Visiting Writer Series welcomed fiction novelist Bryan Furuness to campus
Furuness spoke about his writing and what to look for when publishing and editing.
Author of “The Lost Episodes of Revie Bryson” and “Do Not Go On” was welcomed at the Hilltop to speak about his experiences as an author, at 7 p.m. Feb 20, in the Wyckoff Room at Cullom- Davis Library.
With every chair in the room taken, Furuness started by reading a part of his first book “The Lost Episodes of Revie Bryon” a story about a boy who believes he is the second coming of Christ.
Furuness transitioned into his next story “Do Not Go On” a story about a young girl who is struggling to be in the witness protection program. Furness told the audience about how he went into a deep dive about the witness protection program for this book, to ensure everything was accurate.
After locking in the audience, Furuness gave a reading from an exclusive piece of his new fiction novel, that is yet to be published. This novel took a spin on the normal Peter Pan story and instead followed Smee with his life in Indiana.
“My favorite part was being able to hear him read his own works out loud,” Camryn Reed, a senior Psychology major, an attendee of the event. “There is something so special about the author giving their writing a voice that helps give their words more meaning.”
Furuness ended by asking if there were any questions. The two questions that were the most engaging with the audience were “What is the publishing process like?” and “How to overcome writer’s block?”
He recommended learning about what publishing companies are looking for by working for companies such as Broadside at Bradley University. He told the audience about his experience of getting rejected multiple times before he got his first book published.
Another recommendation he had for overcoming writer’s block was to focus on the fascinations that writers in the audience have.
Ayden Earley, an English education major, found his advice to be helpful.
“It’s gonna be hard to get published and you might even be denied a few hundred times,” said Earley “but, through the speaker, I learned to keep fighting and eventually you’ll get your work published as well.”
Furuness has offered more advice on his website, consisting of how to find the right agent and more tips for overcoming writer’s block.
The event ended with applause with students staying behind to talk one-on-one with Furuness.
The next visiting writer will be Bradley Professor Devin Murphy on April 10 at 7 p.m.