I love the craft of writing.  The power of tightly-written, richly-detailed prose excites me.  The way a story can draw me into a new world and allow me access to lives and adventures that I otherwise wouldn’t experience nourishes my soul.  Simply put, I love language and its power to transform this world.  That may sound corny to some, but it’s one of the few truths I know for certain.  Language is power.

Despite my experience as a writing teacher and my small measure of success as a writer, I don’t feel qualified to write a how-to manual for other writers, but I’ve been seriously contemplating developing either a composition handbook or some kind of a textbook for basic essay writing.  I realize there’s no shortage of these on the market, but I would love to gather all of my lectures and lesson plans together and create a book about the fundamentals of strong collegiate writing.

I’d also love to write a book about creativity for my sons.  I envision it as something intimately written father to son, offering my insights based on the experiences I’ve had.  I’m not sure if it would be about writing exclusively or creativity generally, but it’s an idea I’m letting percolate for now.  This particular project probably wouldn’t be for the public, but rather something just for Collin and Finn.  I don’t want to write a commercial creative writing manual because for me personally that would feel rather pretentious, considering there are far more talented and successful writers out there.

I feel fortunate that I’ve gotten to spend my entire career surrounded by language.  Even though I grumble about students and grading papers, I recognize that at the very least I’ve gotten paid for something I love dearly.  Sure, I would like to have more success with my books, sell more copies, and maybe win an award or something, but even if that never happens, I’m content that I’ve had the opportunity to write my books and this silly blog and share my love of language with those around me.