Dan Brown Visits Campus

Author Dan Brown ’82 spoke about his literary career and gave writing advice to the prep class at a dinner this past Tuesday. Brown is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Da Vinci Code, and has spoken to the prep class every year for over a decade. Prep Will Soltas conducted a brief interview with Brown for The Exonian.What were your fondest memories at Exeter?I have so many fond memories of my time at Exeter. I sang and played squash, both of which I loved, but it really was the friendships that I forged here that are most memorable to me. I am still friendly with many of my Exeter classmates to this day.What prompts you to visit the preps every year?Exeter played a big role in my learning to write, so I figure if I can help my fellow Exonians by offering a few tips along the way, it’s a nice thing to do.Do you have any advice for aspiring teen writers?The most important thing is to write about a topic that interest you deeply. Also, don’t be afraid to pursue a topic about which you know very little; the excitement you’ll feel as you research a new topic will help propel your enthusiasm for what you are writing.If you decide to end your writing career, do you see yourself doing anything else in the future?I love music. I write a lot of music. I enjoy movies, maybe I’ll write movies. I don’t know. Life is long and there are so many different things you can do.