I chose to go the Sci-fi/fantasy route this month in honor of Dave Farland, author, aka David Wolverton, aka My Story Doctor, aka Author Whisperer, aka winner and judge of L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future, aka founder of the Apex Writers Group, aka marketing strategist.
Dave worked in the gaming, (not gambling), industry too.
Farland wrote for major franchises such as Star Wars and The Mummy. He worked in Hollywood greenlighting movies and doctoring scripts.
Check out all his YouTube videos!
My Story Doctor kept few secrets about himself being open about his past, his religious beliefs, his illnesses, and failures and successes.
If I recall correctly, he was a former prison guard too.
Most important, he donated much of his life to the service of others.
(Note this broadcast is from 2015)
As a BYU creative writing teacher, Dave championed many famous authors including:
- Brandon Sanderson (Wheel of Time & The Way of Kings)
- James Dashner (The Maze Runner)
- Stephanie Meyer (Twilight)
- Brandon Mull (Fablehaven)
- J.K. Rowling *Dave told the story of how Scholastic asked him to review a group of manuscripts and select one for publication. He chose, Harry Potter. They then asked him for ideas on marketing, with an extremely limited budget. Seems like his ideas worked.
I never saw him pull a rabbit out of a hat. Most likely because he was too busy.
And he was always willing to appear anywhere, many times free of charge, to help authors in all stages and genres of writing.
Dave passed away at the age of 64 in January 2022, with over 145 distinct works.
Farland’s son Spencer stated on Facebook:
“After reading the countless messages and reflecting on my own experience, it is safe to say that my dad had a special way of seeing the potential in people. He will surely be missed.”
I know Dave hopes you see the potential in yourself too.
I met Dave in person last October at the Writers of the Future contest winner’s workshop week in Hollywood. We shared a ride from the airport to the hotel. He and I were the only passengers besides the driver, so I took an opportunity to talk with a successful author and sought-out writing instructor. He had selected my story as a finalist from hundreds entered, and he made editing suggestions for the final polish before the judges read it. It won first place for the quarter. He asked which story I wrote, and with a bit of prompting he remembered it. I asked how he divided his time among the tasks of judging and editing the contest, running his writing workshops, and writing his own novels. He admitted he didn’t have the time he’d like to get more writing done, but he loved sharing his knowledge with new writers. The picture of Dave in your article captures his gentle, soft-spoken, and friendly demeanor. Only a few months later, I learned of his death. I feel lucky to have spent that week in his presence. I have saved many of his articles as reminders of the techniques he shared that make stories compelling.