Creative writing isn't just a class at IU; it's a way of life for some local authors. \nBreaking into the business of writing for a living is a difficult task, but two Indiana writers have made it as far as getting their books published. David Schanker is on his third novel, and A'lelia Bundles said she plans to continue her research of her great-great-grandmother and write a biography of her. \nBoth writers said they do preparation work before starting the writing process. Schanker writes every first draft in longhand, which he said helps him to see the complete progression of his thoughts. Bundles spent countless hours researching not only the subject of her biography, but also the time period. Both writers advised aspiring authors to practice writing every day if they want to succeed.
David Schanker -- The fiction of law\nA ball-point pen and a fresh sheet of notebook paper don't always satisfy a writer's needs.\nSchanker, author and an IU Law School graduate, said he needs more than these two items to spark creativity.\n"I wake up at 4:30 in the morning before going to work, and I always make a pot of coffee and have three Fig Newtons," he said. "Something about the two together wakes me up, gets my mind going. It's a great time for work because it's so quiet, my mind is fresh, and I have no accumulated stress or problems from the day."\nSchanker, 46, works as the chief of staff to the clerk of the Indiana Supreme Court, Brian Bishop. He said he has always been interested in writing, although while an undergraduate at New York University, he focused much more on film. After pursuing his interest in film following graduation, he said he realized the aspect of film he liked better than cinematography was writing. He then received an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Columbia University. A New York native, he soon realized he had another calling.\n"I thought I needed to do something to earn a steadier income, so I decided to go to law school," he said. "So I came to Bloomington, and it changed our lives."\nHis most recent novel, "Natural Law," is the sequel to his first novel, "A Criminal Appeal." The book has garnered attention and interest from actress Camryn Manheim of "The Practice." Manheim said she enjoyed the book so much she intends to someday produce the film version, which Schanker said is "tremendously exciting."\nBoth mysteries involve murder, sex, basketball and, of course, the law. Schanker said the southern Indiana culture -- the food, countryside, people and language -- combined with his new legal knowledge sparked a renewed creativity.\n"It made me a much strong writer than I was in New York," he said. "I began to see my characters playing out their lives on a much bigger canvas than before. Courtrooms are places that people act out their dramas in a very intense way. The prevalence of legal drama on television is a testament to how fascinated people are by those conflicts."\nSchanker has a third novel in the works, but following the publication of that story, he said he hopes to write a play, take a break from novel writing and someday return to practicing law. A 10-year resident of Indiana, a fact which Shanker said "definitely qualifies me as a Hoosier," he is content for now, enjoying the gratification of being a published author -- his dream come true -- after 16 years of writing.\n"I also enjoy the pleasure of expressing myself in fiction and getting the reactions and feedback of people who are moved or challenged by what I've written," he said. "The nicest comment I've received came from a longtime Indiana resident, who said, 'this was a book that needed to be written.' It meant a lot to me."
A'lelia Bundles -- A biography of her own ancestry\nA'lelia Bundles said she likes clutter.\nA native of Indianapolis and current resident of Alexandria, Va., the overflowing file cabinets and bookshelves of the third floor of Bundles' townhouse represent the intense, laborious process of researching her great-great-grandmother for a biography titled, "On Her Own Ground, The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker." To avoid a sense of craziness from the year and a half spent on the third floor perfecting her book, Bundles said, "with each chapter I wrote I'd change the photos on the walls to reflect what I was writing about."\nBundles, 48, said this reflection resembled her desire to completely shift gears temporarily after spending 20 years working for ABC News. Following the time working on her novel and an 18-city book tour, she has recently returned as a full-time consultant to ABC News. \nShe said the book tour confirmed for her that people were affected by Walker's story. Walker was an African-American activist who lived in Indianapolis in the early 1900s.\n"I wanted to dispel myths about Madam Walker, create a more multi-dimensional picture of her," she said. "In addition to her innovative entrepreneurship, I wanted to show her philanthropy and political activism. \nMostly, I wanted to weave this tapestry … I could've written it without side stories and extensive research, but I thought they added texture and made the people come alive."\nBundles' father, Henry Bundles, is an IU School of Journalism graduate and freelances for Ebony and Jet. He said he got a uniquely intimate look into Walker's story; every time A'Lelia finished a chapter, she would send it to him for his opinion.\n"She has taken that life of Madam Walker and made this person, not a mythical type of thing that sells, but this whole person," he said. "I've learned from that book more than what I knew from family discussions. I saw the crying and laughing and learning involved in the process and got a lot of history of myself as I read things I didn't really know about. \nIt's been a great ride, and I'm very pleased and proud that she's been able to gather this information and put it in such concise terms."\nBut sending chapters to her father for advice and approval was not the only step in improving and perfecting what she said became more than just a project, but a passion.\n"Each chapter of my book, I rewrote 10 to 15 times, revising it with a purple ink fountain pen," she said. "I just redid it until rhythm of sentences felt good to me, until the story felt right."\nOnce the story felt right, Henry Bundles said he recognized that his favorite part of the biography is something which doesn't appear on the pages of the book, but rather in the writing process and his memory when his wife was dying.\n"A'Lelia told her mother all the things she had uncovered in her research, the for-real parts all of us have in families and lives, questioning whether she should write things," he said. "Her mother said, 'tell the truth, baby, you can't go wrong telling truth.' I've always believed that and that's what A'Lelia's done in this book, which touched me more than anything else."\nBundles said she never wanted to fictionalize Walker's life, as her journalism background has led her to enjoy and appreciate uncovering historical facts. This philosophy drove her to delve as deeply as possible into not only her great-great-grandmother, but also the world around her.\n"With women and people of color, the true stories have not been told enough," she said. "I would say the fabric of American history is incomplete unless it includes contributions of everybody, not just presidents, not just powerful white business men. Madam Walker represents a group of people who were in the process of transforming themselves, trying to become part of the American dream"
