On Wednesday, Feb. 16, Professor Jesse Waters hosted a 45-minute event at the Elizabethtown College Bowers Writers House. There attendees discussed creative writing over coffee and chocolate fondue.
Waters organized this event to allow creative writers and literature readers to express their viewpoints on creativity.
“I wanted to create something new and interesting during the afternoon that Etown students could attend just after lunch… Something casual and engaging involved with creative writing that could be low stress and a lot of fun,” Waters said.
Waters discussed the phrase “writers owe readers” to the attendees. They have lots to owe readers when dealing with character development, relationships and conflicts.
“Well, I’m of the mind that writers owe readers just what many of the students stated: a sense of respect, and a willingness not to take advantage of the reader; if you set a reader up for something, you owe it to them as a ‘payoff’ to either create satisfaction through delivering on that payoff or specifically denying it in a way that readers can appreciate,” Waters said.
It’s the opposite with readers. They do not owe writers anything. It puts pressure on writers to make sure their books hook the reader.
“Readers don’t owe writers a single thing, not even the first sentence of their book,” Waters said.
Waters also discussed the phrase “jumping the shark.” It is a term used in Hollywood. He and the attendees connected it with writers and their stories.
“This is a Hollywood television term that is used when a series has ‘reached beyond its grasp’; basically, it’s when the writers and producers have milked the series too much, and push the characters and relationships into conflicts which deny believability,” Waters said.
Everyone expressed their viewpoints on fanfiction during the event. They are stories written by fans involving fictional characters. Despite that, everyone had their definition for the term.
“I guess I defined it as when a writer chooses to ‘pluck’ a character from a known series and create and/or develop an entirely new plot line with different relationships and conflicts then are found in the original,” Waters said.
Attendees also discussed how some authors view fanfictions. The topic gets controversial. Some authors see them as stealing from their original work, while others admire them.
“I don’t really read fanfiction, but I’m fascinated by its presence, and I do think it’s an interesting and refreshing way to look at characters that may not have been placed as a central being previously,” Waters said.
Waters also connected the mentality of artists with fiction writers. There are two types of mindsets that most artists take. One is that they believe that, in Water’s words, “they are right, and the world is wrong.” Because of that, their intelligence and perception are unappreciated by the public.
The other mindset is the exact opposite; artists believe the world is right, and they’re wrong. They see their work as mediocre, and it will never reach the public’s liking.
“Many artists sway between these two states of being, and that, I believe, is why so few people become artists, and why those that do often become neurotic!” Waters said.
Like artists, an author’s attitude can affect how people perceive them. After becoming popular, they must decide whether to continue creating their famous work or try other things.
“After all, becoming popular is, for many people, a very attractive thing, especially if it has to do with making money/selling art. Then there’s also the factor of an artist’s personality; if an artist is extremely approachable and humble, that can often win them fans, and a greater appreciation from the public. If an artist is a real jerk, well… People don’t tend to like jerks, and might not then continue to follow that artist and their work,” Waters said.
