I AM CURIOUSLY CREATING WORLDS.
I was that child perched high in a tree, a basket of pens and snacks beside me and a notebook in my lap. I’ve always dreamed big. Sometimes, overwhelmingly big. As I grew up and eventually majored in writing, I discovered new ways to shape my ideas into stories. Now I am a writer, a freelance editor, and a writing teacher. Here at CCrawfordWriting, I am on a continual quest to improve my understanding of the craft of writing and to create new and better story worlds with each book and series.
I AM ON A NEVERENDING JOURNEY.
I've always been fascinated by wild things--thunderstorms, rushing waves, wild animals. (Have I mentioned I love animals?) There's a magic in the world, and as a writer, most of my story ideas are inspired by single, real-life moments of wonder. What I seek as a writer is an endlessly creative artform, where I can create a full world out of nothing. But to do it well takes practice and knowledge of the craft. This is my crusade. I am constantly striving to learn and grow, and I love helping other writers to succeed at this also. I enjoy finding new and better ways to create and share my worlds and stories. From honing my craft to publishing books to launching an interactive online reading portal for clean YA fiction, my ultimate goal is to produce enthralling, captivating worlds and stories to share with my readers.
I WRITE BECAUSE
I MUST.
I started writing stories before I can remember and have always felt a pull to write. But there was a period of my life when I had stopped writing. I felt like I had all these ideas, but I couldn’t control them. I would sit down to write and hit wall after wall. My plots would spin out, my characters would be roaming lost – I felt overwhelmed. So I set the stories aside. But every time I watched a good movie or read a good book, I felt a sense of loss. They inspired me to create but I pushed the feeling down because I was afraid I couldn’t get anywhere. But during this time, something huge also happened in my life: I became a wife and mother. My family is now my best support system for my writing, and my biggest inspiration. While becoming a mother changed many things in my life, one change was rather unexpected – seeing their creativity and curiosity sparked new life into mine.
Seeing the natural creativity in my children made me realize what I had lost. This was a turning-point for me. I had the ability, I just wasn't using it. This realization sparked my stubbornness, and I jumped back into writing with more determination than ever. My children impacted me, and now I pass that on to others. I love when my readers connect with my stories. I’m fueled by the gasp and the “Me too!” I write to remind myself and others of the joys and passions life may have tried to choke out, and to awaken things in us. For me, writing is about connection and embracing a part of myself I had very nearly forgotten. This is why I've chosen to focus on our PirateCat reading portal so I can connect with my readers while I write! You can also find me active on Facebook, Instagram, Patreon, my VIP Readers Group, my Clean YA Reads group, my newsletter, my Discord server, and to a lesser degree, Twitter.
I WRITE
TO
CONNECT.
My brain has always honed in on how to improve things. I was that kid in school who had to bite my tongue to keep from correcting my friends’ grammar or suggesting a better way to do their homework. (My husband still finds me correcting typos over his shoulder sometimes while he's texting... sorry, babe!) Now I work freelance as a writing tutor and editor, mostly for nonfiction but occasionally for fiction, too. I help writers improve their content and style while staying true to their authentic voice. I love grasping the feel of an author’s piece and helping the author perfect it.
I EDIT BECAUSE
I CAN’T
HELP IT.
I TEACH BECAUSE
IT INSPIRES.
I love watching worlds come into being as students’ ideas emerge. One of my favorite classes I've taught is a Collaborative Novel Writing class for high schoolers. The impromptu creativity of that class is a rare and sacred magic, and you can’t help but be changed by it. Their enthusiasm gave a fresh boost to mine, and I suddenly found myself challenging my limits, creating new and more complex worlds, and writing more than ever, in an attempt to learn more that I could share with them. Of course, I grew immensely in the process! I learned so much from my students in the years I taught that class. Though I am no longer actively teaching writing classes, I will always be a teacher at heart, and I still love mentoring and supporting new writers. You can find some of the tips I have shared with my students on my blog and social media.
I AM MORE THAN A WRITER.
I step over toys on the way to my desk, and many nights I write my stories between loads of laundry. I hash out ideas with my husband over dinner. There is an art to being able to quickly immerse yourself in a creative world, and just as quickly pull out again when a small voice calls, “Mommy, play with me!” I’m still working to master that art, but if there’s one thing I know, it’s that I can find time to write later but my children won’t always be this small. I am a wife and mom first.
I AM CURIOUSLY CREATING WORLDS.
I AM CCRAWFORDWRITING.
That is what you will find here. I enjoy a good challenge, especially if it takes meticulous attention to detail. Creativity is its own brand of challenge. Like learning to solve a puzzle, a well-crafted story has pieces that you must place, frame, turn, and match. I not only love breaking this down and understanding it, I love creating with it and helping others to be creative with it, too. Curiously exploring new story ideas and building captivating worlds is my passion, and I can't wait to share those new worlds and stories with all of you!
I write in several different genres on a regular basis. Dive into what I have available through the main menu, or choose a genre category to explore! I have a bunch of fun stuff here on this site, including deep-dives into some of my story worlds, and even character interviews! You can also check out my latest news, updates, and musings on my site blog.