By Brianna Holcomb
Arts and entertainment editor

“I never knew that part of being a writer was trying to make sense of the world … In retrospect, I may have always been a writer.”

The woman behind these words is Dani Shapiro, the author of five novels, the memoir “Still Writing” and a recent guest on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday.

Shapiro sat down with Professor McPhee and her creative writing class, Keeping a Journal, in the parlor room of Hofstra Hall to talk about writing fiction and the process of writing memoirs.

The sit-down was very casual and allowed students to ask Shapiro questions about her writing process, as well as advice for their own writing processes.

“Listen to your still voice,” she told the room. This was just one of the many suggestions that she gave the listeners. Shapiro expressed very strong attachments to the way a writer should arrive at their great story. A piece of that process includes the feeling of failure.

“Feeling tortured is a part of the process,” Shapiro said. She went on to explain how usually when she felt confident about a piece of writing, it did not come out as well as she thought.

Her descriptions of the stages of her writing provided great insight to what a real writer truly goes through.

Recalling her own process, Shapiro made it clear that her writing could be deemed unconventional compared to other writers.

Her chaotic path to becoming a writer was also unconventional and reassured the audience that there is no definitive way to make that decision.

Shapiro has a very easygoing nature about her. She encouraged those listening to ask questions and pick her brain.

As she spoke, the students in the room stayed armed with their pens and notebooks to write down anything that would be useful to remember as they continue on their writing journey.

The sit-down with Shapiro offered great insight into her creative mind. It helped give a real word perspective on how to brainstorm a new idea, as well as how to feel more confident about one’s material.

For Shapiro, it all starts with one question: “What do you want to share?”