By Gina Groeger
A local author and former BYU student has found time to participate in many aspects of both writing and multi-media.
Dave Wolverton, a science fiction and fantasy writer, said with all the different forms of entertainment in the world right now an author almost has no choice but to go into multi-media.
About four years ago, he decided to begin working with multi-media. Wolverton said he wanted to work his way into the field and began with video games.
Wolverton said Runelords, Barbarians and Starcraft’s broodwar scenes are some of the video games he has helped design.
But, film is a field he really wants to work in, Wolverton said.
Marion Smith, BYU’s recently retired science fiction literature and creative writing professor, said he thinks Wolverton will do well in the film industry.
In the fall of 1999, Wolverton started writing a screenplay, but it was not until spring of this year that he began his own Science Fiction and Fantasy film company, Wolverton said.
The film industry needs his talent, Smith said.
Wolverton said he started to write as a career in 1985 as a student at BYU. In 1989, his first book, “On My Way to Paradise,” was published.
Wolverton said he has written twenty-nine books under the name Wolverton and four more will be released soon.
Under his pseudo name, David Farland, he writes fantasy books. Currently he has only two books, with the third on its way, published under Farland, Wolverton said.
The name of his film company is Farland Productions, Wolverton said.
Along with owning and running a film company, writing science fiction and fantasy and designing video games, Wolverton teaches one creative writing class at BYU.
Smith said Wolverton used to substitute for his creative writing and literature classes.
After Smith retired he recommended Wolverton as a teacher for the science fiction and fantasy creative writing class, White said.
Jamie Cummings, 20, a junior from Beaverton, Oregon, majoring in computer science and a former student of Wolverton, said, “He is a fun teacher and really knows the subject. It is important for a teacher to be enthusiastic about the subject and Dave does that.”
Wolverton only has time to teach one class once a year, Anne White, administrative assistant in the English Department, said.
The English Department is very pleased to have Wolverton teach here, White said.
While attending BYU, Wolverton got involved in two main areas of science fiction and fantasy at BYU, Smith said.
The first is The Leading Edge Magazine. The second is a symposium called Life, The Universe and Everything, Smith said.
After leaving BYU, Wolverton was appointed as a judge for the Writers of the Future Contest. He was then appointed as the chief judge of the contest and remained in that position for several years, Smith said.
Wolverton also got involved in comic books. Recently he helped create a series called Safire with Les Pardew, he said.
He loved reading as a child and didn’t find enough stories that he liked. He started writing the stories he could not find as a child, Wolverton said.
The author that had the greatest influence on him is Tolkien, Wolverton said.
At BYU, however, the most influential teacher in regards to writing was Elouise Bell, his creative writing teacher, Wolverton said.
For a short time he tried mainstream books but found he was really just interested in science fiction and fantasy, Wolverton said.
