Writing is Giving
?Writing should always reflect a piece of yourself,? renowned journalist turned best-selling novelist Carlton Stowers informed a group of Baylor students and professors last Tuesday. ?You?ve got to put a little bit of yourself into your story,? Carlton continued, ?You?ve got to feel it.?
Carlton Stowers is the author of more than two-dozen works of nonfiction, including the Edgar Award-winning Careless Whispers and the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Innocence Lost. His writing is an inspiration for aspiring screenwriters, poets, and fiction and non-fiction writers alike. About 50 students attended Carlton?s meeting, or more accurately, workshop, on the writing process.
Ruth Sabin was one of the students who attended simply to see if she could glean any of his esteemed wisdom that could help her writing. ?As a writer, I think it?s important to go to these events and learn from a ?master? writer,? Ruth said, ?I?m a master?s student in Film and Digital Media, and a lot of time [sic] people think I already know everything I need to know about writing. Not true. I learned a lot about involving emotion in my writing from Mr. Stowers.?
True-crime author Carlton stressed the importance of ?involving yourself in your story.? To the journalists in the room, he challenged what they had been taught previously by saying:
?People say it?s important as a reporter to stay detached from the subject, and not let the reader into your head. But that?s bull, forget that. If you don?t involve yourself in the story, like if you?re doing a profile or research article or a book, you?re doing it wrong.?
A lot of students seemed to respond to this comment positively. James Martin, a junior studying Chemistry, skipped one of his classes just to hear him speak, simply because journalism and writing is a hobby of his. ?I?ve loved his books. I?ve read three of them so far, and several of his past magazine articles,? James continued excitedly, ?His comment on how you shouldn?t be ?detached? from the subject you are writing on really hit home. I get so clinical with my subject, it was good to be reminded to actually care.?
Currently living with his wife in Cedar Hill, Texas, the 57-year-old novelist describes himself as a ?self-employed book writer.? Carlton Stowers has made writing his career for 30 to 40 years. With several of his books inspiring movies or TV shows, this true-crime author has the platform to speak to people on the writing process.
?You need to get into their mindset, and once you get there? do you have the tools necessary to tell the story in a proper way,? acclaimed author Stowers stressed to the front row of his audience. ?Emotion is one of the most important things as a writer. If you didn?t evoke a reaction from your reader, there?s something missing in what you?ve done.?
Carlton explained that the key to finding your passion in writing is to discover you?re ?niche.? It doesn?t matter if it?s business, sports, music, or anything else. He concluded the meeting simply by saying, ?Whatever gets your motor running is what you are going to best write about. If you don?t care, you will be miserable.??
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Author: averyj7
My life has been a series of adventures. Anything that sounds mildly to extremely dangerous I am not only all for it, but I will be the one with hand anxiously waving asking to go first. I am 21, a student at Baylor, and loving life.
Source: http://bohojo.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/carlton-stowers-how-he-writes-by-avery-jackson/
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