WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT BEING A WRITER

Anyone who works with children knows the insatiable curiosity every child has about the world we live in and how everything in it works. One of the reasons I like writing nonfiction is that I still have those questions inside me. I want to know the answers too. I continually find it amazing that people are actually willing to pay me to find out all kinds of fascinating things.

Once I read an article that described children as being not like vases to be filled, but rather like fires to be lit. I like that image because it suggests that children have minds that are alive and eager to learn. My purpose as a writer is to provide the spark for that fire. I want readers to close the last page of my book and say, “That was exciting!” or “Wow” I never knew that before!”

People often ask me what I like best about being a writer. I enjoy the research and creative process, but the best part for me is when the book is finally published. When the first copy of a book arrives in the mail and I see my name on the cover, it gives me a tremendous feeling of satisfaction, especially when I know that the book is now ready to go into schools and libraries where kids can read it. I always hope that my readers will feel the same sense of excitement that I felt when I wrote the book.

I enjoy being involved in the creative process and being able to find out new things and trying to understand them. I also get a great deal of satisfaction from being involved with children and trying to keep up with their curiosity. Children are the most valuable resource in our country today and I feel they deserve the best books that we can give them.