Madelyn Lovelace is a senior who is infatuated with many aspects of the craft of literature and has been since her early childhood. She believes it to be the most unique and insightful form of expression. Maddy wishes to study English in college and wants to create writing which meets no one’s standards but her own.

The Wrangler: If you had to choose between reading and writing, which would you choose and why?

Lovelace: That’s difficult for me because I believe that being able to write effectively comes from a strong understanding of reading, but if I had to choose one I’d probably choose reading. It’s my most treasured thing to be able to lose myself in a work created by someone outside of myself, like I’m walking into a part of me I haven’t come across yet.

The Wrangler: What inspired your love for both reading and writing?

Lovelace: At a young age I understood myself as a collection of words and emotions that could only be transferred into this great life where I could be depicted inside of phrases manifested by me. I have seen myself as a writer for as long as I can remember, always feeling like I came from this place of trust in literature. I was born into writing.

The Wrangler: Why do you view writing as a powerful form of expression?

Lovelace: Being able to immerse yourself in your own psyche is something so unhindered and raw that I always find myself drawn to it. It is not to say that writing is a reflection of inner thoughts, but another way of revealing truth, so for this reason, I believe writing is one of the most impactful things a person could ever take up in this life and whatever life they have afterward.

The Wrangler: Do you consider reading to be a valuable form of interpretation? Why or why not?

Lovelace: Reading is understanding, so it only makes sense that opening up a collection of words made by another human soul could be eye-opening and transferable.

The Wrangler: What is your favorite genre to write about and why?

Lovelace: My favorite genre to write [in general] has got to be fiction because there are so many ways to smash the artistic agenda into it, whether you’re writing about a European romance or a grand future we haven’t seen yet. Fiction is the gateway to creating honest work because there are endless ways to mold humanity into your individual viewpoint.

The Wrangler: Is this also your favorite genre to read? Why or why not?

Lovelace: Yes, I most definitely lean more towards fiction in my everyday life. My favorite book of all-time is a fictional narrative about a young Italian boy in Northern Italy during 1983 where he finds himself through his older lover. It’s a book I will always carry with me as I grow older because it reflects what I believe to be true of love and desire in this modern age we live in. As a writer and as a person I will always love fiction the most.

The Wrangler: What are aspects of reading which matter the most to you and why?

Lovelace: The thing that made me want to dedicate my life to words in the first place was how I could place things I’d read in the past into my life in the present and just let them linger there. Reading does this unearthly thing where it finds the weakest spots of you and fills them with new notions of what you could be, as well as what you’ve been. For me, that is the aspect of reading and literature that has been most influential in my life.

The Wrangler: What are areas of writing which you’d like to explore further?

Lovelace: I’d like to be able to write from the perspective of someone I’ve never come across in my life, someone completely foreign to me ideologically and culturally. I believe that in order to fully become ‘the writer’, I need and want to be able to step outside of what I think I can do and push my own boundaries.

The Wrangler: What aspirations do you have regarding writing for later in life?

Lovelace: I hope to have a completed novel to then be published by the time I’ve gotten the hang of studying English in college, maybe during my sophomore or junior year. After I study writing full-time, I plan on taking what I’ve learned into screenwriting where I can write for film (and who knows, maybe even the screenplay for my book).

The Wrangler: If you could relay a single message to the whole world regarding writing, what would you tell them?

Lovelace: I would like to tell them that if you choose to be a writer, make it the last dream of your soul. Writing is about dedication to human emotion, so it is only fair that you dedicate everything you have to the craft, whether it be exploring the unhinged parts of yourself or settling down to type and type until your fingers bleed.