REASONS FOR STUDYING WRITING

Rewritten after teacher’s comments
Dr. James H Turnock
November 27, 1961

            I don’t, at the present time, plan to create the great American novel nor do I expect that my writing will have a lasting effect on the culture of Western civilization.  The clarity and depth of my penetrating analyses of domestic issues, political matters and international affairs are not calculated to put Messrs, Lippmann, Reston, Sokolsky, and the other pundits to shame in the near future.

            Although I don’t decry affluence- on the contrary, I have only respect and admiration for the very wealthy and would quite willingly join their number- there is only a slight monetary motive in my desire to learn to write.  Nor am I plunging into this activity because of a burning desire to earn the approbation of the reading public.  I shall undoubtedly not become the first author to be awarded an Emmy and an Oscar in the same year, and I will flatly refuse to be lionized at literary teas.

            I like to do things.  In addition to my work in scientific management; an interesting, demanding and rewarding occupation; I have been able to maintain a variety of other interests.  I do not approach these outside activities in a flippant or desultory manner.  For example, I’ve had a lifelong interest in astronomy, mathematics, and music.  In the past few years I have assembled a collection of exotic tropical fish, reread practically all of Shakespeare’s plays and engaged in a study of Scottish history.  All I require of such activities is that they be satisfying.  Any other benefits such as monetary rewards, self-improvement, or a contribution to the happiness or welfare of others are welcome dividends.  This is precisely the same attitude I am taking to the study of writing.

            I don’t mean to imply that I haven’t any desire to adopt writing as a future career.  It’s just too early to set such a goal.  In my opinion, the persons who are most to be envied are those people who earn their living doing what they most enjoy, that is, individuals who have succeeded in combining an avocation with a lucrative occupation.  If I find that I have the interest and aptitude, the presence or absence of which I expect to establish in the coming months, the study of writing could possibly lead to such a happy result in my case.  However, the professor does not expect the beginning Physics student to improve immediately on Newton’s Laws.

            I am taking the Famous Writers School Course for two reasons: one humanistic and the other hedonistic.  In the first place, I’d like to improve my ability to transmit my thoughts and ideas more clearly and entertainingly.  Secondly, I confidently expect to get a great deal of satisfaction out of the Course.