Beyond the Book: Why I Write

My writing career began around age four or five.  I told my dad that I wanted to write a story about Woody Woodpecker, one of my favorite cartoon characters.  He took a piece of notebook paper and hand wrote the story in pencil.  It must have been a work of art; he laughed hysterically as he wrote it.  Daddy kept that story until the day he died.  After his death my stepmother cleaned out a cedar chest where he kept his treasures, and she found the story and gave it to me.  I can even remember the day I dictated it to him!  Trust me; that memory is an unexpected treasure from the past that warmed my heart for days afterward.

I wrote nothing from that long ago day until the year 2002.  At that time my son inspired me to try my hand at writing when he wrote a novel himself.  That first effort is still in a folder on my computer, but I submitted my second book to a small press called Oak Tree Press.  Oak Tree sponsors a yearly contest whose prize is publication of your novel.  To my great and utter surprise, I won, and my book A New Leaf was published in 2004.

Since that time I’ve written six more books.  I could have finished more, but I have a full time job as a teacher.  Why do I do it?  It isn’t for the money; very few authors ever get rich off their writing. It isn’t for fame and recognition because I’m not on the New York Times bestseller list.  No, I write because I can’t help myself.

My characters reveal themselves to me and demand that I tell their story for them.  They get under my skin and nag me until I seat myself at my computer and let them express themselves.  I’m totally consumed by their problems and triumphs, and until I give them resolution I can’t get them off my mind.  I’ve even been known to take my computer on vacation so I won’t lose an entire day of writing.  Often, after a book is finished I have a hard time letting my characters go.  I’ve written one trilogy because of that letting go problem.  I couldn’t let the Lovinggood family go after I finished their book.  

Writing gives me a sense of satisfaction and allows me to express my creativity in a way that I’ve never felt before.  I don’t cook anymore and my house needs dusting, but I can’t bring myself to care. I’m having too much fun.

Biography:

Elaine Cantrell was born and raised in South Carolina.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Personnel Services from Clemson University and is a member of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary sorority for women educators.  She is also a member of Romance Writer’s of America.  Her first novel, A New Leaf, was the 2003 winner of the Timeless Love Contest and was published in 2004 by Oak Tree Books. She is a retired social studies teacher.