During my first semester in graduate school at UAB, I signed up for Academic Writing for my very first course. The title of the course intrigued me; it seemed absolutely posh. Yeeessss, to say, "I am studying Academic Writing" as I contemplated, even fantasized about looking down upon others without such credentials.
You know, lessons learned can be forgotten. Mom always reminded me, "Pride cometh before a fall." Well, sure enough, pride and my cocky attitude assisted my inevitable fall into the abyss of embarrassment and paralysis academically. But, that fall in my first term fostered an epiphany. I realized through the experience that I do not think like an academic writer: formal, objective, research based, empirical, outlined and in need of staunch credibility. Academic writing is a must for many professionals, including me as I now instruct students how to write academically, so it is a skill one can learn. I tell stories - creatively.
You know those folks in your life who have to give you every detail of a story before they even tell you the story. These well meaning people want you to know every nuance right down to that one bent nail in the floor that everyone rips their socks on. Heaven forbid anyone take a hammer to that nail and stop the insane habit of ripping socks and stockings, but then what would they complain about, laugh about, tell stories about, or what reason to go shopping for new socks? Tangents are all but guaranteed: "Well now, that reminds me of..." Description and many literary devices inhabit the story's landscape. This group of people are story tellers with the intention of helping you, the reader, see and smell and feel everything throughout a story: the good, bad, unexpected, painful, frightening, joyful, passionate, obvious, heart wrenching and any other element that will engage the reader, surrounding the reader like a warm flannel blanket, red and black checked with fringe; one corner is ragged where Dusty the lab chewed on it some years ago before he sprouted his puppy wings. We sure do miss him. There was a time when that dog - mercy - could run like the wind and catch a ball no matter how far..." See what I mean? Want to hear more about Dusty please...
I changed my major. Creative Writing. But, shouldn't my major create angst and drama for me since I likely don't know the information? This was a special moment when I realized that being a creative writer is not a deficiency, but a gift, and my university studies directed me in my gift, adding skills and new ideas and feedback and validation and encouragement. As I am not inclined to academic writing, I am also not inclined to work on automobiles or give injections or be a sky scraper window washer. Those positions do not in anyway engage my interest or spark my passion. Creative writing does.
During my graduate defence, one of the English Department's top instructors asked me a question about my thesis, a creative nonfiction work. The instructor asked, "So, do you plan at the beginning and write or do you just write and look back at what you wrote?" My response was "Yes". Creative writing is fluid and the imagination has to be permitted its own choices of directions. I can go back and run my writing through multiple lenses, but the element of crafting such a work brings one's senses forward, affords catharses, epiphanies; it's an experience that is very personal, yet concludes with a work that needs to be shared...like a blog. That first class and that first instructor (thank you Dr. M) did give me a specific reminder and maxim, "Write every day."
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