"Something from Nothing" by R.V. Kuser
– It did nothing and everything simultaneously.
His simple gift was the greatest gift.
R.V. Kuser resides in Winston Salem, North Carolina. He is an advocate, educator, motivational speaker, consultant, and author of two books. He is also a Southeast ADA (American with Disabilities Act) Trainer Member. R.V. is on a lifelong quest for ways to overcome misperceptions about individuals living with disabilities. To let everyone know, we CAN do anything. With his wife, Marlene, they both give a greater insight when speaking publicly and advocating. They would love to hear from you—questions, comments or just to say "hello." Contact them at kusertalk.com.
R.V. Kuser
Author’s Talk
Thank you for joining us today. I want to share with you why I write and what my process is. I write because I enjoy telling stories. I've always enjoyed telling stories. For me, to write a story, feels like I am molding clay and building something with dimension, it is almost like being a visual artist and I am molding a block of clay but instead of clay, I am “molding” stories.
When I am writing, I attempt to create a vivid and colorful scene for someone that is reading my work and to use their senses to help them immerse themselves into the story. I want the readers to enjoy the stories that I write. To discover how the stories relate to them and to possibly make them think about how they see the world and maybe even how they think about themselves. I also want my reader to discover a perspective they hadn't thought about before reading my work.
My writing process is as follows. First, I need to organize my thoughts. What I do is a lot of walking around my house. Walking around allows me to actually see the plot, the characters and how things could progress in the story. The story begins to unfold in my mind. I actually manipulate things, almost like a virtual reality program on a computer. After I have some segments or even a whole chapter completed, I will then put it in the computer.
Finally, I want to share another facet of why I write stories. It is a personal reason. The stories have always helped me to “get out” of my own mind. Let me explain what I mean by that. There are times when I feel stressed with anxiety. Writing allows me to create a whole new world. I want to convey hope and help people who may be dealing with the same thing. I live with autism and schizophrenia. When I write about those subjects, my goal is to help the reader know what a small part of my world looks like. I also want to help them appreciate any challenges they might have - the challenge is not what defines me or us, but it is how we must move past it. —R.V. Kuser