Another “Tween the Weekends” is upon us. Check out all the monthly posts (4th Wed. of every month) related to Tweens over at the Emblazon site.

What do Tween and Writers of Tween fiction have in common? Well, quite a bit actually. They are both prone to daydreaming, they both experiment with different styles and lingo, and they both strive to sit at the popular table.

Ah, yes, the popular table—that shining goal so many wish to reach, but where few get to eat their lunch. It really boils down to being considered cool, right? Coolness is key. Coolness means we are accepted, “in”, extra better than most.

Wait … extra better? Uh, let’s not get hasty.

Nobody is better than anyone else. People can work hard and practice and develop skills in a way that raises them in their particular endeavor. Some may display talent in an area at a young age, which can blossom under the right care. Some “bodies” are built and developed to handle certain feats better than others. But that only makes them more adept at those particular things. And there will ALWAYS be someone with greater skill or someone better at another “thing.”

I was once told, “Don’t compare yourself to OTHERS; compare yourself to YOURSELF.”

Wise words.

If we continue to grow and improve ourselves, then we will always be the truest cool. Likability begins with us. We should give ourselves kudos for every accomplishment, every step up that mountain, every minute spent toward achieving our goals, and never look sideways at how others are progressing when measuring our own success. Being extra better should simply mean knowing more than what our past “selves” knew.

One of the biggest challenges for Tweens and Writers alike is to enjoy the process of growing and learning and overcoming self-doubt, because the process IS the mountain that will take us to new heights. And once we’ve gotten to the first, or maybe seventh plateau and we see a popular table in view … well, we might actually decide to eat lunch on a boulder or near a tree where the view of all we’ve achieved stretches before us. Maybe others enjoying a similar view will come and join us, and we can share our experiences with one another before heading off on that next leg up the mountain.