All right, ladies and gentlemen, I am B.B. Walter. I am a published author and have written more than seven novels to-date, plus an assortment of short and long fiction and nonfiction. Despite that impressive *smile* resume, I am always looking to improve myself as a writer (and generally just because I like to learn). So, with that being said, I have enrolled in two (count'em) new writing classes; one is at my local community college, and the second is an accredited course I'm completing via snailmail.
Why is she telling me all this? you wonder. Well, because I intend to show you my progress in these two courses as I take them. Your second question, of course, is probably But why do I want to follow her progress? Well, that is a little more complicated. I'm always asked, 'Where do you get your ideas?' or, the slightly more popular question of, 'How do you become a writer?' My answers are usually simple. Two be a writer, you must write. Now, Billie, that's too simple an answer, you say. I disagree, but I'm willing to show you what I mean.
A writer has to continue to learn, continue to practice our writing, their craft. Good or bad, we have to keep putting things on paper (or monitor if you're digitally-inclined like I am), but the important thing is that we just write. Sister Act 2, with Whoopi Golderg (and an all-star cast, might I add), had a great line in it. "'If you wake up thinking about nothing but writing, then you're a writer.'" Too simple, you say? Not really. There is one more small step required. A writer may have the best dream in the world, but no one will know it unless that writer puts a pen to paper and tells the story; good or bad story, that dreaming writer became a writer. And the next great idea that writer writes will be better than the last (hopefully, if they've learned to improve themselves, at least.)
And that what I'm going to do here. I want to show all of you how I evolve as a writer through my classes. So I'm going to post my classwork on here and am openly inviting everyone who takes the time to read it to comment, critique, and review whichever ones they like. Don't worry about upseting me, or even offending me; I have tough skin (or else I wouldn't be in such a public industry) and I'm looking for the feedback - good or bad. Because like my ideas (and occassionally my writing) both the bad and the good help me become a better writer and, therefore, a better person.
Keep an eye out for the first lesson to go up shortly.