VALDOSTA – Dewar Elementary recently welcomed New York Times Best Selling Author Dan Gutman for a virtual visit with all second- through fifth-grade students.

Gutman is best known for his children’s books, which have been quite popular amongst DES students.

“All of the students are currently enjoying his ‘Weird School’ series, and several are reading his series for older students called ‘The Genius Files,’” reported DES media specialist Tami Williams.

Fourth grader Kailynn Mathis said, “‘The Weird School’ books are funny, and when I’m feeling down, they cheer me up, and I always have a giggle toward the end of the books.”

During the visit, fourth grader Xavier Anderson was the first of a few inquisitive students to wonder, “Did you always want to be an author?”

Gutman explained to the students that he did not initially intend to be an author, but he couldn’t deny his love for writing and eventually began writing on a topic that he enjoyed — athletics. It was not until his children were born that he was inspired to write for a younger audience.

Students were shocked to find out that this witty children’s author originally wrote for a different audience. When asked if he had a preference, he chose children’s books without hesitation.

“Writing for kids is way more fun than writing for grown-ups,” Gutman said. “I love to write stories about ordinary kids in extraordinary situations.”

These “situations” form from a well-laid-out writing process that Gutman took his time explaining to the young, aspiring authors. The first step was to define the setting, and the last step, which came as a surprise to the students, was selecting a title.

His explanation of the writing process proved that writing a story is no simple task. Before students began to feel discouraged or question their own ability, Gutman jumped in to say that this is time-consuming even for him as a seasoned professional, and he has had his fair share of rejections.

“Sometimes writing is easy for me; sometimes it is not so easy,” he says.

He then pulled out letters of rejection from countless publishers, proving his determination to find success.

Gutman left the students with not only tips on perseverance but writing techniques as well.

“I know kids don’t like rewriting stories, but professional writers write things over and over again until they are perfect!” he said.

Gutman rewrites and edits daily until he feels confident in his work. He also suggested reading aloud as part of their editing process.

“When you write something, read it out loud, and while reading it, pretend to be somebody else,” he explains. “When reading almost as another person, you can see the mistakes you made even better.”

Before ending their meeting, fourth grader Ana Richardson asked, “Do you think you’ll continue to write the rest of your life?”

Gutman confidently responded, “Some people retire, but I don’t see myself retiring. As long as kids want to read my books, I plan to keep writing!”