Hello Blogging World

I'm still learning the ropes about this blogging thing. Don't know if anyone will even read it.

Whether or not anyone ever reads any of it, the words remain. So if nothing else, I know the answer to the longtime question about the tree in the forest. If no one is around when it falls, it may not make a noise, but it stays on the ground until someone finds it.

I guess I'll introduce myself. I am a writer, and I have written two novels, but I began my life as an artist. From the day I could hold a pencil, I drew pictures. I loved art. After being in a rock band in high school, I majored in art. That is after I decided I didn’t want to become a cop. My uncle, who was a cop, told me to be one. I got an AA degree in Administration of Justice and got hired by a local police department when I was 19. Hated it. Hated every minute of it. Nothing against policemen. It’s just not for me.

So I went to San Jose State, and got my Bachelor’s Degree in art. It was the hey day of the abstract movement. Most art professors at SJS tried to sway me to their way of thinking. I dabbled with the expressionistic style, but I stayed a realist – a traditionalist. I liked the professors over there, no matter what style they used, or what style they taught. But one professor stood from the rest. He was Professor Maynard D. Stewart. Even though I considered myself a good artist, I can say he taught me how to be a great one. I am forever grateful to Mr. Stewart. Needless to say, he was a traditionalist.

But to my dismay, I learned that being a great artist is nothing special. The world has no shortage of great artists – even great artists with college degrees. Every place that hired artists already had their quota of great artists. So I got my teaching credential. Now I am an art teacher. It’s fun. The kids, most of them, are terrific. They love to learn how to draw and how to work with ceramic clay. So I have made my living as a teacher. Got my Master’s Degree, too – in Education. And it was then I discovered my love of writing.

The SJS professors in charge of the Master’s Degree program liked my writing. They said as much. I found out how easy it was to write on computers. Heck, the cutting and pasting makes revisions effortless. After I had sculpted so many sculptures, drew so many pictures, painted so many paintings, composed so many songs, and played so much music, I realized it was writing that nailed it for me.

Tomorrow, I shall talk about my first novel – Killer of Killers.