Hyrum - Eight hundred words. That's the most anyone in an audience of 100 eighth-graders at South Cache 8-9 Center was willing to admit they'd written for a school assignment.
Utah author James Dashner told them that was a start, but to really write books, they might have to kick it up a notch.
Dashner's four books, which he's written in the past few years, total more than 200 of those 800-word essays - about 210,000 words, he said.
The West Jordan resident, who writes adventure novels for pre-teens and teenagers, visited South Cache's eighth-graders Wednesday to talk to them about what it takes to be a writer.
"This is my favorite part of being an author," he said before speaking to his second group of students Wednesday morning. The 33-year-old Brigham Young University graduate works as an accountant during the day, but has a goal of being a full-time author within four years. His four-book "Jimmy Fincher" series is finished and a fifth book, not related to the series, is coming out soon.
Eighth-grader Natalie Fronk said she thinks Dashner's visit taught kids they don't have to be a nerd to be an author.
"He kind of inspired you to go write," she said.
Defying the nerd stereotype, Dashner adds humor to his books. It's one of the most important elements, he says.
You don't want to read a dark and dreary book and then "want to go into your room and throw up," he said.
Another important tip for wanna-be writers to remember is how to brainstorm, Dashner said. He listens to movie soundtracks while driving in the car to jog his imagination.
"It gets my mind thinking," he said. "What's fun about writing a story is the brainstorming part. ...Write down everything you can think of then you can start picking out what things make the most sense."
Students Chrystal Erekson and Jacqui Anderson said they were inspired by how young Dashner appeared - compared to other authors "who are older."
"As soon as I met James, I felt his enthusiasm," Erekson said.
Dashner said he hoped at least a few students came away from the lecture feeling like they wanted to write.
"If they work hard, they can do anything they want in life," he said. "We need good authors who write good books."
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