Naila Twyman ‘26 is a student in Professor Shane Kowalski’s Horror Fiction Class, and is by all accounts a spectacular author on the rise. This week, I had the privilege to hear all about her latest creation, “Bullshit,” and learn a bit more about what goes into the writing process. “Bullshit” is yet to be released publicly, however, in a nutshell, it encapsulates the experience of many authors, but with a twist.
The main character is struggling to complete her piece. Many authors both new and seasoned unaffectionately refer to this as “writer’s block.” As a result of the anxieties and fear regarding the piece’s completion, the protagonist is consumed by her own creation! Twyman says the idea resulted from her own experience with the affliction of writer’s block and the fear that comes with the expectation of sharing her work. She cites this as a main motivator to put some of that fear into her writing. The beauty of this piece, however, lies not just in the metaphor for the fear authors face when writing their works, but the overarching message that applies to any walk of life or profession. At times, we may all struggle with our own expectations, and that of others, sometimes kicking ourselves for not being able to think of the best thing to do at all times, and the fear that comes with sharing something of our own creation that we have worked so hard on.
“Bullshit” serves as a reminder of this experience not just from an author’s perspective, but from a human one. When asked about the process of her writing, Twyman remarks, “I can’t really explain my process because it shifts around from piece to piece. Sometimes I close my eyes and BAM the piece is written through the power of disassociation and lofi-hip hop! Other times I do a lot of meticulous planning. I talk about what I want to write with one of my friends and I go on and on about the details and take notes. Then I write. I also write out of order? I find that I am sometimes more excited to write one part of the story, so I start there. Then I put everything together like puzzle pieces.” She is also no stranger to the craft. Prior to Ursinus, Twyman had been a writer since childhood. She shares that if you asked any of her family members, they would tell you that she has journals upon journals of “crazy ideas” dating back to elementary school up until the present.
Though she hesitates to admit it, one of the things that prompted her to become the consistent writer that she is today is fanfiction. For any people who are not aware, fanfiction is the work of independent writers who feel so much love for a series, or any media that may have a fan base, that they choose to continue it on their own time through writing. Twyman notes that even though she always possessed creativity, reading and writing fanfiction prompted her to become more serious about the profession of being an author. Toni Morrison, author of various works including “The Bluest Eye,” “Remember: The Journey to School Integration,” and “Playing in the Dark,” is also one of Twyman’s main writing inspirations. Twyman notes, “I hope to write as beautifully as she does one day.” We hope to one day soon see some of Naila’s works in bookshops across the globe (and our own here at Ursinus)!