Beware of Gurus on Pedestals  

By Beth Ann Erickson 

If you haven’t read this week’s Notes from Minnesota you may want to do so now because today I’m talking about gurus. Gurus we put on pedestals, to be exact. 

These past two weeks I’ve engaged in mental gymnastics trying to figure out what kept me from leaping to my feet as our former dog trainer nearly hung and strangled my little Lucy (the Rat Terrier Wonder Dog). 

The only thing I can think of is that despite my utter horror at watching such an incredible spectacle, in the deepest recesses of my heart, I truly believed that this dog trainer would never do anything to harm Lucy. I’d just spent the last two years training under this woman’s tutelage and despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary… evidence unfolding one foot from my face… I still didn’t (or couldn’t) manage any reaction beyond a gape-faced expression on my face. 

Ah, but what does this situation have to do with the craft of writing? 

As it turns out, lots. 

You see, gurus come in every shape and size. It’s hard to pin point exactly what makes someone a “guru” but you definitely know one when you see one. 

Gurus tend to create what appear to be fonts of information. They definitely generate a sense of awe in their followers. 

Generally speaking, a guru is someone who is living the life you’d like to create and offers a way to help you gain that lifestyle. 

When our gurus speak, we listen. We listen big. They say “do this” and we’re all over it. They tell us to jump and we scramble to oblige. 

At least many of us do. And that’s what they hope we’ll do…. 

You’d think that as a writer, you’d be somewhat immune to the beguiling effects of gurus. 

But you’d be wrong. 

I know of more than one so-called writing guru who drastically inflates their income to impress their followers. I know of another guru who carries so much debt that he/she is barely able to make their payments. I know of another successful guru who pays his/her writers in a very untimely fashion because they don’t have the funds in hand to pay their freelancers. 

I mention this not to pull back some super-secret cloak, but to help you realize that all is not always as it seems when it comes to some of the people who have established themselves as “gurus.”. 

When you find yourself “guru-izing” a fellow writer, it’s time to step back and realize they’re not much different than you. They may not have any super-secret formulas for success. They may not have access to knowledge that you can’t find on your own. And in all likelihood, they may stretch the truth to make a sale. 

As we look up to our gurus, we need to realize that they may not always be as infallible as we hoped they would be. 

Which brings me back to little Lucy. 

Although I thought I’d become immune to the seducing allure of “guru-ism” I’d (without realizing it) succeeded in making the owner of Lucy’s school a guru.  

After all, what would we do without a professional to interpret Lucy’s myriad of bewildering behavior? 

What would we do without someone who keeps an eye on the latest and best nutritionals available to dogs? 

How could we possibly be responsible dog owners if we didn’t do everything we could to help Lucy create a rich and full life? 

My point? 

Gurus do not corner the market on knowledge. As a writer, you know how to research. You can easily find any bit of information you’re looking for. 

And when it comes to your current gurus, just take what they have to say with a grain of salt. One moment you can be living your little life and the next you can receive news that your guru isn’t all you believed them to be. And when that happens, don’t be so entangled with any one guru that you find this bit of news detrimental to your career. 

The last sentence our former-dog trainer said to me was this: “To the untrained eye, what you saw that day probably looked a little violent. But….” 

I didn’t listen to the rest of the sentence. This guru had thoroughly fallen off her pedestal, lost an ardent follower, and nothing she could say will erase the image of my little dog body slamming into that bright red dog tunnel. 

Perhaps it’s time we dismantle a few pedestals. Then we’d be freed up enough to see our gurus for what they truly are: fellow sojourners who have traveled a little farther down the path than we have. People, just like the rest of us, who struggle, laugh, live, make mistakes, and can suffer gross misjudgments. 

With so many writers currently striving to become gurus, wouldn’t it be refreshing if all of us slowed down enough to actually enjoy doing what we love? Perhaps write for writing’s sake, without a dollar sign in sight…. 

And in the future, when I begin to idealize someone I probably shouldn’t, all I need to do is take a long look into Lucy’s now-sad brown eyes. Watching the fire almost extinguished from their depths will remind me to use my head as well as my heart when evaluating any guru’s advice. 

~~~~~ 

Beth Ann Erickson is Queen Bee of Filbert Publishing and the only writing ezine that'll make your writing sparkle, help you write killer queries, and get you on the road to publication fast. Better yet, you'll receive the e-booklet "Power Queries" when you sign up for your free subscription. Subscribe today at http://FilbertPublishing.com

This article may be reprinted, distributed, and posted freely as long as the entire byline is included.

© 2001-2006 Filbert Publishing.  All Rights Reserved.