SHU faculty member shares writing experience

Before Dr. Albert Wendland was a published writer, he “was a child who loved to read fiction, who received so much pleasure from reading these works of fiction that he wanted to give the same pleasure to others,” said Dr. Albert Wendland.

wendlandFast-forward to today and Dr. Wendland is a published author and professor here at Seton Hill University. Wendland said, “My favorite genre of books to write is science fiction, but I also enjoy writing mystery and spy thriller books. I will often combine all of these genres together when I am writing, but all of the fiction that I have written has so far been science fiction.” Wendland has read science fiction books all of his life and it helped shape his outlook on the future, the past, and his relationship to the physical universe itself.

Some of the science fiction authors who have inspired Dr. Wendland include: Andre Norton, Poul Anderson, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury and Clifford D. Simak. Wendland said that “when I starts the writing process it is haphazardly, spastically, and I am obsessively involved.” Wendland said, “the ideas percolate, stirring and connecting in my mind until I’m ready. And then, when I am ready, I fasten my seatbelt and plunge forward. Once it starts I won’t slow down even to do research.”

When asked about if he includes real events Dr. Wendland commented, “Oh, sure. But most people wouldn’t notice them.  If you use a long story from your past, then you are writing a memoir.  But if you just use quick incidents, places you have visited, little things you’ve seen, quick impressions, a quirk of someone’s behavior, then you are writing fiction.” Wendland also said, “I do not give much thought into the names of my characters. I just look for a name that is interesting and even looks for names that are different.”

Wendland’s message to aspiring writers is, “read and write, read and write, then read and write some more. Always read, and never stop writing. Read a lot, then write a lot. Just do not stop.It might take a while, but you will get there.”

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