Welcome to another edition of Student Spotlight! We recently chatted with Level 5 Creative Writing student Edward Tagg, where he told us about his enjoyment of, “morally grey tales of dispute”, his aspirations for his novel, and his plans for the future.
STUDENTS’ UNION: Hi Edward, it’s great to be able to speak to you and find out a bit more about you! Tell us a bit about what type of work you create and your inspirations?
EDWARD TAGG: My writing largely consists of novels, poems and prose. I don't have much inspiration besides Wilfred Owen. He was a poet back during the First World War and wrote an incredible anthology of his experiences during the conflict, using vivid imagery and excruciating senses of dread and terror to highlight the place he was at.
STUDENTS’ UNION: Ah, so you’re a fan of the macabre. Is that something which you believe is a main component in your work?
EDWARD TAGG: Sure, I like a good depressing story because it relates to everything around us, but I also deeply enjoy morally grey tales of dispute.
STUDENTS’ UNION: Is there a message within that that you hope your work conveys?
EDWARD TAGG: What I want my work to convey, if a little strange, is a sense of hopelessness. I like to write stories grounded within reality, where people aren't good people, and where stories twist and turn into miserable placements.
STUDENTS’ UNION: And what’s your process for delivering this message?
EDWARD TAGG: My work process is a bit sporadic, but I do tend to write for a couple of hours on end before putting everything off for a while. I feel like I'm most creative, however, after talking to myself and picturing my scenes as if they were on screen.
STUDENTS’ UNION: I guess if you can’t actually visualise it as the author it’s going to be tough for your audience to create it in their heads.
STUDENTS’ UNION: How do you decide then when a piece of work is finished?
EDWARD TAGG: I never do. Someone has to tell me when it's finished (and 3 years on my bloody novel has shown that).
STUDENTS’ UNION: Ah, you’re writing a novel! Is there anything that you’ve read before that you would like it to be on par with?
EDWARD TAGG: I'd love to write something as good as Spec Ops: The Line or Happy New Year, Colin Burstead. Things like those are a great way to boost creative effectiveness.
STUDENTS’ UNION: What advice would you give to other artists thinking about coming to study at LAU?
EDWARD TAGG: Talk, be creative and don't be afraid to get a little dark with your visceral artwork.
STUDENTS UNION: Finally, what are your plans for the future?
EDWARD TAGG: Once I leave uni, I plan on taking a TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) course, gaining said qualification and then doing tutoring across in another nation. Whilst this is all going on, I plan to still write novels and stories, and would like to find a larger creative project to finally join when things are settled.
Thanks for giving us that little insight into who you are, and hopefully we’ll one day be able to get a copy of that novel!
You can keep up-to-date with Edward and his work at, @an_author_i_guess on Instagram!
Also, in case you didn’t know, Edward is the society leader for the newly formed Collaboration society, so if you’d maybe like to get involved in working on a series of small or large collaborative projects throughout the year, click HERE to head over to their sign up page on the website.
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