Yesterday... continued.

Yes... the Frank Herbert, author of DUNE, The Green Brain, etc. Of course, at the time I didn't have a clue as to who he was, only that Mr. Reynolds and a couple of other students seemed pretty excited at getting to hear him lecture about writing Science Fiction. You need to remember, up to this point I had nothing to do with fiction, science or otherwise, the only reading material I was into was 'How things work' sort of books. That and biographies. (I really wanted to be an astronaut, a curse of being born in the early 60's and watching Armstrong and the others bounce around on the Moon, I guess.)
So I'm setting there, in this packed lecture room, it's standing room only... and I'm wondering just who this guy was that everyone seemed so excited to meet and hear. More minutes pass, then in walks this guy wearing a sports jacket, jeans and this little French Beanie. I'm thinking, Hey, if this guy can walk around wearing that little French hat, then he has to be worth listening to.

So I listened... for the next hour or so.

By the end of his Q & A session, I was hooked. All I wanted to do with my life is what this guy did... write, write, and write! To me, this was it, it couldn't get much better. (Of course, this was before the dreaded Rejection Slip realization.) At the end of his Q & A he held a book signing session. People were jumping up, and carrying around stacks of this Dune book of his, which I hadn't even heard of as of yet, but was going to check out at my earliest opportunity... Our little group only had a copy of an early work of Mr. Herbert's, The Green Brain... and everyone was way too nervous to go up and get it signed. What did I do? I volunteered as quickly as possible and literally sprinted down to the stage to beat everyone. Mr. Herbert must have seen just how quickly I had arrived because he sort of smiled, took the book I offered, and said hello. I stammered and stuttered for a few minutes, he nodded politely, commented on how old and worn the book I'd given him was, mentioned that they still sell newer versions, then looked up and asked me the most earth-shattering question you can imagine... "Have you ever considered writing yourself?"

WOW!

I remember looking at him sort of dumbfounded, shaking my head yes, and smiling that smile- you know the kind, like I needed to be brought back to the facility before dinner for my next round of electro-shock therapy... anyway, with that, and a quick but firm handshake, I walked away... knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that come hell or high water, that if it was the last thing I ever did, I was going to be a writer.

First of all... Thanks...

If you've just tuned in, thanks.

I may be new to all this blogging and stuff, so please, bear with me if I mess up, but I'm not new to writing. In fact, I've been writing off and on, (mostly off) since I can remember... okay, since I was in 6th grade.

Why?

Not sure... all I know is I've always been interested in writing, always been interested in reading. I believe they go hand in hand to some extent. That is what happens when you actually meet a teacher who takes the time to introduce you to the great big world of literature. That teacher for me would have been Mr. Reynolds.

I served most of my high school time in Central High School in St. Joseph Missouri. Had a lot of great friends, remained pretty much a geek my entire career there, but other than that, and an urge to play anything Avalon Hill games put out... (can anyone else remember Iron Men and Wooden Ships???) I kept pretty much to myself and my imagination... until Mr. Reynolds came along in the middle of my sophomore year. He was introducing this little old class he was calling Fantasy and Science Fiction. Experience wise, I'd heard a lot about this Dungeon and Dragons stuff, and actually got to meet Mr. Gary Gygax as he was making the rounds to all the Hobby Heavens and introducing this little old game of his, so that was something... also, I was kind of a die hard fan of a couple of science fiction TV shows. (One of those shows had a great deal of impact... I'm a trekkie, Okay! The other one came along later, Space 1999.) So you could say to some extent, I was curious to see what this Reynolds guy had to offer...

So I took a chance and signed up for a tour!

First month in, I figured I'd done something right. To some extent this class was exactly what I was waiting for... a chance to see beyond the confines of the 'box'. This class also changed my life... how?

I got to meet, face to face, some guy named Frank Herbert!

More later...