An Education From Wandering
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Louis L'Amour did it differently. Raised in a loving family, L'Amour decided early on that he didn't want to do things the normal way. He dropped out of school in his teens, had all sorts of hard jobs including prize fighting, shipped out to travel around the world on freighters, started to read, and then, started to write.
His stories came from his experiences, yes, and his reading as well. He decided that education came not from teaching, but from reading. He read a lot. He learned about the West before he wrote about the West. What people read, what they wore, what they ate, what kind of schooling they had, their personalities, their mistakes and their successes. Everything was important to him.
He had a vision that he wanted to be a writer, but really didn't know where to begin. So he started to write. He submitted article after article to the old pulp press. Turned down over and over again, he continued to polish his skills. Then single articles were accepted, speaking engagements were offered, books were accepted and his wonderful life as an author began.
It all started with a vision of continual reading. He read and read while he travelled. His writing reflected his deep knowledge and experience. That vision of continual reading served him well.
L'amour, Louis. Education of a Wandering Man. Bantam Books. 1989.