In this installation of our Alumni Author Spotlight series, we got a chance to chat with Frank Gao, who published Escape Artists Never Look Back in Fall of 2012.
Name?
Frank Gao
Year of Graduation?
2013
Major?
Writing, Literature, and Publishing
Current place of residence?
San Diego, CA
Did you do any postgraduate work after Emerson? If so, where?
None.
What company do you currently work for and what is your position?
United States Marine Corps, Wire Platoon Commander
What are some of your accomplishments since graduating from Emerson? Have you written for any other publications? Do you have a portfolio? Blog? Website?
None
What do you remember about your experience with Undergraduate Students for Publishing? What is your favorite memory?
It was awesome to have a staff as dedicated to my book as I was. Everybody from the editing to publicity staff was incredible and I would easily work with any of them again given the chance.
How did publishing with us help you in the professional world? Did it help land you a job or an internship?
I knew I wasn’t going straight into writing or publishing as a career, so no.
What valuable experience did you gain from publishing with us?
Public speaking, especially speaking about myself.
Do you have any advice to those wanting to submit to Undergraduate Students for Publishing? If you could give any advice to current Emerson students before they step out into the professional world, what would it be?
- You’d be surprised at what endeavors outside of writing can do for your understanding of the craft. For example, in communications school they gave us a hypothetical scenario of an invasion of a certain Middle Eastern country. We had to establish a plan for communications from the beachhead, several troop movements up the coast, and eventually a full installation of services upon consolidation. The process of drawing in information, organizing it, and presenting it in a logical and coherent plan not only reminded me a lot of the writing process, but also taught me quite a bit about the importance of being organized and showed me the benefits of taking a procedural and calculated approach to a creative endeavor.
- The most important lesson I’ve learned from being a follower and now a leader: listen 90% of the time, speak 10% of the time. Make your words count.
- It’s okay to feel lost and feel as if you don’t know what you’re doing. At least once a week, I wake up and question the fact that I’m in charge of combat veterans with 20 years of experience; 24 year olds with alcohol and marital issues and fresh new Marines who just graduated from school and are looking at me thinking, “Now what?” But I get out there and keep pushing because it’s my job. Don’t let your insecurities about your credibility impede your path to acquiring it.
- Get really good at asking questions. It’s the fastest way, short of doing it yourself, to make up for a lack of experience, as well as being an important skill set to have as a writer.
- If you end up moving to the Southern California area, invest in a good dashboard camera.
Provide some quirky details about your life. Do you have thirteen dogs? Do you collect porcelain eggs? Do you go skydiving on the weekends?
I lived in the desert for a year. Think like Mad Max scenery, short of being attacked by locals with explosive spears. The great entertainment event that united the high desert community was midget wrestling. The view of the mountains was consistently fantastic, though.
