Writing, as any writer will tell you, is hard work. Writers work day and night to provide readers with quality material that not only entertains but also tells the truth and accurately represents the writer’s point of view. Camosun English instructor Laurie Elmquist writes children’s books when she’s not teaching, and she follows that formula down to the letter.
Elmquist’s new book, Ruckus, is her second story chronicling young Reece Hansen as he struggles through his parents’ divorce and, this time around, gets some furry help as he finds the way to acceptance.
“I suppose that I was drawn to this situation of a young boy going through a divorce because I understand that it’s a very common problem for young children, probably one of their biggest struggles at a early age,” she says. “So, it’s a theme I’m interested in, but I am also interested in what sustains us in life, what makes us resilient. And I think the love of animals and pets is so important. It’s something young people can hold tight when everything is falling apart. That’s a stable influence in their life, and it’s something that they can hold for comfort, so that was why I was drawn to this subject material of a boy and his dog. And I own a Jack Russell, so I modelled this dog from my own experience with that breed.”
Elmquist says that writing is very important to her, as it is not only her passion but also what she does for work. It has a personal meaning as well.
“To me, writing really means a time that I get all to myself to create,” she says. “I think that the act of creation is so important to being alive, so I often write about topics to try to understand them.”
Ruckus is a book for children, but Elmquist says that she manages to address big subjects in it.
“What surprises and delights me is that when I’m telling my stories, I can work in some important themes, and I never talk down to my audience,” she says. “I always try to put in the kind of language that I love to read and I enjoy. So, in terms of quality, the writer is still trying to be the best that they can be and tell the best story that they can tell. Truthfully, I think the best stories that are being told right now are being told at the middle-grade YA [young adult] level. The storytelling is so terrific… writers realize that it’s very important to their audience.”
As far as advice for young writers goes, Elmquist says that there are so many things to say, but one thing she really stresses is to make sure they’re working on their words.
“I would advise them to make time for their writing. It seems like there are so many things that press upon us. I always write in the morning and make it almost the same as exercise—you just put it in your schedule so it’s something you don’t even think whether or not you’re going to write that day. You simply just write,” she says. “So that’s what I will advise them to do, because there is only one way to become a great writer, and that is to write.”