U of O alumnus publishes ebook Run Charlie Run
Emily Aube | Fulcrum Contributor
Photo courtesy of John Wiber
CHARLIE SEEMS TO be running from adulthood. He’s a 23-year-old University of Ottawa student who doesn’t quite know who he is, and struggles with first love, heartbreak, and the darker side of Ottawa. He’s also the protagonist of John Wiber’s ebook, Run Charlie Run.
“Charlie is a prototype of who I am,” Wiber says. “In a way, I strive to be how he is as a man, but he’s also repulsive and a complete maniac. He’s definitely an exaggeration.”
Wiber, a graduate writing under the pen name John Dodsworth, recently self-published his first ebook. It’s available on Kobo and Amazon for less than $2.
“My writing is a stream of consciousness,” Wiber says.
The story is honest and raw. Wiber doesn’t shy away from curse words or from telling it like it is, even if that means abandoning standard English.
“If you’re a grammar Nazi, you’ll have problems with Charlie,” he says.
Run Charlie Run started as a short story, and from there Wiber continued writing.
He describes his writing process as imperfect. He wrote fragments when he felt deep emotions or had an idea that empowered him to write. Eventually, he created a final product after editing his work for two years.
Although he was inspired to write from a young age, Wiber didn’t always talk about his writing and wasn’t sure whether he should continue with his novel.
It was only after showing it to one of his professors—a conservative woman who didn’t drink, smoke, or even own a TV—that he knew he should hit the gas pedal on his project. With her positive feedback, he figured that if she appreciated it, maybe others would too.
Since completing Run Charlie Run, Wiber has been working on his next novel, Confessions of a Middle-Aged White Man and is planning to have it ready by the end of the summer.
