棉花糖直播

Author Writing His Next Chapter, Book

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Posted on December 5, 2016

Alice Jackson

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Robert Bennie Warren, who will receive a master鈥檚 of English degree from the University of South Alabama during Fall Commencement on Dec. 10, is racking up in the goals category. He is already the author of three published books.

Now, he is looking for a higher education job, hopefully where he can teach creative writing and, perhaps, work on a doctorate in creative writing.

鈥淚鈥檝e been in school for most of my life, so I figure I may as well get a career working in education,鈥� Warren said. 鈥淎nd, if I can help other people develop as writers and get published, then that鈥檚 all the better.鈥�

The lifelong reader found his career direction as a youngster after he read 鈥淭he Hobbit,鈥� the children鈥檚 fantasy novel by English author J.R.R. Tolkien.

鈥淭hat book is a really good starting point for learning about writing fantasy because it gives you the basics of fantasy plot, structure and character,鈥� Warren said.

He was 15 years old when he completed his first full-length manuscript, a major milestone for an aspiring writer of any age.

鈥淚t was a crime thriller, and it was terrible, but I wrote it relatively fast, although I was in school most of the day. It seemed like I was dreaming for the impossible, but I did it,鈥� Warren recalled.

After earning a bachelor of science degree, Warren worked as a stocker at a pet shop in Alpharetta, Ga., where he wrote his first published book, 鈥淢urder on Olympus.鈥� It was published by Dragonfairy Press, a small, independent publishing company specializing in fantasy, science fiction and their sub-genres, including urban fantasy, supernatural horror, paranormal romance, cyberpunk, dystopian and others.

Warren said the publishing of his first book gave him the courage to return to school for a master鈥檚 degree.

Warren followed with the sequel, 鈥淥lympus Confidential.鈥� His third, and most recent book, was a standalone thriller, 鈥淒elete,鈥� from Plenary Publishing.

To date, Warren is pleased with his publishing experiences, describing them as 鈥渁ctually making some royalties, some nice returns, and to realize I actually had fans was a little surreal.鈥�

The 34-year-old, who calls Tuscaloosa home, said he came to South for his master鈥檚 鈥渂ecause the creating writing program here has a very impressive staff, to say the least.鈥�

Higher education was always in Warren鈥檚 future because his parents, who attended college but didn鈥檛 finish, 鈥渨ere always supportive of me and my sisters going to college and getting our degrees.鈥�

鈥淎ctually, my family has always been very supportive of everything I鈥檝e done in my life, whether it was martial arts, painting, comic book art or my aspirations to become a writer,鈥� Warren said. 鈥淢y sister in Tuscaloosa was always encouraging me to do better. If I got a 鈥橞,鈥� she told me I should have gotten an 鈥橝.鈥� With my family鈥檚 support, I was able to do what I wanted to do. And, it really wasn鈥檛 an option in our family to not go to college.鈥�

Warren said his family plans to be in the Mitchell Center audience on Dec. 10 to see him receive his master鈥檚 degree.

鈥淚f I get a Ph.D., that would put my parents on Cloud Nine because one of my sisters has a Ph.D. in psychology, so there would be two in the immediate family,鈥� Warren said. He said he鈥檚 also considering applying to several MFA programs in creative writing.

While searching for a teaching job, Warren is continuing his daily schedule of writing.

鈥淚 write whenever I can because I鈥檓 working on a novel that I鈥檝e been writing for two years. It started off as a novel to submit to publishers, but then I turned it into my thesis, and now I鈥檓 writing a variation of it that鈥檚 separate from the thesis so my thesis can remain its own unique thing,鈥� Warren said.

Titled 鈥淎rchetype,鈥� it centers around a female child soldier in Africa with super powers.

Warren continued, 鈥淪he has super powers, and she uses them to try to stop a warlord who is trying to overthrow her country鈥檚 government. It鈥檚 unlike anything I鈥檝e done before.鈥�

The writer said he鈥檒l miss South鈥檚 department of English 鈥渨here it鈥檚 like a big family and everybody makes you feel welcome.鈥�

Warren added, 鈥淚t makes the prospect of leaving really tough, but I know all the faculty and the staff want the students to go on and be successful wherever that success may take them, and I appreciate everything they鈥檝e done for me.鈥�

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