Things That No Other Writer Deals With

By Peter Nevland - Dec 01 , 2009

Maybe it’s just me. I’m sure no other writer finds it hard to write what someone else wants them to write.

I chafe against the requirement, gnaw on the ropes that bind me to my fate. Why do I have to be a slave to someone else’s desires? Or should the question actually be, “Why can’t I see the desires and vision of someone else as equal to or more important than my own?”

She’s not a household name. She hasn’t broken any publishing records for pre-orders. If you search for her on Google, you’ll find a bunch of references to someone else with the same name who’s a professor of religion, literature, and law at Northwestern University. The Regina Schwartz I’m talking about works quietly as a foster home recruiter for Wayne County Children’s Services, in Ohio. But she’s published 9 books for educational publisher Zaner-Bloser because she writes what they ask her to write, on-time, with seeming glee. Oh, and get this—she still feels like she’s fulfilling her calling.

How is this possible? Isn’t that selling out to the man, or something? Because Zaner-Bloser’s focus is teaching children reading or speaking skills, Schwartz had to write stories that caused children to form specific sounds or develop their next level of vocabulary. “It takes a lot of analytical skills, you can’t just write whatever you want,” says Tiffany Fannin, Schwartz’s editor at Zaner-Bloser. “Writing for lower levels, people think it’s easier, but it’s actually more difficult because you have more restrictions.”

Those who have taught children know just how challenging the task of making learning fun can be. Regina Schwartz seemed to relish that challenge. “When she was writing, she was combining her desires to be creative with assisting in the classroom,” her husband said. Her love of children and dreams of them saying new phrases or sounding out words for the very first time helped her get beyond the changing rules and restrictions she faced.

All this talk about writing what other people want makes me wonder why more authors who desire to achieve published stardom don’t take Regina’s example to heart. What if an author focused their initial time and energy to the needs in the publishing industry? What kind of topics currently pop up on the radar of publisher wish lists? If you want to reach a certain segment of people, like children, why not research what publishers want who cater to that group?

Think of it like a job search. In no other industry will a company hire you unless you fill a need they have for an employee that will help them make more money. Why should signing a contract as an author be any different? You might even look for career opportunities within the publishing industry to get your foot in the door. I noticed that Zaner-Bloser is looking for a regional assistant.

It’s possible that I’m only writing to encourage myself again. After all, I get quite a few requests to write Christmas stories, commercials that promote my clients according to their preferred style, and even performance pieces constructed for specific events. Don’t they know that I can only write what the muse within commands me? Why do they have to be so insensitive to my needs?

It makes me wonder if I don’t care as much about reaching others as I do about satisfying myself. I’m sure no one else deals with that . . . .