Author and Graduate Elizabeth Bear Visitis Rockville High School

Sarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky, a Rockville High School graduate of the class of 1989, returned to her roots on Friday, December 16, to the RHS Creative Writing Advanced class.

Her and her newlywed husband, Scott Lynch, who is an American fantasy author, best known for his Gentleman B------ series, came to give their advice both as successful authors to the young writers.

“I’ll have an idea, and I’ll know where it comes from, and I’ll have to look for other stuff to attach to it,” Bear said when she talked about how ideas come to her.

“You have an idea, right? And then you're like, ‘ well that’s just an idea not a story.’ You know, an idea is great, but a story has to have characters, conflict and an arch, and it has to be interesting. If you just have an idea, it’s just an essay.” She said.

Many of her stories come from life experiences such as watching people in the park, or new headlines.

“I was listening to a story on NPR about this kid in Brooklyn who was talking about why he's a graffiti artist and why he paints and he said, ‘I paint on trains because the trains are going somewhere and I don’t feel like I ever will.’” Bear said that was her inspiration for the rest of her short story Two Dreams On a Train.

Bear has published 28 novels, including Hammered, The Chains That You Refuse, and her most recent collection of works, which was published in 2012, Shaggoths in Bloom.

Bear started her writing career at RHS, where she felt most at home in the writing department. RHS was not her favorite point in her life. “I was one of the weird nerdy kids,” she said. “I never really fit in anywhere . . . my senior year was when I found my spot with the drama kids.” she said.

Back then, the drama program did a one act play series where students would write their own original one act play and eight of the best plays would be selected to be performed. Students would then have to cast actors, and direct the play.

Bear’s one act was chosen her senior year, and the road to becoming a successful writer was then paved.

“It was a 17 year old’s idea of what divorce drama was like.” Bear said, describing her one act play that was chosen her senior year. “But everyone goes through apprenticeship,” she said “Nobody is born fully formed, writing amazing things.”

Bear’s life as a professional writing is nothing short of an average person’s life. She takes care of her kittens, she cleans the house when she does not want to write, and she travels the world meeting thousands of fans every year with her famous husband.

“Our cycles don’t peak at the same time,” Lynch said “We normally slide food under the door and run.” He said, talking about their lives as two writers.

They both agreed that they are separate artists, but their work is both equally good in its own way. The life of a successful writer is not much of a fairytale, but they are both living their dreams.

Photo Credit: Emily Harrison