Jessica: Why Bethany, I did not see you in class this morning.   Did you oversleep?

Bethany:   No, dear Jessica, I was merely late and was forced to sit in the back of the classroom.

Jessica:   Ah, yes.   That explains why it appeared as if you were absent.  

Bethany:   Jessica, you should be aware of my intense desire to never miss a day of Classical Traditions.

Jessica:   Indeed, a class taught by the brilliant professor Randy Brooks is not to be missed.

Bethany:   I quite agree.

Jessica:   This talk of courses has reminded me of an important question I have for you.   May I ask it?

Bethany:   You may, and be quick about it.

Jessica:   What courses do you plan to take for the next academic semester?

Bethany:   But Jessica, surely you must know what kinds of classes I must take.

Jessica:   I confess I do not know.   Pray tell me which classes you are taking so that I might know which I should take.

Bethany:   If you so desire, then I will tell you.

Jessica:   I do desire.

Bethany:   Then you shall know.   I plan to take courses in the art of writing for the next academic semester.

Jessica:   Yes, writing, I should have guessed.   But oughtn't you to take a more useful class?

Bethany:   Bite your tongue!   Writing, not useful?   I believe it is the most useful of all the courses, especially to me.

Jessica:   What is the reason for your particular interest in it?

Bethany:   I am interested in writing for the simple reason that I love to read.  

Jessica:   I am afraid I don't follow your logic, Bethany.   Please explain.

Bethany:   Gladly.   Since I was a young girl, I have always enjoyed reading.   I love books, and what are books but the writings of other authors?   I constantly read those writings with an avid appetite.   The result of this was a desire at a young age to write for myself.   I tried my hand at my own short stories, trying to create something wonderful like the stories I read in books.   That desire endured my childhood and presently continues into my adult years.

Jessica:   I think I might understand.   Are you saying that you love to write because of the things you've read by other writers?  

Bethany:   That is what I mean exactly.  

Jessica:   But does your writing have a purpose?   Or are you merely writing to emulate those you admire?

Bethany:   My writing does indeed have a purpose.   I should think my purpose was obvious.

Jessica:   I fear it is far from obvious.   What is this purpose you wish to hide from me?

Bethany:   Dear Jessica, I do not wish to hide my purpose from you.   I only wish to challenge your mind to critically think about what my purpose might be.   But since you so hate to think analytically, I shall tell you that the purpose of my writing is entertainment.

Jessica:   Ah!   Who are you trying to entertain when you write?   Do you entertain others or only yourself?

Bethany:   Must I choose only one?   For I must say that I write for the entertainment of both myself and other people.

Jessica:   I have a suspicion that I understand your meaning, but to err on the safe side I will ask you to clarify the meaning of that statement.

Bethany:   I applaud your desire for correct information.

Jessica:   Why, thank you, dear Bethany.

Bethany:   You are quite welcome.   And now to clarify my meaning.   I write primarily to entertain my audience.   For what good is a piece of writing if no one enjoys reading it?   Everything I write is written with my audience in mind.   At the same time, I myself am entertained.   If I am bored with my own writing, there is a distinct possibility that whoever reads it will be bored as well.   I must be entertained with my own writing in order to entertain others.   Is that very clear, Jessica?

Jessica:   Quite clear, Bethany.   But is entertainment a worthy cause?   Would education not be a better use of your time?

Bethany:   You are right in assuming that education has its merits and is highly respected.   However, I believe that even the most educated person needs entertainment in his life.   Being educated does not mean one has to be dull.   I hope to provide that entertainment to others when I write.

Jessica:   It seems a worthy cause.   May I ask what kinds of writing you intend to use to achieve your goal of entertaining others?

Bethany:   You certainly may.   I find novels to be the most entertaining kind of writing because of the plots they contain.   I love developing characters and building a plot and climax.   Novels are my favorite things to read, and for that reason I enjoy writing them.  

Jessica:   I see.   Does this mean you discount all other types of writing?   Surely you enjoy reading more than novels.

Bethany:   Right you are, my dear Jessica.   You will notice, however, that I simply said novels are my favorite kinds of writing.   I never stated that they were the only types of writing I read.   You must pay attention to the details, Jessica, before you draw conclusions.

Jessica:   I am sorry.   Do forgive me.

Bethany:   You are forgiven.   To answer your question, I do enjoy reading more than just novels.   There are many non-fiction books that I like, particularly in the genre of faith or relationships.   A book   must be well-written and entertaining in order to receive my approval, but it is not required to be a novel.

Jessica:   I understand now that you write for entertainment purposes and that you prefer to use fiction to achieve that purpose.

Bethany:   That is correct.

Jessica:   May I assume, then, that your goal is to be a famous author?

Bethany:   You may assume if you wish, Jessica, but I am afraid you would assume incorrectly.

Jessica:   But if you are not a famous writer, how will you attempt to entertain the masses?

Bethany:   The answer is simple.   I will not entertain them myself.

Jessica:   I'm afraid I don't understand.   Please explain.

Bethany:   Certainly.   I do not wish to write novels myself.   What I would like to do is work at a book publishing company as an editor.   In that position, I will assist other writers in making their work the best it can possibly be.   Through improving the work of other writers,   I will meet my goal of entertaining the masses.  

Jessica:   That, my dear Bethany, is a noble goal.

Bethany:   Thank you, Jessica.   I believe I agree with you on that point.

Jessica:   You don't wish to be a writer yourself.   Instead you want to be an editor and help other writers in their work.

Bethany:   You are correct.

Jessica:   If you do not want to be a writer, why continue in your writing classes?   Why improve your own writing if you will never use it?

Bethany:   Ah, but I will use it.

Jessica:   Again I don't understand.

Bethany:   Why, you see, to improve the work of other writers, I must be a good writer myself.   How could I recognize poor writing if I were a poor writer myself?   No, I must have sharp, up-to-date skills in writing.

Jessica:   Yes, Bethany, that makes perfect sense.   Do you only plan to take classes in writing then?

Bethany:   No, that would not be wise.   Literature is also of great value to me.

Jessica:   But how does literature help you to become a great writer?

Bethany:   In order to become a great writer, Jessica, you must first read great writing.   You cannot instinctively write well if you have never read anything written by someone else.   Reading great works of literature, or even contemporary literature, helps you to recognize the skills and techniques those authors use.   After you become aware of these skills, you can use them in your own writing.

Jessica:   It seems there is a great deal of work to be done in becoming a skillful writer.

Bethany:   Yes, you are quite right.   It does take a great deal of work.   However, I believe that the outcome is well worth every bit of the work it takes.  

Jessica:   I agree with you wholeheartedly.   It is important to have entertainment in our lives, and the authors who provide it deserve great applause.

Bethany:   Yes indeed.   And though my main goal is to become an editor, I will not rule out the possibility of writing a book myself one day.

Jessica:   Really?   I believe you should indeed write a book!   Why do you not know for certain if you will?

Bethany:   I would very much like to write a book, dear Jessica.   But writing is not the way I want to earn my living.   It is instead something I want to do as a hobby.

Jessica:   That makes perfect sense, Bethany.   I do encourage you in your writing endeavors, and I wish you the best of luck in your goals of editing and entertainment.

Bethany:   I thank you, Jessica, from the bottom of my heart.   And I as well wish you luck in your future goals, whatever those may be.

Jessica:   Thank you.   I shall see you in class tomorrow.

Bethany:   You shall.   Until tomorrow, then.

Jessica:   Farewell.

Bethany:   Farewell.