July 10, 2008
Suzie Eller, RTF Founder, met Maddee Schrader two years ago. She knew instantly that Maddee had that “it factor” in her writing. Maddee has big plans to publish her writing, and she also shares her faith and fresh outlook on God and life as a RTF staff writer. Join Suzie and Maddee as they talk about writing, sticking with it, and peanut-butter banana smoothies.
Suzie: Hey Maddee, Thanks for joining us on RTF. You’ve written for a long time, but when did you know that you wanted to be a writer?
Maddee: I was nine. My sister and I brainstormed an idea about kid spies. Amazingly, we finished the entire novel, though a few years later I force fed it to the computer. No remaining copies exist. That was the beginning.
Suzie: That’s unfortunate. I think that’s one of the first things we learn the hard way — back up your work! But that’s only one of many lessons. I don’t think people realize how hard it can be. Why do you want to write?
Maddee: Wow, tough question. I’m one of those people who cannot not write. I love smuggling truth into what I write - not watering it down, but packaging it so people may not realize what they’re reading at first. Karl Marx said “Give me twenty-six lead soldiers and I will conquer the world.” In today’s era of entertainment, the written word faces off with television, movies, and video games. Yet there are still authors - good, solid authors - being read. I believe books can be saved.
Suzie: That’s awesome. If you could do one thing and money or challenges weren’t an issue, what would that be?
Maddee: Even tougher question.
Some things such as living in Washington D.C. for a year or publishing my first book come to mind. I think I’ll settle on knowing who I really am in Christ, what my exact purpose in life is. Please, don’t make me out to be sanctimonius. Sometimes I struggle with knowing who I am, and that would make my life easier if God would email me the path of my life.
Suzie: I agree. I’ve always wanted the five-year plan written out on the wall. After all, it happened in the Bible, why not for me? : ) But the writing journey is important. It’s where you learn and grow, and perhaps that’s why we get to learn one baby step at a time. Any advice for other teen writers?
Maddee: Stick with it! You will get rejections. You will write terrible stuff. You will get writer’s block. Like James said, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance.”
Suzie: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Maddee: In five years, I see myself working on my master’s degree in creative writing.
Suzie: You mentioned the 26 lead soldiers. It’s amazing how one book or one letter can change a person’s heart. I’m a big believer in “Change*the*World”, knowing that one teen can change their corner of the world in big or small ways, whether writing or feeding the homeless or helping build a house for a family in need. What do you think teens are capable of?
Maddee: A lot of people make the mistake of underestimating what teenagers can do and their intelligence. I think if teenagers turned their bottomless energy to productive tasks, they could change the world.
Suzie: Okay, let’s switch gears. What is your most embarrassing moment?
Maddee: I work diligently to erase those memories! An averted embarassment related to writing occurred at a Christian Writers’ Guild conference this year. An hour or so before I had an appointment to meet with an editor, I happened to glance over a description of that company again.
“Not interested in young adult fiction.”
I canceled.
Suzie: What is your proudest moment?
Maddee: Tough. I’ll go with getting a small scholarship from an essay I wrote.
Suzie: Your favorite food?
Maddee: Aww, that’s impossible to answer. A smattering: chai lattes, brownies, red grapes, peanut-butter-banana smoothies, pad thai.
Suzie: Is there anything else you want to share with RTF readers?
Maddee: If you’re serious about your writing, you might check out www.christianwritersguild.org. There’s a two-year mentoring program for teenagers. I went through it and it revolutionized my writing. Stay in God’s Word! Don’t make the mistake of falling off during the summer - there’s no such thing as a vacation from God.
If you are interested in sharing your writing with teens across the world, e-mail RTF with a sample (poem, devo, song, short story, interview, review).
Debbie says:
Maddee, congratulations! You’re famous!
Debbie