In anticipation of the National Day on Writing (October 20th), all this week into next week we will be publishing the contributions of our wonderful authors who've already committed to coming to nErD Camp So Cal next summer. We asked our friends to respond to the prompt/hashtag "Why I Write" and urged them to go whichever direction they wanted.
Today we are honored to feature our first post by one of our local writers, Mary Jo Hazard, whose beautiful books depict the gorgeous landscape of nearby Palos Verdes and its famous peacocks! Enjoy and keep checking back...
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I write because, honestly, once I started writing I couldn’t stop.
I’m a retired MFT. I wrote my first children’s book The Peacocks of Palos Verdes, in 2010 and stepped into a whole new world.
For me, writing isn’t just sitting at a computer putting thoughts on paper—it involves a lot more. It’s about doing research, meeting people, interviewing people, taking classes, joining writing groups, going to conferences, reading my book at elementary schools, doing writing workshops, and putting myself out there in ways I’d never thought about.
One thing led to another and before I knew it, I was hooked. I liked the creative process, getting an idea and running with it. I really enjoyed reading my book in classrooms, so I wrote two more children’s books, Palo’s World and P is for Palos Verdes.
Just for fun, I decided to write Stillwater, a coming of age novel, set in the 50’s in upstate New York where I grew up. Once I started, the book took on a life of its own. It was a catharsis—my main character deals with the major issues I’ve had in my life—suicide, family members and friends with mental illness, and the stigma that goes along with those things. Writing it was a trip down memory lane in many ways—lots of good memories too from growing up in a small town—wishing that kids today could have the same experiences. Stillwater will launch in March 2019.
Writing has also made me curious about everything and everyone. People amaze me, they really do. I write a weekly column for Peninsula News called PV Neighbors; it’s about ordinary people (like you and me) who do extraordinary things. My next interview is with a woman pediatrician; she has a successful practice, is on the staff at Torrance Memorial and in her spare time—she’s a hospital clown! It’s so inspiring to meet people like her and I’m honored to write their stories.
So, I write because it’s stimulating, interesting, a catharsis, a challenge, always new and exciting and I can’t imagine my life without it.
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