DCmom was able to read about Maria Celeste Arraras's story of how she wrote her book "The Magic Cane"....if you think you've heard the name before...it's most likely because she is the reporter who covered the story of Latin singer Selena's death.
Wow, read through this and realized that if she can write her book on her Blackberry, then my juggling of full-time consulting work, DCmom.com and three kids is something I shouldn't complain about!
Check it out...
MARIA CELESTE ARRARAS1. What sparked your imagination for The Magic Cane?
As a working mother, I would come home from the office to find my three kids desperate for my attention. I would try reading them a story, but they all had different interests and would end up fighting when they couldn’t agree on which particular story I should read! So I began to make up stories that incorporated all the elements that all of them wanted to listen to, and one of those stories evolved into The Magic Cane.
The story is about three kids, very similar to my own three children, each blessed with a special “gift.” At the time I wrote The Magic Cane, my daughter was into mermaids, so her equal in the story has the power of Water. My sons were fascinated with Pokemon, Naruto and Inuyasha, so I gave one of the boys the power of Fire and the other one the power of the Wind...soon, they all got into the story and started contributing to the plot. Then the fights became about who could have more input!
2. What challenges do you face in your writing process? How do you overcome them?
My main challenge with The Magic Cane was finding time to get in the right frame of mind to write this kind of book. At the time, I was going through a divorce, and it was difficult to shake off the stress and pain that comes with that process and jump into the fantasy world of a magical fable. So I put the book in hiatus and after a few months, my oldest son told me, “Mama, a family that stays united is invincible,” and I said “Yes!” That became the central idea for The Magic Cane. So I sat down with a clear head and a specific idea and wrote the entire story in five hours on my Blackberry.
3. What tips or advice can you share with young students who hope to start writing?
My advice is simple: write everything down! Many people with great imaginations spend their lives “writing” books in their heads...but they never put those great ideas in black and white. What a waste of great talent So my advice is, get it on paper and share all those wonderful stories with the rest of the world! Discipline is key in every profession, writing included.
4. What is your list of favorite children or teen books?
I love The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I read it for the first time in elementary school, and then I received a copy in college as a present. Years later, I bought another copy to read to my kids. I read it during three completely different stages of my life, and every time, I discovered new meanings in the same story. I hope The Magic Cane accomplishes the same.
I also like King Midas: A Golden Tale by John Warren Stewig. I wanted my book to be a magical fable in the style of King Midas with a similar lesson: that possessions and power do not equal happiness. I’m a firm believer that in this materialistic and consumer-oriented society, children need to be taught what is really important in life, such as family values and doing the right thing. So this was an important element that I wanted to include in my story.
3. Do you think The Magic Cane will be interpreted differently by English versus Spanish readers?
Absolutely not. The Magic Cane has a universal message that transcends not only language and culture but also age and gender. I wanted it to be a magical fable like the classic stories that my grandparents used to read to me in bed. I missed those “Once upon a time” tales that you can pass on from generation to generation, so I wanted to write one for my children and for other kids as well.
