Two More Writing Classes

My class at Tri-County College is a delight for me. Each of the students has a different but exciting story to tell. 

Loretta has never lived out of this state or this area, but she writes with understanding and knowledge of her place and her people.

Ellen grew up in Montana. Her stories hold our attention throughout her reading. Partly because we have not experienced living on a ranch or hearing wildcats on the roof at night, but she also knows how to keep tension in her story.

Dick has lived in many places. His stories about his life and the lives of his ancestors will one day enthrall his grandchildren. Whether boys turn over the outhouse or paint graffiti, boys will be mischievous if they can get away with it. Dick wrote about that teacher we all relate to -- the one that just doesn't understand.

Paula writes for a newspaper, but she can write more than the facts when telling stories about her life growing up on a farm in south Georgia. Barb, who grew up in the big city, understands that details enliven and inform the reader. Her stories take us back to more than half a century ago, when mores and values were quite different from today.

We only have two more classes in this course. Today one of the students said she wouldn't let anyone read her writing until she began taking my classes. Well, that made my day. To make a difference in the life of one who had not yet recognized she had writing in her blood -- well, what could be better?

Have you influenced the life of another? How? How did it make you feel?