Members of Writer’s Unite, Drayton travelled to Kitchener to hear a presentation by veteran American author Cecil Murphey on May 24.
Murphey has written or co- written 137 books, including New York Times best seller, 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper) and Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (with Dr. Ben Carson). A significant list of literary awards are included in his portfolio.
Murphey travels extensively, speaking on writing, spiritual growth, care giving, sexual abuse and recovery. Before becoming a full-time writer, he was a pastor, volunteer hospital chaplain and missionary in Kenya.
“My greatest adventure was a trip to Antarctica,” Murphey said. “In 1990, I wrote a book for Norman Vaughn called, With Byrd at the Bottom of the World. Vaughan, the last surviving member of Byrd’s expedition to the South Pole in 1928-30, cared for the sled dogs and Byrd named a mountain after him. After completing the book I yearned to make the journey to the Antarctica and was blessed to accomplish that in 2006.”
Murphey’s seminar focused on memoirs, autobiographies and biographies. His questions got participants pondering their writing endeavours. Why do you want to write your story? Who do you expect to read it? What’s your theme? What do you want your reader to know about you? How do you get the reader to care?
Murphey suggested that, “The more you talk about your failures, the more readers will like you. By showing humanity, people will respect you more. Keep as close to the facts as possible. Make your dialogues snappy as they will keep the story moving. Never start a story with, I was born on …”
When making a decision on accepting a potential job, Murphey indicated the story had to grab him, be something people want to read, the underdog must triumph and the theme must be relevant today. Most of all, there must be a trust between the two parties.
“God has given me three gifts as a writer besides the ability to write. First, I am fast at everything I do. Second, I have an enormous amount of energy. At 81, I still write eight hours a day and it’s still a fun job. Third, I’m focused. I can shut out noise and disruptions around me,” Murphey said.
Murphey has plans to slow down but will continue to jog 30 to 35 miles a week and read as many books as possible. He has work lined up for the next two years and is not accepting any extra work at this point.
Proceeds from the event were donated to the Word Guild, an organization of Christian Canadian writers, editors, speakers, publishers, booksellers, librarians and other interested individuals who are united by a passion for the written word.
