Sarah Patten Adcock ’93 said she always “had an inkling” that she wanted to become a writer and had the fortitude to ignore the advice of a college mentor at Cornell University who said, “Don’t do it,” laughed Adcock. “She was wrong, and it has not been an easy or linear journey, but writing is a great thing to do.”

Adcock is the author of The Measure of Gold and is currently writing a novel about the Medicine Show era of the late 1890s and early 1900s. The working title is Appalachian Bitters. She was this year’s keynote speaker for the Cushman Guest Lecture Series, which was established in 2002 in honor of retired faculty member Bill Cushman ’59.

Recalling her history classes with Cushman, Adcock said he would distribute a glossary of significant words, people, or phrases at the beginning of a new unit. “The lists were almost like a Jeopardy-style scavenger hunt. He gave us the answer key, and we would have to read and research to find the question. Of course, the answers always pointed us back to the stories in our books,” she explained. “As a writer, I’ve gained a new appreciation for his methods. One of the first steps in my creative process as a historical literature author involves creating a similar glossary of language from the era the book is set in.”

In addition to reading an excerpt from the manuscript of her working novel in her keynote, Adcock shared her perspective on the writing process. “In order to move people with stories, you have to get the language, the pacing, and the action of the story precisely right. It takes years. It involves tapping into the chaos and the symmetry of your own unique self-conscious,” she said, adding that cultivating the voice of a novel’s characters is crucial to the process. “It’s one of the first decisions you make as a writer. What voice? Who is telling the story? How do they speak? What gestures, tics, or oddities do they possess?”

“Developing voice is one of the main things that Baylor does quite well,” she continued. “You’re learning it now, in your person and in your writing. My advice, if you want to be a writer, is to journal every day. Write it all down: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Keep doing it, because developing a voice – your own, your characters – takes a lifetime.”

In addition to being the keynote speaker for the Cushman Lecture series and addressing the Upper School and Middle School assemblies, she discussed her career and the writing process with Ashlee O’Steen’s ’00 Wilderness Literature class, telling them that the late Bob Lanza was a tremendous influence on her decision to become a writer. “I knew early that writing would be a path...I can draw a direct line from his influence and what I do.”

NOTE: Adcock taught English at Baylor from 1998-2000 and was the assistant director of Walkabout. She lives in Asheville with her husband Dr. Rustan Adcock ’91 and their three children.