Ben Smidt

Writing is both easier and harder than you think.

That is the message award-winning author and UW-Eau Claire English professor John Hildebrand passed along during his Forum lecture, “Chasing Stories: A Narrative View of Life,” Thursday evening.

The easy part of writing, he said, is finding something to write about.

“All a writer has to do is recognize stories that are already out there, and then interpret them,” Hildebrand said to a nearly full Schofield Auditorium. “There are tons of things to write about. It is a matter of applying yourself.”

Hildebrand is the author of two books and many articles that he categorizes as literary journalism. He likes writing non-fiction because the characters write their own dialogue, he said.

Greg Machotka, a senior creative writing major who has studied under the author, said Hildebrand has a knack for finding characters with strong personalities, which he captures in his writing.

“He is so good at finding people to say the right thing,” Machotka said. “And the wealth of knowledge that he has and passes on in the articles is impressive.”

Hildebrand describes his writing as taking another’s tale and putting it down on paper. The actual writing process is what Hildebrand said is harder than most people think.

If the story has the power to change the reader’s mood, he knows he has written well, Hildebrand said.

Once he built a cabin in Alaska fantasizing of living off the land, then wrote one of his books about his exploration of the Yukon River and the people he met.

His other book, “Mapping the Farm,” was written after he spent a year following his in-laws around on their farm with a pen and pencil.

Hildebrand eagerly shared pieces of his works with the audience.

“Anyone who can pick up a pen or a keyboard is a potential writer,” he said. “It’s just a matter of applying the time and the interest.”