Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Two kids, a Russian tutor and a pet snake get kidnapped by 1980’s-music-loving aliens wearing baseball uniforms. After being taken to Russia in a magical Geo Prism hatchback, the captives attempt to thwart the aliens’ plot to “poison” a party’s vodka supply with vinegar while a teenage couple attempts to re-enact the famous Romeo and Juliet death scene using a squirt gun.
This is “Alien Invasion,” just one of the numerous screenplays and stories Mandy Marling, Topeka senior, wrote in her creative writing classes at the University of Kansas.
“It was just really fun to write. It’s an adventure, and I’d never written an adventure before,” Marling said.
Marling started writing stories in high school, but she was much more recognized for her dancing skill.
“Lots of people knew me as ‘The Dancer,’” She said. “I was one of the only people that really knew how to dance, so I was usually in the chorus line in a lot of plays.”
Marling said that her diminutive stature made dancing a natural thing for her.
“I’m pretty small, so it’s easy for people to pick me up and throw me and do cool stuff,” She said.
When developing an idea, Marling said she lets her mood dictate what comes out in her stories.
“Comedy is fun, but I write some serious stuff too. If I’m writing something dramatic,” she said. “It usually means I’m depressed or I’m trying to get something out.”
One of Marling’s stories centers around a teenager named “Hurricane” who shoots and kills himself on stage in front of his classmates.
“With a name like Hurricane, he had to do something dramatic,” said Marling, jokingly. Still, she prefers to go for laughs rather than tears in her writing.
Marling’s earlier writing habits were much more sporadic as she spent more time doing “active” things in high school, like dancing, theater, and schoolwork.
Marling began her career at the University as a theater major. After taking a few courses, Marling decided that theater wasn’t for her. When an advisor in her Honors English course suggested she take a creative writing class, she changed her major and never looked back.
“I really like fiction writing,” Marling said. “It’s the only kind of writing there is for me. I respect non-fiction, but I like to use non-fiction to inspire fiction. It’s just a lot more personal, and no matter what you write, you don’t get in trouble if you call it fiction.”
Marling also met lots of great people in her creative writing courses. Making new friends is a favorite activity of Marling’s regardless of her surroundings, whether working at a theater camp for children, waiting tables at Paisano’s or working on group projects.
“I love meeting new people,” said Marling. “Meeting new people is like exploring the world. I really want to get to know them. I ask lots of questions. I don’t just want to know what they’re like, I want to know why.”
Angela McNulty, Olathe senior, and Marling’s co-worker at Paisano’s, said that Marling’s personality allows her to make friends easily.
“She’s very outgoing and talkative. She’s always laughing and making jokes,” said McNulty. “At work she’ll always be in a good mood, even when none of us want to be there. She makes the best out of a bad situation.”
Meeting new people is also a method to generate new stories. “Real life inspires most of my stories,” said Marling. “I like to pay attention to the quirky things about people and smash them all together for a story.”
Marling hasn’t had any of her work published, although that’s not a pressing concern. Ultimately, she writes for one audience.
“I write for me. Outside of writing, I don’t think I’m very creative. Everyone has a recreation that makes them feel good. Writing is what I do.”
— Edited by Ben Smith
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