I love my Writer's Workshop class. I get a lot of writing done and am forced to think outside the box.
This week, however, was copy cat week. We were supposed to pick a great author who is/was admired by his/her peers and "changed the way they write".
I jumped on Anne McCaffrey like a squirrel jumps on nuts.
Apparently, though, I couldn't pick her, simply because /my teacher did not know who she was/. Now, normally, that would be okay. I'd list examples and would be able to give the teacher examples of other authors who admired her.
'cept with this teacher, it's their way or the highway.
I gave the teacher examples. She didn't believe me. When I said Anne McCaffrey was one of the greatest sci-fi writers of all time, she said I couldn't use a "genre author".
So she told me to use Isaac Asimov. And two minutes later, somebody chose Edgar Allen Poe, and somebody else chose C.S. Lewis.
Now, did Isaac write anything /but/ sci-fi?
Did E.A.P write anything /but/ horror?
Did C.S. Lewis write anything /but/ fantasy?
I tried to push it with her, and she glared at me and told me to go away.
And I know I'm right.
Any respect I had for this teacher was just lost. I'll do the project, I'll do the class - but if you're not going to expand outside what you already know, and if you're going to keep inside you're own little circle...
... well, you're not a very good creative writing teacher, now, are you?