A&E
New York Times Bestselling Author Maas ’08 discusses the writing industry
By Makayla Franks ’19
April 13, 2017
Tags a+e
On Thursday night, author Sarah J. Maas ’08 came to Hamilton to discuss her career, her time at Hamilton and the steps she took to get where she is today. With a candid air, she took the podium at the Events Barn and told a story that I’m sure a fair few of us can relate to. Encouraged by teachers at a young age to pursue writing and reading the way she clearly wanted to, torn between being a “tomboy” and a “girly girl,” struggling to express herself through middle and high school and turning to her writing and the internet as a result, Maas found a way to turn her coping mechanisms and private projects into two New York Times bestselling series.
She was real about the struggles of the timing of her graduation and her chosen major. “In 2008, the economy tanked, so it wasn’t really the best time to be a Creative Writing major, because no one wanted to hire you.” She spoke candidly about how, even during the 18 months after graduation she spent without a job, she used that time to write pitch letters to agents, editing and revising her works, all the while with a conviction that this was what she wanted to do.
“I like to tell writers that all it takes is one person. As much as the rejections and denials can hurt, all it takes is one person to get your writing out there. Out of all the pitch letters I sent out to agents, only one responded. And out of all the publishers she sent my manuscripts to, only one said yes. And I still have those today.”
As far as balancing writing her novels and her career as a college student, she maintained that discipline was important, and that writing was like a muscle and needed to be worked out as such, but college is also important to experience. “I knew that writing would always be there for me, but college was a finite time of experiences that I knew I could only experience once.”
Founder of the Novelist’s Support Club, Giovanna Petta ’19 had this to say: “She’s a ray of sunshine with excellent makeup skills and awesome writing. She was relatable and quirky and it was a pleasure to get to know her one on one. Despite her overwhelming success, she was extremely caring and took time to talk to everyone that approached her. Maas also said she would be our honorary member [of the Novelist’s Support Club]. We have witnesses. It’s happening.” Charlie Cross ’19 mentioned that, “It’s nice to hear about other Hamilton alums who make it in the literary world who are not s***heads like Ezra Pound.”
Her approachable manner was a welcome start to the month of April, especially when writers and readers alike are turning their gaze to the long summer months, expectant of what is to come. Sarah J. Maas’ next book, A Court of Wings and Ruin, comes out May 2, 2017.