“I of the sun” is a story about a young author who takes a journey to Southeast Asia. Richard Arthur was 22 years old when he traveled to Asia, and wrote a book featuring his experiences there, while reminding readers about freedom. Arthur got his book published by Matador in 2013 and it is available on Amazon and in stores. For many students, becoming a young author like Arthur is an obtainable dream. Some students even walk the West Texas A&M University campus. Two former students and a transfer student had their stories published and are now available for purchase.
“Don’t believe in writers block,” Erik Burdett, freshman English major, said. “Because it’s not real and if you keep writing, what you might write might not be good [but] if you keep writing it’s going to get better.”
Burdett transferred from Colorado University in Boulder, Colo. to attend WTAMU. He wrote and self-published a book called “Things Like Love” showcasing his collection of poetry. Burdett chose to publish through a company known as Lulu. He continues to work on his writing and bases his next work on himself and his grandfather. His upcoming work is a series of poems about a boy who lives in the city and hates it. He shares his journey from going to the city to finding his home and happiness.
“Stories are perhaps the most effective way to teach and show people things,” Hunter Fithen, junior Criminal Justice major, said. “They are entertaining, they can be understood by anyone, and there’s something about a good story that tends to stick with people.”
Fithen’s book, “102 Memorable & Manly Ways to Ask a Lady to Prom,” is a guide for guys on ways to ask a girl to the prom. Fithen wrote this book as a class project in high school and ended up publishing it. Fithen sent his writing to many publishing companies until he got in touch with Amazon. His book is now available on the Kindle and at amazon.com. Since his book, Fithen has not tried to publish anything but still writes and plans on publishing with Amazon in the future.
“If writing is your passion, keep on writing, “Alex Gonzales, junior Nursing major, said. “Even if you struggle with publishing because it can be extremely difficult, just follow your dreams and keep writing.”
Gonzales wrote a book called “Wild Prep: Crazy Beautiful life” and this story is about privileged kids attending a prep school in Miami where it follows their lives both in school and personally through an online magazine. Gonzales shopped around for months until he found a publisher by the name of Author House and it worked out well for him. Gonzales also wrote this story when he was in high school. His book can be found on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
