When he was just seven years old, fourth-year English student Corey MacLean received a Super Nintendo for Christmas. Drawn to “the momentum and…visual imagery” of an action packed global sensation, Mr. MacLean went on to translate the impact of powerful visuals into written narratives. At age twelve he began to share some of his original stories online. By the time he was ready to begin undergraduate studies at Trent University in 2009, English Literature seemed the perfect place for him to develop his already burgeoning interest in the images that had captured his imagination as a child.
 
Attracted to Trent due to its “small-school atmosphere” and proximity to his home base in Whitby, Mr. MacLean was quickly won over by the diversity reflected in the teaching strategies of a particular Professor. Although he feels that he has never had a “lackluster Professor” during his four years spent at Trent’s Oshawa satellite campus, he considers the opportunities afforded him by Dr. Sara Humphreys, assistant professor in the Department of English Literature as strong influences on his writing.

Coincidentally, and happily enough for Mr. MacLean, Professor Humphreys encourages students to utilize forms such as blogging and video games in their academic work. He was able to take his already established fascination for imagined worlds within a highly evolved science based universe and create academic work that tested his knowledge and inspired his writing. A particular focus on the ways in which normative and abnormative behaviour commingle surfaced in some of Prof. Humphreys teachings and allowed Mr. Maclean to integrate ideas around complex power dynamics in his first novel, Seed of Treachery, currently available on amazon.com.

The first of a six-part series, Seed of Treachery “explores the nature of ambiguity in civil war. How do you fight an enemy when you actually agree with the thing they’re fighting for?” Mr. MacLean’s desire to “blend blistering action with weighty themes that make you think” runs through the novel and raises the necessary tension around the idea that there “isn’t always going to be an easy answer for everything.”

Mr. MacLean elaborates on this notion when he considers ways in which to attract a readership. “I think the best thing you can do for a contemporary audience is to engage their senses and ask the tough questions at the same time,” he explained.

For Mr. MacLean, contemporary forms of self-publishing allow him a freedom of expression that large-scale publishing houses would not necessarily give him. His future plans include forays into fantasy fiction that include elements of horror, as well as work that happens right here on earth, without the formative influence of science fiction that has inspired him since childhood.

In a brave new world of self-publishing supported by entities as large as Amazon, a proliferation of bloggers with a diverse array of topics and formats, and an increasing interest in cyber realities, Mr. MacLean has seized the moment and taken flight into an exciting and promising career as a writer. He is keeping his options open beyond the completion of his fourth-year honours degree, and hopes to be able to make a living through his writing at some point, yet acknowledges how difficult it can be to attain this “gift” of sustained employment as a creative writer. And yet, the initial gift of a Super Nintendo at an early age has spurred him on and led to an academic career path at Trent that has already begun to move out into a larger sphere for his work to flourish in.

“While essays are an important means by which students learn logical thinking and argumentation, I have found that students excel when they construct blogs, create Wikipedia articles, or engage with other digital environments in public forums,” said Prof. Humphreys. “Students enjoy taking what they have learned in the classroom out into the world and digital media facilitates this journey. I link to all of my students’ blogs,” said Prof. Humphreys, “Students have continued their blogs after class has ended and can use their new found skills in the workplace.

Prof. Humphreys is currently working with undergrad students on a university-funded project to explore how digital media is changing the academic landscape.

Posted on Friday, December 14, 2012.