Richard Colby
Writing Lecturer, Rhetoric and Writing PhD

Personal info: Where did you get your undergraduate degree? What was your major? Where did you get your Masters and/or PhD and what was it in? Why did you choose DU?
My B.A. is in English with a minor in psychology from California State University, Fullerton. My M.A. is in Composition and Rhetoric from California State University, San Bernardino. Ph.D. is in Rhetoric and Writing from Bowling Green State University. I chose DU because I prefer devoting my time and energies to teaching more than other duties, and the writing program values that commitment.

Describe what your writing process is like:
It depends on the type of writing it is. If it is a proposal, memo, or other action documents of that nature, I prefer that it get done sooner rather than later, so I tend to sit down and write those rather quickly. If it is a research-based document, I prefer to do the research rather than the writing, and I can procrastinate a great deal using bouts of World of Warcraft or Age of Empires to help me think about the project (i.e. procrastinate further). I prefer huge blocks of time where I don't have to worry about little things and can just force myself to get a document done.

What do you enjoy most about writing?
I used to enjoy writing much more when I was younger--the process, the words, playing with sentences for hours on end. The process of schooling has since made me appreciate writing much more even as it has made me enjoy it much less. I like playing with words, like a strategy game, seeing what they can do. It's why I prefer action documents; they actually do something.

Briefly, how would you describe your teaching philosophy?
What I am about to share I do at great risk of excommunication from English Majors Everywhere (EME). I want to get students to realize that there is more to writing than penning yet another interpretation of Shakespeare or Orwell or whatever hip teachers think students should be reading. Most of my undergraduate years were spent writing such nonsense. I want students to see the diversity of writing both in and outside of the university, as well as recognize that the best writing isn't necessarily the best turn of phrase or a series of novel tropes, but the smart use of sources, and audience-aware appeals. I focus on the latter things more so than the former things just because I think it will do students more good in the long run.

What drew you to become a writing teacher?
Walt Disney? Ralph Bakshi? An ancillary character from Cool World, set about to...wait. You mean the "other" drew. What brought me to teach writing was a dismal and horrifying experience as an undergraduate, writing countless interpretations of Shakespeare and Byron and Sheridan. In my psychology classes, we didn't write like this, and in fact, the writing was much more engaging to me even as we spent little to no time actually talking about it. I wanted to teach students that there is a diversity of approaches to any given writing situation, and to actually talk about those features that make writing work. This intrinsic desire was supported with external mentorships and motivation from Carol Peterson Haviland and Jeffrey Galin, both showing me how to enact my pedagogy in student-centered and technologically effective ways.

What do you enjoy most about teaching writing?
When a student "gets" it. I like coming up with assignments that students might be expected to do for a real purpose and not just to make me happy. In a sense, I love when students become immersed in the game and they forget that I am reading their papers.

What are your hobbies and outside interests, or, as Doug puts it, guilty pleasures?
I have played computer and video games since I was a kid. I also have a great fondness for game theory and playing a diversity of games. In fact, my computer game collection both past and present would rival most people's MP3 collections. Currently, I am playing Command and Conquer 3 and World of Warcraft. Lucky for me, my wife has a fondness for computer games as well

Name an unusual or little-known fact about yourself.
I'm full of all manner of unusual facts, so here are five:
1. For a good part of my life, especially during my undergraduate years, my life-goal was to be a game designer and writer for TSR in Wisconsin.
2. My favorite band is Slayer
3. Although it wasn't by choice, I have seen Stryper in concert more than any other band
4. I think I am one of only a handful of English majors who prefers nonfiction to fiction
5. None of my closest friends graduated from college, and they all make more money than I do.

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