Happy Tuesday Everybody,
Thank you for joining us on this blog series. Today is the last one. The comments and response has been wonderful--thank you for that as well!
There
are young people in the world struggling with learning differences (sometimes
called learning disabilities) who may or may not feel they aren’t as good as
those who don’t have these disabilities/challenges.
The
three of us—Bethany Averie, Ryan Jo Summers, and Christie Craig—have all faced
learning disabilities/difficulties and based on our personal experiences, and
what we see in the world today, were inspired to share our own stories with
you.
We’ll
be posting each author’s Q&A style on all our blogs. Today is the last day with author Christie Craig's interview up.
Our
wish is for you teens and young adults to never be afraid to dream big. In a
world where less than someone’s definition of perfect can mean the difference
between acceptance and rejection, we want you to stand up and pursue those
dreams no matter if you do face learning disabilities/difficulties. Don’t let
those things stop you. If we can do it, so you can you.
Given
the sensitive nature of this topic, we ask that those who choose to comment
only post positive and encouraging comments. We’re wanting to build people up
and inspire them, not bring them down.
So,
here are our stories, and we wish you all the best.
Briefly
tell us about yourself (your name, your YA story titles, anything else you wish
to say about yourself):
My name is Christie Craig. I’m an Alabamian who now hangs my hat in
Texas. My thirty-fifth book will be
released in October. I write under two
names. As Christie Craig, I write
humorous romantic suspense. My young
adult books are written under C. C. Hunter. In addition to writing, I do writing
workshops. And in my other life I was a
freelance writer and photo journalist. I’m
a mom, a wife, and a lover of wine, walking, and traveling. My life policy is if you want something, go
make it happen. And never, ever give up.
What
are your learning disabilities/difficulties and do you remember how/when you
were diagnosed?
I’m dyslexic. I was
diagnosed in third grade as being learning disabled. I had a very hard time reading, spelling, and
am extremely directionally impaired. Left
and right is still a mystery to me. North, South, East and West is like talking
Chinese. I wasn’t actually diagnosed as
dyslexic until I was 30. And this came
after my son was officially diagnosed. I
now read, and while I’m not as fast as most people, I love reading. I’m terrible at leaving out words like: an,
and, the, and to. I confuse words
like: two and to, and too, and mail and
male. I know the difference, but when I
write, my mind doesn’t recognize the differences. I will leave out letters in words. I’m told that I learned to cope with a lot of
my issues by relying on my auditory strengths.
So I hear my words in my head, and when I use that skill, it turns off
the part of my brain that allows me to recognize my mistakes. The only way I can catch my own mistakes is
not to read it for about a month, so my auditory
side of my brain doesn’t kick
in. I cannot take notes and listen at
the same time. If I attempt to write
something down, my brain will not retain anything else that is being said.
Since
finding out, what are your emotions towards your learning
disabilities/difficulties? Why?
First let me say, I don’t think I’ve accomplished what I have in
spite of dyslexia, but in part due to it.
Most Dyslexic people are intuitive.
We read people. We read
emotions. Because of this, dyslexics are
often natural born storytellers. I spent
my entire childhood making up stories in my head. Not even realizing that this was a
talent. This intuitive ability allows me
to tap into the emotions of my characters and create stories that pull at the
heartstrings of readers. Being a writer
takes the tenacity of a Tasmanian Devil.
Being dyslexic taught me I had to work hard, and even harder that others
for anything I wanted. I have over
10,000 rejection letters. But because of
the lessons of never giving up, I just kept going, learning, and I made it
where a lot of people who didn’t have the same issues, gave up.
What
would you say to someone who has them who thinks they’re not as good as other
people because they have learning disabilities/difficulties?
To this day I remember the first person who looked at me and
said, “Wow, you are intelligent.” I was
twenty-three years old. Because I didn’t
do well in school, I quit school in tenth grade, I didn’t realize that I was
smart. It was only as an adult that I
realized my disability didn’t reflect my intelligence. Yes, it’s hard to find self-confidence when you
have to struggle for something that comes easily for others. Find your gifts, and focus on how those gifts
can help you succeed in what you want in life. For many, my choice career of
writing may seem a difficult path, and yes, it’s harder for me than others, but
because I tapped into my gifts of being able to write emotionally, the
storytelling aspect comes easier to me than others.
How
have your learning disabilities/difficulties shaped you/what you do?
As I said earlier, I’m not a quitter. I simply refuse to give
up. I sold
my first book ten years after
I started writing. I didn’t sell my
second book until thirteen years later. I
deal with dyslexia in my writing career by having people proof my books even before
they go out to an editor. Yes, my
publishers have line editors and copy editors who also go over it, but I want
to hand them as clean a copy as I can.
Even this interview will be read by a proofer before it goes to
Bethany. I used to whine about never
being able to write a clean copy. I
spend at least 50 hours of every week writing, you would think I would have
overcome my issues. But I haven’t. Yes, I’m so much better than I was before,
but generally, I still will have as many as five mistakes a page. And that’s with me going over it three or
four times. But I’ve learned to accept that
I will always have goofs in my work. I’ve learned to compensate.
Briefly
tell us about your Young Adult (YA) books, etc.:
I write the Shadow Falls series.
These are stories about a camp/turned school that caters to paranormal
teens who learn to harness their powers and also to learn to get along with
each other. The books are centered around
three girls who are roommates: Kylie, Della and Miranda. The books have suspense, romance, paranormal
elements, and a lot of laughter. This
October, Midnight Hour, the final and
tenth book in that series will be released.
Miranda, my heroine in Midnight
Hour, is a dyslexic witch. In her
journey, Miranda is finally learning to believe in herself in spite of her
disability.
