"You have control over imaginary worlds. You can push your characters around
and set the stage the way you want to. It gives you a sense of power."
Children's novelist Sonia Craddock is talking about the control she
enjoys when she's creating her own world in a book. "In life, you don't
always have a lot of power or control over things," she explains. "When you're
a writer, at least you can summon up the characters you want."
Craddock admits there doesn't always seem to be total control, even
in her own stories. "Well, the characters sometimes go off in their own directions,"
she says. "But at least you put the story where you want. You can even make
up a total fantasy world, where you really set all the rules and parameters
so nobody can argue with you."
Craddock has written five children's novels. She also teaches creative
writing and children's literature part time, to supplement her income.
But it's the writing she really enjoys.
Writing for children, as opposed to writing for adults, has extra rewards,
says Craddock. "One of the greatest rewards is when you get letters from children
saying how much they like your writing," she says. "For children to set pen
to paper and actually write a letter is quite a compliment in itself."
On the other hand, says Craddock, children are also the best critics. She
travels to many schools, talking to children about her work and she says she
enjoys the kids' honesty.
"They're not like adults; they don't sit there and say nothing.
They're very honest. So when I talk with children, it's a very energizing
activity and makes writing very rewarding."
Michael Turner has published two books of poetry and a novel. For him,
the thrill of writing comes from being able to reach his audience directly.
"I could probably have had a career as an academic, but I guess I was more
ambitious... [about] my ideas to get my messages out. There's more immediacy
to it."
Turner describes his desire to write as if it were an illness or a compulsion.
"I feel I have to write," he says. "It's like an athlete who just has
to run. It's something I just really feel the strongest impulse to do."
Even though these writers are compelled to write, it's still a stressful
occupation. "I think art making -- or problem solving, which is a big part
of art making -- is a totally stressful thing," says Turner.
"People think, 'Oh, you sit back, scribble a few things down and you're
done for the day.' Well, it's not like that.
"It's a very active thing. You feel your body stiffen up as you're
working through a problem, or you realize, after you've finished working
through something, that your shoulders are still up. It's a very intense
thing."
Even the littlest details can be a source of stress for novelists. Occasionally,
the stories Craddock writes contain historical or factual information that
should be accurate, information like dates and place names. It can be embarrassing
when she gets things wrong -- and those honest children let her know when
it happens.
Craddock remembers one time when she had just finished a novel, set in
a real community, and sent the final revisions off to the publisher. In the
next few days, 25,000 copies would be printed.
"I was giving a talk to a group of librarians," she says. "I read them
the first chapter and at the end of the reading somebody came up to me and
said, 'You know, you might like to change a couple of things on your
very first page.' I asked him what and he said, 'You have referred
to this community as a town. Well, I'm from there and they're very
proud of the fact that it is a city.' I thought, 'Oh my goodness,
it's already gone to press.'"
That wasn't all, either. Apparently, Craddock had placed the city
near the wrong arm of a lake. Astonished and embarrassed, she rushed home
to call the publisher about changing the words before it was too late. She
was lucky -- the book was printed with the right words.
Craddock's advice to those with the urge to write? "Keep your day
job," she says. She also agrees with Turner when she says, "If you want to
be a writer, it's got to be because you want to write and nothing's
going to stop you."