Give Thanks...For Dave Wolverton--Someone My Non-Writer Friends Should Know

 This post is for all my non-writer friends. 

Why? Basically because most of my writer friends already know Dave Wolverton, and nothing I write in this post will surprise them. No, I'm writing for all those out there who don't know Dave Wolverton, or his other pen name, Dave Farland. I'm writing this because if you're not familiar with Dave the author, the teacher, the mentor, the trainer, the friend, he's a man you should know, because his influences have changed the world.

When I ventured into the writing world, a few names rose to the top. There's the best-selling world-famous local writers that everyone knows of and everyone wants to become, but if you dig just a little deeper, there's one name that connects them, and thousands of other writers.

As a professor at BYU Dave tutored so many. Several of his students turned out to be household names in the writing world...Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Brandon Mull, Jessica Day George, Eric Flint, James Dashner, Stephanie Meyer. As an editor at Scholastic, he helped them take a chance on an unknown author, J. K. Rowling. You may not have known Dave, but guaranteed, you've been influenced by him.

But, in my opinion, Dave's greatest quality was not how he helped the careers of so many famous writers, but it was how he treated the legions of us non-famous writers that showed me his true self. Having attended a few conferences over the years, there'd be times when I would find myself sitting at the same table with Dave. On a few occasions, we'd chat. I'd ask questions and he'd offer his time. Imaging, someone with his knowledge (and I'm not even including here what a tremendously gifted writer he was...) sitting with me, a relative nobody in the writing universe. It blew my mind then and continues to do the same today.

So many have penned heartfelt dedications to Dave since his passing last week. I've read as many as possible and in every story, every anecdote, every remembrance the writer tells a personal story about how Dave helped them--either in writing or in life or both. And so I add my own story/anecdote/remembrance. Last month I had questions about a novel I've finished. Is there a market for it, an audience? I decided to send Dave a message...

And he responded.

I asked if he had a quick moment for a question. He said it "wasn't a great time," but he offered his help anyway. After a short back-and-forth, we ended the conversation. Then, he wrote something he didn't have to write, something that showed again his greatness...he wanted to chat about the book in the future. It's hard to express how that made me feel. But my writer friends who knew Dave--most better than I did--know how I felt. They know because Dave made them feel the same way, again and again and again.

I felt my non-writer friends should know more about Dave, about the man who so recently passed away and who has influenced so many of us on a personal level. There are few individuals in this world with that gift. I'm grateful I met him, grateful to see his example. I hope to never forget his example, and I hope my non-writer friends know him a little better, too.