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You've Got to Do More Than Sign Up for a Class By Sue Fagalde Lick
Every Tuesday morning, the e-mails arrive from students who didn't show up at my creative writing class at Oregon Coast Community College: I had to go out of town; my mother/son/friend/dog was sick; I was swamped, I just couldn't make it; my car broke down; the babysitter didn't come. Of those who did come to class, only half did the homework: Too busy; couldn't get into it; the printer ran out of ink; etc. These aren't kids. Many of them are older than I am, so you'd think they'd know better.
If this happened only once per student per quarter, I'd understand. People get sick, they have to work, the car conks out. But when students miss half the sessions, you have to wonder about their commitment to this class and to their writing. And why would you pay for a ten-week writing class when you already know that you're having a baby, getting married, moving, starting a new job, or going to Guatemala during that period? I have had students do all of these things.
On the other hand, some of my students have shown up in the face of tremendous obstacles. One man had Tourette Syndrome. Another had cancer. Last spring a young woman brought a chaise lounge and a pile of pillows because she couldn't sit up without pain for more than a few minutes at a time. Last term an elderly woman had a minor stroke between classes, and she still showed up for every session. She not only did the assignments, but e-mailed me extra stories. She was determined to write and self-publish her memoirs for her children and grandchildren while she still could. The book was published in September.
The same situation applies to my online classes. I send them all the lessons, but there are always some students who never do the homework. They don't even offer excuses for why they couldn't crank out two pages over the course of an entire week. I may be decreasing my own income by saying so, but if all you want to do is read the lessons, why not just buy a book? It's a lot cheaper. At least in my non-credit college classes, I can force the students to do in-class writing exercises. I can't force students I know only through the Internet to do anything.
It's frustrating. I know how much hard work it takes to be a writer. Even after all these years, I sometimes feel as if any other occupation would be easier. Writing in the midst of life's other challenges can be like trying to hold the ocean back, but if you really want to write, you have to commit the time and energy to do it.
One of my former students had a one-year-old daughter and was pregnant again. In the worst winter weather, she drove 45 minutes over Cape Foulweather to the college every week, completed articles in hand. When her car broke down, she found a ride. She was already submitting queries to various magazines. Recently, I opened a favorite magazine and discovered that she had written one of the articles featured on the cover. Her dedication paid off.
I love to teach writers who want to write. The most persistent students are not always the most talented writers, but they are the ones who will be published. Their peers who were too busy to show up will continue to tell people they want to write something someday. Do you know what happens if you take a writing class and don't do the homework? Nothing. You are no closer to being a writer at the end than you were when you started.
When faced with the realities of actually writing, revising, and marketing, some students discover that they don't want to be writers after all. Perhaps that lesson is worth the money they paid for the class. For others, now is simply not the time. So wait. Live. Keep a journal. Write when you can. Fill up your mind and heart with memories and ideas. Then, when you have time, take that writing class. Make your teacher happy.
Sue Fagalde Lick is a former newspaper editor turned freelance writer. She has published books, articles, and short stories. She is also the author of a monthly column on the writing business called "Everything but Writing." For information on her classes and publications, visit her website at http://www.suelick.com.
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