World famous humor novelist Patrick McManus proved to FHS students that you don't have to like English as a student to become a writer, but need only the skill of creativity .
"Most people think that writing is just putting words down on paper," said McManus, "but actually it's creating a picture in the reader's mind."
On Thursday, Sept. 12, McManus and actor Tim Behrens performed two workshops for FHS students to help them understand the finer points of writing.
While McManus talked about writing, Behrens entertained students by acting out stories. The stories were all based upon characters in McManus's books.
Students were surprised to hear that McManus disliked English so much in high school that he took two years of Spanish to avoid taking an English class, and that he initially wanted to become an artist.
However, everything changed for him when he started attending college. Classes were harder, and English classes were required for graduation.
McManus explained to students the frustration of his early writing endeavors. Each time an essay he wrote was returned to him from his professor it had a big red 'F' on the front page.
After many Fs, he finally decided to decipher the scribble marks from the professor on his paper and then, gradually, he improved his writing skills.
"Even when I became a professor, I hated English," said McManus. "It didn't matter how well I knew it."
He worked around 15 years writing for newspapers and radio shows.
MaManus also disciplined himself to write for two hours every night, creating a new story every session.
Eventually, he started sending his writing to different magazines and one day discovered a check for $300 in return for a piece of his work.
McManus figured that if he wrote two stories every night, he could be rich faster than "working." Although McManus was soon to find his notion far-fetched, he does emphasize that writing can be profitable.
"I think the writing life is a very good way to make a living," said McManus.
McManus also encouraged young writers to follow their dreams and pursue a literary career, even if they encounter obstacles.
Said McManus, jokingly:
"The only thing worse than telling your mother that you're going to become a writer, is telling
them you're going to become an actor."