Do you know where your favorite authors went to college or that sometimes they give really great life advice? It turns out that the people who have so greatly influenced pop culture are really cool and interesting themselves. No surprise there! Here are a few interesting facts and bits of advice from some of our favorite writers.
John Green: The brilliant author of the beloved story, The Fault in Our Stars, attended Kenyon College, a small liberal arts school in Ohio. While there, he earned a degree in English and religious studies. You may or may not know, but Green was a widely followed YouTube star before he became a famous author. He and his brother, Hank, run a YouTube channel called Vlogbrothers. In his videos, Green often gives great advice. Check it out: “Maximizing income is a hell of a lot less important than maximizing passion and fulfillment in your life both professionally and personally. College is about becoming a better and more informed observer of the universe. And for me at least that’s what leads to a better and more fulfilling life.”
Suzanne Collins: The author of The Hunger Games trilogy attended Indiana University. She majored in theater and telecommunication and then went on to get her Masters in dramatic writing from New York University. She worked as a writer for numerous childrens TV shows for a while until one of her coworkers told her she should write a book. Thank you, dear unknown coworker! Some of Collins’ favorite books are 1984, Lord of the Flies and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.
Veronica Roth: For those of you who were unaware, Veronica Roth wrote Divergent (the first book of the Divergent trilogy) during the Winter Break of her senior year in college, meaning she was only 21! Roth admits she did not go out much in college, but hey, who wouldn’t trade their 21st “sign night” for a bestselling series? Veronica went to Northwestern University and majored in creative writing. Here she offers some great insight into being a collegiette: “But it’s important, whether you’re a writer or not, to remember that while you are a student, you are also a person. And I think you should prioritize being a person–being healthy, sleeping, resting, hanging out with friends, exploring the world…”
Nicholas Sparks: And now, ladies and gentlemen, the master of the tear jerkers. This love story writing machine went to Notre Dame, where he majored in finance. He was a telemarketer and worked many odd jobs for a number of years until he hit it big with The Notebook. He was 28 years old at the time, and the rest is history. Sparks and his wife separated recently after 25 years of marriage; it’s a sad irony indeed, but all the best to you, Mr. Sparks, and thank you for the many years of tears.
J.K. Rowling: Of course I have to include J.K. Rowling in this list of authors! Rowling studied French and classics at the University of Exeter on the south coast of England. After graduating, she worked as a researcher for Amnesty International and then moved to Portugal to teach English. She outlined the entire Harry Potter series over five years and then began writing some of the most popular books ever published. Rowling is basically the Beyoncé of writing. She offers some words to live by with: “Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.”
Whether you want to be a writer or not, I think we all have something to learn from some of today’s biggest pens in literature. In some form, we want to emulate the significant impacts these authors have made on the world. As young collegiettes, we need to realize that this emulation comes in many versions. We may do something great at 21 or 28 but either way, we are each capable of doing something great.
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