Those who can't...teach

Now, before I write another word, I need to make sure that all of the educators out there do not take offense at this title (although I am sure you have all heard it before in one context or another). You educators work your tails off--and it's not for the money--and for that we all owe you a great deal of gratitude.

(I'm glad I got that out of the way...)

Now, this blog is about those who profess to "know" how to do something but haven't actually done it. Like the friend who knows how to make a six-figure income selling soap (and wants you to sign up with him...) but hasn't actually done it--yet. We are surrounded by "so-called" experts, and I ran into one the yesterday.

Waiting for Hannah to take her 7th Grade Honors English placement exam I struck up a conversation with a professor/teacher that was setting up in the room for her Fiction Writing Adult-Ed class. Fiction writing? That's just up my alley, and besides, I had brought the draft of my latest work (The Watchers) with me to edit and review. So I put down the red pen and pulled up a seat next to her. After some chit-chat about writing, her class outlines, and what books we had in common, an exchange took place along these lines:

"So, it seems you have an interest in writing," she says. "Are you working on anything right now?"

"Yes. Actually, my new book comes out in a couple weeks, and they are going to re-release my other novel, too."

"Oh," she says, her eyes getting wide but leaning back, away from me (has my deoderant worn off?), "What's it's name?"

"Shadow Hunter. The other was is called Lifted Up."

She shakes her head. "What is your name?"

"Galli. Guy Galli," I say (but not like James Bond--dang!).

She looks at me and squints her eyes somewhat. "Nope. Sorry. I've never heard of you."

And then that was it. It got real uncomfortable all of a sudden. So to make conversation (Hannah still wasn't done yet--how hard could that test be, anyway?), I ask,

"So, have you written anything I might have read?" Uncomfortable or not, I am still in awe of other published authors.

"Well," she starts, quite timidly, I might add, "I've had a couple of article and poems published in a few magazines over the years, but nothing other than that. But," she gets more animated now, "people always say I have written good stuff if I would only finish them and try to get them published."

I smile. "That's great," I say. "Well, good luck with that and with your class," and I'm out the door (Hannah's still not done yet! C'mon, Hannah! Let's Go! Move it! B...D...A...B...C!)

Now, I have to be careful not to sound like I am getting full of myself, (too late, I know), but if you were going to pay to take a fiction writing class, wouldn't you want to take one from someone who has actually written fiction and been published, or at least submitted one or two works? I don't know, maybe it's just me.

--Guy