By Grant Rutherford / reporter
Best-selling author Kim Edwards told NE students that every time she writes, she learns a little more about herself.
Kim Edwards came from her home in Kentucky to speak about her novels and short stories March 27-28.
“Writing is hard work. All writers feel discouraged,” she said. “Write for the joy of it to help you through the hardest times.”
Edwards read passages from her books and short stories, including The Secrets of a Fire King, “The Great Chain of Being,” The Lake of Dreams and The Memory Keeper’s Daughter which stayed on The New York Times Best Sellers’ List for two-and-a-half years.
Edwards, the oldest of four children, only applied to one college, which happened to be a community college down the road from her house. Her original major was business administration, but she changed to English when she found herself writing poetry instead of studying for accounting exams.
She lived at home, and after getting her associate degree, she transferred to Colgate University where she studied English with novelist Frederick Bush. She then went on to study creative writing at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop for graduate school.
After realizing that supporting herself on her English degree was hard, she went back to school to teach English as a second language. She then lived in many different Southeast Asian countries.
“I write stories to discover more about myself, much like an archaeological dig,” she said.
She also quoted French writer Gustave Flaubert, telling students that “talent is long patience.”
Susann Harding, a first-year student at NE, read and discussed “The Great Chain of Being” in her Comp II class.
“It was really interesting to hear the author’s perspective of the story and find out what made her write it under the circumstances,” Harding said.
Angelina Mueller, another first-year student at NE, attended both speeches.
“I thought it was really insightful, especially for aspiring writers,” she said. “She especially helped me with the editing and revising process.”
Edwards spoke to hundreds of students during her two-day visit.
“There were great questions, great readers, and it was overall a great group,” Edwards said.
