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Pauline Cartwright

writer, profile published in BRAT, Winter 2000

Sometimes I wonder what on earth I am doing sitting at a desk struggling to make words into rhythms and patterns and forms. But at the same time I know I can't imagine not spending regular time writing.

There are times when I resent the interruption of yet another school visit. All that driving, all that talking. But it is very rare for me to leave a school not feeling glad that I have been there. I go away valuing the feedback, perhaps humbled by a child's wise comment, or astounded again by the energy and enthusiasm of book-loving teachers. Contact with my real audience (readers) is very important.

One of the most fearsome things about being a writer is that some expect one's public face to be eccentric, extrovert, astounding…or at least wildly entertaining. In reality, writing is a very private thing and not all writers are performers. I know I'm not but I still like to stay very much in touch with all the other ordinary people of the planet. The interaction of people is of continual fascination to me and forms the basis of my writing.