Writers find inspiration in some unique places, but money isn't one of them

Kevin Eldridge, a first-year creative writing graduate student, doesn’t look at attending school for writing as a financial investment. But after writing a short story in third grade titled “Godzilla” and receiving positive feedback from his classmates, Eldridge realized his passion for writing, and for poetry in particular.

“I think that writing poems is a lot like a prayer or meditation,” Eldridge said. “It sounds like a ‘pretentious writer’ thing to say, but it’s kind of like I’ve connected with something that I didn’t realize before I wrote the poem.”

Although Eldridge said he didn’t read poetry growing up, he strongly feels that reading is important to developing as a writer. He said he hunts for the perfect books to give as gifts to friends in hopes of encouraging literacy.

“I think it’s depressing how little people read – part of us isn’t engaging anymore because we don’t read very much,” Eldridge said.

IU English professor Alyce Miller supports fellow writers by purchasing books at independent bookstores, such as Boxcar Books.

“I avoid Borders because it’s a corporate bookstore,” Miller said. “I like to go into bookstores where workers actually know who writers are.”

And instead of focusing on literary works, IU English professor Tony Ardizzone said he’s noticed that companies increasingly seem to promote the film version of a story that was originally a book by displaying a photo of the lead actors on the cover.

Ardizzone said that watching a film before reading the book can take away from the experience, but he doesn’t feel that authors who sign contracts with movie producers are selling out.

“I would try to protect certain things,” Ardizzone said. “I don’t write so that I can sell a movie, but if someone came to me and said they would like to make a movie on one of my books, I would sit down and talk about it.”

Because of the modest salary most writers make, Eldridge plans to move out of the United States and live in a country that is less expensive.

“I’ve known for years that being a writer isn’t a viable career, but I’m just studying what interests me,” Eldridge said.

Miller said she wants the government to spend more money on state-funded art programs because she feels that there aren’t enough opportunities in the arts and that people don’t give them enough attention. She said she wishes writers could make more money, especially poets who tend not to make anything.

“If you have a writer friend, one of the nicest things you can do is buy his or her book,” Miller said.