Meet the Speaker
If you’ve never had the opportunity to attend a writers workshop by best-selling author and storyteller Steven James, you’ve missed out.
We can fix that for you.
We’re bringing Steven to Lexington for the Serious Writer Tour Stop. Join us on May 26th!
But first, enjoy this sneak peek into his great wit and wisdom.
Why did you decide to become a writer?
Ever since my uncle told me stories when I was a kid I’ve been in love with stories and storytelling.
I started out telling my uncle’s stories to the kids at camp to bore them to sleep—and I was good at that!
Then one night a kid stayed awake and said, “Do you have any more stories?” And I had used up all of my uncle’s stories and had to come up with one of my own.
That was the night I felt like I had become a storyteller.
From there, over the years, I ended up penning my stories, and now telling stories is my life.
I think having a passion to be a storyteller is vital to doing this for a living.
What has been one of the most surprising parts of your writing journey?
Enjoying the research.
I never thought I’d be into that part of the gig, but I’ve really enjoyed getting to know amazing people and discover fascinating facts that I’ve been able to weave into my stories.
What’s one of the funniest experiences you’ve had as a writer?
I don’t know that it was hilarious, but it struck me as humorous.
A lady came up to me at a conference and said, “You are one of my biggest fans!” And I wasn’t sure what to say to that, so I just smiled and she reiterated, “No, no, no you are! You are my biggest fan!”
And so I said, “In that case, I’m glad to finally meet you.”
If you could only give one bit of advice to someone considering entering the writer’s world, what would it be?
Don’t publish your work too early.
With self-publishing these days, people are rushing to get their books in print and, while they might have good ideas, in almost every case they are publishing them too early before the story is as finely tuned as it should be.
If you were moving to a tiny island for a year, what three books would you take with you?
A book on how to build rafts out of palm trees, one on how to make food out of sand, and the Bible.
What’s one of the biggest mistakes writers make?
Outlining.
Writers need to learn to listen to the story and let it take shape without “plotting it out” or following some formula or template for it—unless you want to write formulaic stories, that is.
Not my cup of tea. I’d rather write original, groundbreaking stories than cookie-cutter ones.
Want to learn more from Steven?
Come to the Serious Writer Tour Stop in Lexington, SC on May 26, 2018.
Steven will be joined by authors Michelle Medlock Adams and Bethany Jett.
Don’t miss it. Register today.
Check out Steven James’ Website and His Books on Amazon
