Fantastic tales of other worlds, other planets, and other people. Robots who feel, aliens who are human, and magic hidden in plain sight. Those were the kinds of stories I had wanted to write as soon as I started to read.
But then something changed.
This year, I found that there were realms unknown right in front of me, if I only looked closely…
It began in Dr. Devet’s Spring 2021 classes “Technical Writing” and “Advanced Composition” where I attempted forms of writing I hadn’t previously encountered in academia.
I discovered the joys of travel writing as I wrote “Prisoners in Caesars Palace,” a piece about my family’s journey to Las Vegas to see the Grand Canyon in March 2020, just before the world shut down.
As I wrote about the adventure we had, I discovered I really was talking about another world, another time, a distant and strange land.
“Row upon row of slot machines glow with all their tempting, flashing might, but no one takes their arm. Blackjack tables stand abandoned, cards unshuffled and un-dealt on their green felted surfaces. Security staff give us beady stares as the sound of our rolling luggage fills a casino with no rolling dice.”
Excerpt from “Prisoners in Caesars Palace”
I was later so grateful to be given the opportunity to write for CofC’s Alumni Magazine– my piece, “Hearts of Stone” was published in Summer 2021.
I realized as I wrote, I was personifying statues, giving them an inner life that could only occur in fiction… or could it?
“The stone guardians of our city weep invisible tears for this year, and I feel for them.”
Excerpt from “Hearts of Stone”
And then I started this blog, from which even more possibilities sprung.
When Fall 2021 came, I was hired as an intern at The College Today, where I wrote news stories, which was quite new to me!
My supervisor Amanda was a wonderful mentor and helped me overcome my initial struggles. She coached me on ways I could grow as a writer, taught me some AP style rules for articles (rip my beloved Oxford Comma), and gave me insights into the journalism world.
Center for Excellence in Peer Education Celebrates 10 Years
I’ve linked some of my articles above.
During my internship, I faced real life journalism challenges. Reaching out for interviews and rushing to record an event and take photos were exciting new writing tasks.
And strangely enough, I found I was writing about a broad cast of characters and their worlds, somewhat unwittingly.
This year, I didn’t chase stories from other worlds as much as I let those stories find me. Somehow, I still ended up writing those tales of beautiful faraway lands and daring protagonists I’d always dreamed of.
When I let go of writing my way, I found I had more style and voice than ever.
I think one of my all-time favorite authors puts it best.
“Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favorite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end submit with ever fiber of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”
– C.S. Lewis
Rachel Brei 