Fred Aceves, author of “The Closest I’ve Come”, visited on Nov. 3 to promote his book’s launch as well as to provide those attending with linguistic tips and guidance drawn from his experiences as a writer. 

Currently living on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, Aceves spent much of his adolescence in Tampa and returns regularly to visit his family – an opportunity he used to reach out to the local students. His childhood as well as other events in his life are loosely grounded in his piece. 

“An interesting thing about movies is the characters always go through a profound change; what’s often overlooked is that the writer goes through a profound change also,” Aceves said. “This is something that I realized when I wrote my book.” 

Aceves greeted the attending class in the media center from a podium, with a white board stationed by his side; throughout his presentation he would write main points along the top as well as include interactive activities like outlining a story with the students. 

“Writing is a form of concentrated thinking – it’s hard to write about and almost impossible to think about,” Aceves said. “There are some ideas too big to hold in our heads.” 

He continued on to cover the basic structures of stories, making references to Aristotle’s Poetics, and creating a narrative with the audience to include the group’s input. 

“My favorite part of the presentation was when he said ‘I love teens,’” Zackary Gagnon, sophomore, said. “That resonated with me.” 

Aceves read his first complete book when he was 19 and is a strong advocate for reading and writing, stating that those who claim to dislike reading haven’t found a book that speaks to them yet. At the top of the white board, he wrote and described writing as a process rooted in self-growth. 

“I like how he said that writing is not only about self-expression, but it’s also about self-discovery,” Alyssa Crocker, sophomore, said. 

He also described the struggles of writing on top of structural components – his first draft of his book spilled out in 1200 pages, narrowed down to a 320-or-so hardcover.  

“Overall, I thought he did a pretty good job,” sophomore Lindsay Knupp said. “I do think he needed to work on his presentation skills a little more just because at some points it got a little boring – a little side-tracked.” 

The presentation itself is the product of a long period of correspondence between Aceves and Media Specialist Matt Penn as they arranged and discussed his visit, something many students seem to agree was beneficial to all those who went. 

“It helped me understand stories better,” freshman Matthew Pointer said. “I thought it was good advice and I hope it helps me in the future. 

Aceves’ book is set to be available in Barnes and Noble and officially launched on Nov. 7, and perhaps a few copies will soon be accessible on the shelves of the Media Center soon.