Real Education

 A thousand years ago, I was in graduate school at Emporia State University in Emporia, KS. I no longer officially use my Masters Degree in Counselor Education, but holy cow, what I know now is that part of my life was incredibly helpful in what I do now- writing. Turning education into semi-unrelated pursuits is what education is truly all about!

I never completed my thesis. I lacked the discipline and drive to get it done. What I know now is that writing is as much about discipline as it is about storytelling.

I had a great academic advisor, Dr. Edward Butler (RIP). His wise words were this. "Pick a topic that you love and are interested in more than anything else, because by the end, you'll hate it." Truer words may never have been spoken. In my new world, that means that I have to have a genre and storyline that I like, because, by the end, it's tiring and repetitive. The picture is Dr. Butler, me (with hair!), and beta-reader & long-time friend Shawn Baldwin-Fowler as we got set to graduate in
1993.

I also learned how to do research. Hardcore, academic research. And this was in 1992, the pre-internet days. Or if they existed, they weren't widely accessible. So I learned how to find a journal article that was on point, and then use that to guide me to other bits of information. If Dr. XXX cited an article, perhaps the original article will have additional information or lead to a new thought. It was an early edition of going down an internet rabbit hole. But in the end, the process and methodology were everything. 

Writing about something you love and knowing how to do research. Seems like most of what I'd need to write a novel about a couple exploring historically-based adventures around the world. 

Oh, and learning how to type was also beyond helpful. I was recently mortified to learn that my young padawans don't have to learn to type. What in the world... Like I said, I don't use my counseling degree. Nor do I use calculus or chemistry or microeconomics. But I type every single day of my life.

For those still curious, my thesis (unfinished) was on "College Students- Alcohol and Sexual Behavior." Thanks Dr. Butler- by the end, it was not in the slightest way, shape, or form exciting.