All this research on Arthur Jones has gotten me thinking a lot about stupidity v. lack of knowledge. While stupidity annoys me, ignorance inspires me—it awakens my teacher within.
When I see a lack of knowledge coupled with a desire to learn, I see an empty vessel waiting to be filled, a white screen begging for words, a blank page yearning for ink.
That’s why I’ve decided to launch the world’s first (safe to say it IS the world’s first) writing instruction course for paintball players.
Paintball is an exciting sport, and, when the shooting’s over, it’s all about the stories. ‘Ballers love to tell stories, around the campfire, in diners, in the car during the ride home… and in the pages of about a dozen paintball publications.
Unfortunately, that great story shared over a burger doesn’t always translate perfectly into print.
It hit me today, copyediting stories for RECON, fixing the same mistakes over and over again, that I can help.
So I invited seven RECON contributors with the most potential to join my Internet writing course. The price? Two submissions to RECON, first print rights with no compensation.
If it works out well, this could blossom into an online course for team captains, in which participants will leave with a team resume, press release, and the tools to get sponsorship from any company in the industry. I would, of course, charge for that class.
Mostly, I’m doing it because I want to help people without growing resentful of the time I spend mentoring new writers.
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2 comments:
There's an old saying. "Ignorance is stupidity with pride."
There's also a growing trend in that "ignorance" is not only cool, but it's rewarded. TV shows with ignorant people are not only popular, but they get season after season of renewals.
There's another saying that may hold true here too. "You can't teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time, and annoys the pig". Some paintball players just don't have the ability to write well. They can "play real gud", but writing about it... they can't do it.
I applaud the effort, but I fear that until paintball takes itself seriously teaching players how to write may be the same as giving vocal lessons to bovine here. :P
That's why I've hand-selected the first batch of students. They all have the potential and just need a bit of professional guidance.
Believe me, I know how many lost causes there are out there. They simply won't be appearing in the pages of RECON.
If I have one goal for this class, it would be "not to annoy my students!"
I invited seven people, five are super-interested, two may not have the time, but do want my instruction when they have the time to commit.
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