I wanted to put on the page were the stories of people who looked like me.
Sometimes you do have to laugh to keep from crying. And sometimes the world feels all right and good and kind of like it's becoming nice again around you. And you realize it, and realize how happy you are in it, and you just gotta laugh.
I don't want anyone to walk through the world feeling invisible ever again.
The strength of my mother is something I didn't pay attention to for so long. Here she was, this single mom, who was part of the Great Migration, who was part of a Jim Crow south, who said, 'I'm getting my kids out of here. I'm creating opportunities for these young people by any means necessary.'
I love how much love there is in the world of young adult and children's literature.
I am just tired of writing about heroes that we're dragging down to our level, and I want to write about heroes that we want to be.
Wherever you live on this earth, and whatever your life's situation may be, I testify to you that the gospel of Jesus Christ has the divine power to lift you to great heights from what appears at times to be an unbearable burden or weakness.
Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great, you can be that generation
It turns out that, somehow, there are a tremendous number of things to be optimistic about.
She said she knew she was able to fly because when she came down she always had dust on her fingers from touching the light bulbs.
I think every teenager is a hero. When we are young we feel so much pain. Go to school is like going to war, people let you down all the time. Sometimes it's very, very difficult to stay strong, but you have to.
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