Do Not Go Gentle... part 2

I started my blog back in 2009 to chronicle my dual pursuit of trying to become a writer and a competitive triathlete. In last week’s post I talked about how important training was in my quest to become a better athlete. The same holds true for writing. Even a gifted natural athlete like Michael Jordan had to learn the fundamentals of the game – footwork, shooting mechanics, defense in order to become an accomplished performer.

For over fifteen years I commuted between Chicago and Phoenix where I operated an engine remanufacturing company with my brother-in-law. On those long flights I would dabble at writing stories and poems, but I didn’t know what I was doing. Didn't have the fundamentals.

Then in the summer of 2003, as we were winding down that business, I received a mailing from the The University of Chicago’s

The intro course was taught by writer, Barbara Croft. She was encouraging in the sense of “Keep trying if you enjoy it, but don’t quit your day job.” After the intro I took a flash fiction course, then short story fundamentals with author, Gary Wilson, a couple of poetry classes, a screenwriting workshop and finally a sequence of novel writing classes with

I started going to weeklong summer workshops. Over the next ten years I attended the

I joined the

I started participating in open mics. Chicago and Evanston provided many opportunities for writers to share their work in front of a crowd. And it’s not like stand-up comedy. The audiences were supportive.

Like any profession, the education is ongoing. I have a shelf-full of books on writing which I keep adding to. I’ll share some of my favorite craft books in another post.