Where to start? I may be going too far back into my personal history, but this is such a great story and it may explain why I eventually learned to respect some of my professors who I had at one point thought were frustratingly apathetic. I take no pride in admitting that.
We were on site, working a salvage dig when some old guys, very old guys walked up an started giving us pointers on things like microleveling, how to see when and why the color of the soil was changing, etc. I listened politely and actually learned a few things, but wasn't as impressed as I should hav e been. Some of my fellow undergraduates got snotty. The PhD in charge called them to the van and gave them a talking to. Later on, I found out why. Those men were the few remaining WPA/CCC archaeologists who had been sent out to excavate burial mounds and habitation sites long before universities in Tennessee and Kentucky even had anthropology programs. They might not have the letters after their names, but they had the experience and know-how to show us how to do our jobs.
Not every bit of disciplinary wisdom is found in a classroom.
Fast forward to years ago, I was a contributing editor at an online sports outlet, our editor-in-chief used to ask all of us to offer some words of advice to the rookies coming onboard just ahead of the preseason events we'd be sending them out to cover. There were about a dozen of us, so the views were pretty diverse. Since most of us were around since the days that the site was a smallish literary backwater where we were encouraged to "avoid box scores and game recaps and write about what we loved about the sport," it was interesting to see how we all saw our jobs almost a decade later.
The first year, (Was there a second? Time flies...*) I thought hard about what I'd say that would be of any use to someone new to this milieu. Then it hit me. So here's what I wrote:
"Think of fans as both your toughest critics and your best editorial voice. Every one of them thinks they can do your job better than you can. A few might be able to, but most know deep down writing does not come easily to everyone, no matter how much they love the subject. There are many who may have forgotten more about the sport and the team than you will ever know. Give them respect and pay attention. They love what you love and want you to succeed in conveying that love to your readers. "
In a way, an email I received yesterday brings all of that full circle. It comes as surprise for the simple reason that I was pretty convinced no one was reading this website. Here's the letter:
"Why r u wasting this space? No1curr. Ur posts r full of typos n you write like a idiot."
Well, aren't you a delight? He or she or they do have a point. There are too many typos and if this isn't your cup of tea, well, it just isn't. Could you do my job better than me? It comes down to you, dear reader, who might check to be sure there are no typos and me, the person who owns this website, and who just wants to tell my stories and get on with my day. It does make me wonder about people who have this much free time and spend it on things that seem to make them mad.
For example,** I follow politics like an responsible citizen. Still, I know when I'm headed to outrage overload. That's when I click on Merv or NerdECrafter or one of a half dozen fun Youtube channels that help me hit reset. Y'all might have the energy and free time to rage watch. Okay, you do you.
As for why I am doing this? In part, gathering my stories helps me to recover myself and sharpens my meager writing skills. I am my stories. So are you. Instead of being mad at me. Try writing down your own memories. Releasing them to the ether of the net or the pages of a journal is one way of using memory to lay claim to who you are. It is a personal Rosetta Stone that can unlock where you have been and point to where you need to go next. It can also release these bits and pieces and make room for what is to come. Long story short,*** I do this for me. if it makes you smile, well, as comedian, Rich Fulcher might say, that's gravy.
*like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. Sorry, I couldn't resist. And stick taps to S. J. Perelman.
**Another one? Really?
***Too late. -The Cast of Clue
We were on site, working a salvage dig when some old guys, very old guys walked up an started giving us pointers on things like microleveling, how to see when and why the color of the soil was changing, etc. I listened politely and actually learned a few things, but wasn't as impressed as I should hav e been. Some of my fellow undergraduates got snotty. The PhD in charge called them to the van and gave them a talking to. Later on, I found out why. Those men were the few remaining WPA/CCC archaeologists who had been sent out to excavate burial mounds and habitation sites long before universities in Tennessee and Kentucky even had anthropology programs. They might not have the letters after their names, but they had the experience and know-how to show us how to do our jobs.
Not every bit of disciplinary wisdom is found in a classroom.
Fast forward to years ago, I was a contributing editor at an online sports outlet, our editor-in-chief used to ask all of us to offer some words of advice to the rookies coming onboard just ahead of the preseason events we'd be sending them out to cover. There were about a dozen of us, so the views were pretty diverse. Since most of us were around since the days that the site was a smallish literary backwater where we were encouraged to "avoid box scores and game recaps and write about what we loved about the sport," it was interesting to see how we all saw our jobs almost a decade later.
The first year, (Was there a second? Time flies...*) I thought hard about what I'd say that would be of any use to someone new to this milieu. Then it hit me. So here's what I wrote:
"Think of fans as both your toughest critics and your best editorial voice. Every one of them thinks they can do your job better than you can. A few might be able to, but most know deep down writing does not come easily to everyone, no matter how much they love the subject. There are many who may have forgotten more about the sport and the team than you will ever know. Give them respect and pay attention. They love what you love and want you to succeed in conveying that love to your readers. "
In a way, an email I received yesterday brings all of that full circle. It comes as surprise for the simple reason that I was pretty convinced no one was reading this website. Here's the letter:
"Why r u wasting this space? No1curr. Ur posts r full of typos n you write like a idiot."
Well, aren't you a delight? He or she or they do have a point. There are too many typos and if this isn't your cup of tea, well, it just isn't. Could you do my job better than me? It comes down to you, dear reader, who might check to be sure there are no typos and me, the person who owns this website, and who just wants to tell my stories and get on with my day. It does make me wonder about people who have this much free time and spend it on things that seem to make them mad.
For example,** I follow politics like an responsible citizen. Still, I know when I'm headed to outrage overload. That's when I click on Merv or NerdECrafter or one of a half dozen fun Youtube channels that help me hit reset. Y'all might have the energy and free time to rage watch. Okay, you do you.
As for why I am doing this? In part, gathering my stories helps me to recover myself and sharpens my meager writing skills. I am my stories. So are you. Instead of being mad at me. Try writing down your own memories. Releasing them to the ether of the net or the pages of a journal is one way of using memory to lay claim to who you are. It is a personal Rosetta Stone that can unlock where you have been and point to where you need to go next. It can also release these bits and pieces and make room for what is to come. Long story short,*** I do this for me. if it makes you smile, well, as comedian, Rich Fulcher might say, that's gravy.
*like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. Sorry, I couldn't resist. And stick taps to S. J. Perelman.
**Another one? Really?
***Too late. -The Cast of Clue
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