George Getschow Demonstrates Power Of Truth In Writing

George Getschow, a journalism professor at the University of North Texas, shared his expertise on the subject of non-fiction essay writing during LitFest workshop day. 

A well-regarded reporter for the Wall Street Journal for 16 years, Getschow has dedicated his life to non-fiction works. His most recent project is a collection of essays dedicated to the renowned writer Larry McMurtry. McMurtry has been a huge inspiration on Getschow’s writing and essay career and he expressed his excitement about this new project when he spoke to students.

During his workshop, Getschow discussed the importance of truth and intimacy in writing. As a non fiction writer, Getschow understands the importance of making your reader believe what you are writing through establishing credibility and to feel a strong connection to your words.

Throughout the presentation, he worked to explain his writing techniques and the methods he employs to dig deeper into his own brain. Getschow also talked in great detail about his experience writing an essay on the power of silence and the ways he worked to research for the specific piece to make it as authentic as possible. 

His research included hiking in remote places, spending time in an anechoic chamber and sitting near an airport. He did all this while recording the sound levels with a decibel reader in an effort to understand how sound affects all of us. 

In one of his essays, he admits to the issues in his life that he’s been avoiding such as a book he’s been trying to write as well as the relationship he has with two of his children. Getschow believes that this kind of open honesty is what makes writing great. Even though he admittedly states that open honesty can hurt people more, he believes that doesn’t make it less important. 

The presentation was very interactive and he asked the audience questions and gave everyone copies of his essays to reference to give us all a deeper understanding. He asked for suggestions on his essays and asked about what we would include in our own writing to elevate it. 

According to Getschow, another strong tool for non-fiction writing is internal dialogue. The inclusion of internal dialogue works to elevate your writing to a much higher level, he explained. Dialogue that has deep emotion really connects the reader to the words on the page, which in turn makes them want to read more.

His presentation was very engaging and he was able to pull people into a conversation about essays, which in the beginning, most students didn’t seem as excited about. As the presentation continued, more students had questions both about his writing style and his work that he shared.

All of the tools he utilized to improve his writing tested the limits and boundaries of writing and he wanted the audience to use those tools too. The more observations and details added into someone’s writing, the more you can push the limits. 

This idea connects back to the overarching theme of Getschow’s workshop which was truth and intimacy. 

Getschow then went on to talk more about new and important pieces that he has written about. All of his pieces had some connection to him personally, either surface level or deep down. In everything he writes, there is a piece of him, even when writing about something that has nothing to do with him.

Lastly, he went on to explain that the most important part of any piece of writing, but especially essays, is the ending. The way a writer chooses to end their piece is what will sit with the reader after they have finished. The ending is what takes the reader out of their fictional world and into reality, so if the end feels sloppy or unfinished, the connection can never take full effect.

Getschow’s workshop was inspiring and gave the audience a new perspective on what it means to write an essay and how to place yourself into your writing. Going to Getschow’s  presentation was well worth my time and I would definitely recommend reading his writing to broaden someone’s non-fiction writing understanding.