The Little Story That Could
Newsletter Issue #60
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.
Three things about me:
I like sharing bits and bobs from my writing life in these newsletters—to give you real-life examples, to let you know you’re not alone, and (hopefully) to help and encourage you.
I’m stubborn.
I like using different kinds of media to talk about the craft of writing and the writing life—I often talk about movies, but last week it was a children’s book series called Amelia Bedelia, and this week it’s a picture book called The Little Engine That Could.
Although the basic story has existed in various forms since 1902, the best-known version of The Little Engine That Could was retold by Arnold Munk under the pen name Watty Piper and published by his publishing company Platt & Munk in 1930.
You probably already know this, but I’ll briefly recap just in case:
The Little Engine That Could is the story of a little engine that is called upon to pull a long train over a high mountain when the train’s large and powerful locomotive engine breaks down. While the other engines in the story give reasons why they can’t fulfill the task, the little engine agrees to try. It slowly and arduously climbs the steep mountainside, pulling the long train behind it, and telling itself all the while, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” At long last, the little engine makes it to the top of the mountain and then down the other side.
The Little Engine That Could is a story about the power of positive thinking, hard work, and tenacity. I think it’s a great story for writers to keep in mind.
I wrote a little story once. It’s a flash fiction story called “Rhonda” and it’s about 1,000 words long—a tiny little story.
I wrote Rhonda specifically for a short fiction contest. It didn’t win the contest, and since then, I’ve been submitting it here and there.
Rhonda met with so much rejection. SO MUCH REJECTION. I started affectionately calling her “poor Rhonda,” as in, “Oh no, poor Rhonda was rejected again today!”
Rhonda got a few positive rejections, though, and those kept us going.
“Your story stood out for us, particularly for its interesting historical details and complex relationships, but ....” (I think I can.)
“[W]e were very impressed by your writing, but ....” (I think I can.)
“We loved the voice, but ....” (I think I can.)
Rhonda was rejected a total of 31 times, but …. she didn’t give up. I’m telling you this story because (a) did you know, around 35 is the average number of times a short story is rejected before it’s finally published? and (b) poor Rhonda is the perfect example of why we can’t give up—she kept chug-chug-chugging along until she found her home.
Rhonda was recently named the third place winner in the Napa Valley Writers’ 2024 Flash Fiction Contest. She won $25, and we celebrated with mole chicken enchiladas and flan at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Taco King.
You can read Rhonda here: https://www.napavalleywriters.org/contests/2024-flash-fiction-contest-winners
XOXO
Leanne
P.S. Positive thinking + hard work + tenacity will always win in the end. Keep going and you’ll get there. I know it.
“There’s not much to be said about the period except
that most writers don’t reach it soon enough.”
—William Zinser, On Writing Well
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announcing the Joshua Tree Retreat!
Join Gina Frangello and Circe Consulting this April 30-May 4, 2025, for a long and restorative weekend of writing, questing, community, and pleasure-seeking, immersed in the magic of Joshua Tree National Park (but with all the comforts—and more—of home). Featuring local guest writers Emily Rapp Black and Rob Roberge, and desert healer Athanasia Medenas.
“If you feel safe in the area that you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in.”
—David Bowie
SOME THINGS FOR READERS
Is the Book You’re Reading Literary or Genre Fiction? A 100% Definitive Guide: Are you contemplating the meaning of life or just swooning for a hot werewolf?
(Sarah Garfinkel & Katie Burgess for Electric Literature)
Fear isn’t an obstacle; it’s a marketing tactic: They want you to believe you’re a problem to be solved. Don’t buy it.
(Catherine H. Palmer for Amid Life with Catherine Palmer)
How Do You Faithfully Tell the Story of a Divorce, Including Your Own?
(An excerpt from Haley Mlotek’s No Fault: A Memoir of Romance and Divorce, for The Walrus)
“If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), ‘Am I really a writer?
Am I really an artist?’ chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is
wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.”
—Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
SOME THINGS FOR WRITERS
8 Contemporary Novels with Omniscient Narrators
(What is an omniscient narrator? It’s hard to describe, but I know it when I read it.)
(Olivia Wolfgang-Smith fo Electric Literature)
Unearthing the Sediment of Stories in Our Bodies: An Interview with Lidia Yuknavitch
(Chelsea Voulgares for The Rumpus)
The Humble Neighborhood Library: Why It Should Be Part of Your Book-Enthusiasm-Generating Plan
(Kelly Turner for Jane Friedman)
There Is No Such Thing as Writer’s Block
(Marion Roach Smith for Qwerty)
10 Insights I Learned from Analyzing the 2024 Women’s Fiction Debut Deals: ‘90s Nostalgia, Feminist Rage, and The Most Frequently Used Comp Titles
(Heather Garbo for Write Your Next Chapter)
MFA vs. GDP
(Halimah Marcus recommends “An MFA Story” by Paul Dalla Rosa for Electric Literature)
Fictionalizing My Life to Make It Livable
(Polly Rosenwaike, Fiction Editor for Michigan Quarterly Review, recommends “All Stories” by Kevin Wilson for Electric Literature)
Writer Beware: An Interview with Victoria Strauss
Note: Writer Beware is “the essential watchdog website for writers.”
(Kate McKean for Agents and Books)
“Reading, conversation, environment, culture, heroes, mentors, nature—all are lottery tickets for creativity. Scratch away at them and you’ll find out how big a prize you’ve won.”
—Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit
SOMETHING TO MAKE YOU SMILE … AND MAYBE TEAR UP A LITTLE
Leanne Phillips
Writer | Book Coach | Editor
leannephillips.com
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