"How I Came to Be a Writer" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Creativity and drive are elusive traits, perhaps glimpsed in early childhood activities or blossoming later in university but often difficult to trace back to early development and initial inspirations.  Authors’ memoirs offer readers the opportunity to glimpse these origins, not only of the technician but also of the creator of worlds and characters who become part of our own experiences. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, best known for her Shiloh series, shares her personal history in How I Came to Be a Writer, written when she was 54 years old.  In this personal narrative, Naylor remembers early life landscapes and towns that share some connections with the characters and setting of her 1992 Newbery Medal Award winner. 

Born into the struggles of the Great Depression, Naylor found refuge in books.  They were her literary entertainment as well as her building block toys.  Naylor recalls her kindergarten writing experiences when, in a 1930s version of Writing Workshop, she would sit in the middle of the floor next to her teacher and dictate stories.  Happily, Naylor includes one of these earliest efforts (a decapitation tale!) in her highly enjoyable book.   Clear-eyed and often with a keen sense of humor, Naylor tells of her focused pursuit of a writing career in the face of poverty, familial mental illness, and repeated rejections. 

Unlike Spilling Ink, How I Came to Be a Writer does not instruct readers about how to write but instead provides a vivid backdrop to the influences in Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s life.  I was particularly struck by Naylor’s honesty in confessing that “writing a book frightened me [because] I thought I would be bored with it long before I was through….  What if halfway through I discovered that I simply could not stand the people I was writing about?”  I certainly can understand that the commitment to writing a book must sometimes feel overwhelming but I do not recall having read an author explicitly express such thoughts. 

Upper elementary students will enjoy Naylor’s memoir as a companion to the Shiloh trilogy and as a resource when researching authors’ backgrounds.  Naylor’s personal photographs create a direct connection with her readers and her prose is accessible to young children without feeling trite or overly simplified.  She did not achieve success easily or without personal setbacks.  She persevered through numerous rejections and pushed through her fear of boredom.  Thank goodness.  Without her drive, Naylor would never have created one of children’s literature most enduring treasures, the tale of a kind boy extending himself to rescue an abused and frightened animal.