Craig

Ian

Biographical Notes

I can't really talk about writing without putting it in the context of family. Diana, Daniel and Ian are my partners in life - my daily preoccupation and inspiration.

The realities of family, community and work have added depth and meaning to an urge, which has been part of my makeup for as long as I can remember. More recently I have encapsulated my love of writing into a simple phrase: I will add to the joy and wonder of my world through creative writing. The defining words of this personal mission statement are Joy and Wonder. If you are interested in my philosophical musings - particularly as they apply to writing - visit craigspence.blogspot.com.

I have come to believe that artists are people who refuse to give up the joys of imaginative play. As a creative writer I cast stories into words instead of enacting them with building blocks and action figures. But there's a direct line from the writer's garret to the playground, and the best writers entice readers to join in a game called creative fiction.

I don't know whether to count my vocation as a blessing or an affliction; what I do know is I have no choice in the matter. I can either write, and accept the possibility of failure; or not write, and live with the certainty.

Like many other writers, I have tried to transform the muse into a less fanciful patron saint by dressing him up in work clothes. Journalism and various other careers that utilized my technical writing skills, without straying into the Never-Never Land of fiction, allowed me to avoid the inconveniences of life as a struggling artist. I sometimes regret my youthful lack of courage and would counsel anyone who feels a creative spark to nurture it, blow on it and feed it as many sheets of paper as it needs to become a self-sustaining fire.
51-18883 65th Avenue, Surrey, BC, V3S 8Y2 • 778-574-5435 • craig-spence@shaw.ca