With the encouragement of his instructors and the resources available through Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC), Carter Stevenson is turning his passion into something real—one carefully planned-out page at a time. 

The aspiring novelist and Scott Community College (SCC) student recently had two short stories published in The Atlas 19, a literary journal. Last summer, he completed the 2024 Young Emerging Writers Internship, a seven-week workshop hosted by the Midwest Writing Center.  

“A long time ago, I realized most of my fun came from making up stories in my head. I loved playing with Legos, building things, and creating stories. Even in elementary school, I organized big imagination games with my friends. I saw stories everywhere around me,” he said. “Writing stuck. It is my passion.”  

For the past five years, he’s been working through the details and developing characters that will live in a series of sci-fi horror novels he plans to write. “I haven’t written too much down, but I brainstorm ideas every single day,” he said. “I’m a person who likes to fully plan everything before putting it down on paper.” 

Stevenson grew up in Bettendorf and chose to attend SCC to earn an associate in arts. “It was more convenient and seemed promising. I am really glad I chose to come here,” he said.  

On campus and in classes, his creativity is not only encouraged but strengthened. From TRIO advisors to instructors, librarians, and college staff, he’s met people who believe in his work and push him to grow. Stevenson has formed bonds with instructors and classmates, and they keep him motivated. “There’s always someone to turn to if I am struggling,” he said. “It is a huge strength.”  

So, too, are the opportunities he’s pursued at SCC. Stevenson took a creative writing class with English Instructor Anthony Abboreno, PhD, who is a published author. “He gave me new inspiration,” Stevenson said.   

He joined the Creative Writing Club last year. “It’s a fun, small group. We meet every other week in the library, work on small projects, and share our writing. It really helped me start putting my novel ideas on paper,” he said. 

And when Abboreno invited the Midwest Writing Center to hold a ‘Creative Writing Open Swim’ on campus last year, Stevenson attended. Students took part in guided writing exercises and his work was noticed.  

Stevenson was then invited to participate in the Center’s 2024 Young Emerging Writers Summer Internship Program.  

“We met four to five days a week for about three hours each day. A lot of the time was spent giving and receiving constructive feedback. We would read each other’s work and discuss it,” he said. “It helped me learn what I needed to improve, and it showed me strengths I didn’t realize I had.” 

It also gave Stevenson the confidence to put his work into the world. His short stories, “Home Sweet Home” and “One Big Happy Family” were published – a first for him. And he’s branching out, applying his writing voice and storytelling skills to game development. 

“There are really just two main games— one in Minecraft and one in C++,” Stevenson said. “My writing and coding use completely different sides of my brain. I have to be in coding mode first, then switch to writing mode when I get to the actual text. It’s a lot of revising, but blending those two interests is fun. It’s definitely a mental workout,” he said. “It’s challenging, but great practice.”  

Stevenson is looking ahead, eager to bring his book series to life and expand his storytelling in interactive worlds. With his degree nearly complete, he is making space for what matters most—writing, creating, and shaping stories he’s determined to share with the world.  

“I’m really excited,” he said. “It’s my main passion, definitely.”