My first writing class in college was “Technical Writing” at Western Michigan University when I was a freshman. I remember the professor liked my writing. I think I got a 4.0 in the class. She recommended that I apply for a job in the WMU writing lab for tutoring other students. First I had to take the writing lab qualification test. I attended WMU in the 1990’s. This was before cell phones, internet, and email. I had to wait a couple of weeks for my results in the mail. It was typed on fancy college letterhead. Very official looking. I don’t remember the exact words but I remember it stung. It was three paragraphs of why I shouldn’t work for the writing lab. It was discouraging enough to make me never take another writing class again in college. I’m not saying that I should have gotten that job in the writing lab. I did need to improve my skills. I still do. Looking back I should not have let this discourage me, but I was an obedient son of a strict educator. Also known as mom. I was Adam Sandler in the movie, The Waterboy, always saying, “momma said, but momma said, momma said”. Mom directed me towards an engineering degree. It took me a year to break free from what she wanted and to start doing what I wanted. Looking back it wasn’t much of a break. My degree in Industrial Design required the study of engineering and art.
Fast forward 35 years. I now work at a community college in the ceramics department. I love it. It’s satisfying to use my education in both science and art. I only work there half time. This means I have plenty of time to spend on other things that I enjoy. These include art, books, and writing. I also love fly fishing, fly tying, water sports, camping, and rock collecting. I enjoy coffee and bulldogs. Finally, half marathons and strength training are part of my routine. As for writing, the only question now is what do I write about? I prefer a Seinfeld approach. It’s one of my favorite sitcoms of all time. They claimed it was a show about nothing, but Jerry Seinfeld later said it was about how comedians get material. I don’t want to be a niche writer. Writing about everyday life is a good fit for my squirrel brain. There’s a lot of good material in the mundane. I know from being an artist that criticism is bound to happen. Stephen King wrote, “If you write (or paint or dance or sculpt or sing, I suppose), someone will try to make you feel lousy about it, that’s all. I’m not editorializing, just trying to give you the facts as I see them.” I learned this a long time ago but it’s nice to get validation. The WMU writing lab can rest easy knowing I won’t be a writing tutor. I’m just here to write about everyday life.
The Heron 