Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

I was sorting through my books yesterday, and came upon a very old paperback by Raymond Carver, called "Furious Seasons".  I met him once, at a writer's conference.  I found out later he was newly sober, and he gave me some kind advice.  I was in a fiction writing class at the conference with a man who's father was famous, and on who's name he'd traded on all his life.  We were supposed to bring in a short story, and he denounced mine, as was his right, but because it had a man hitting a woman in it and he thought it unrealistic.  He said he'd never known that to happen in real life.  Since it was my real life I was writing about, it was as if he'd said I was delusional.  I went in the next day during Mr. Carver's office hours, and showed him the draft and what the other teacher had said.  I knew we came from the same real world, and sure enough, he laughed at the teacher's remarks, which he called absurd.  Now I know he was pals with this guy, but he told me to keep telling the truth, and not get discouraged.  I've never forgotten his kindness.  I did keep writing, and he did as well to the end of his way too short life, and often in his stories there were people like the people in my stories.  People who tried, but often failed to be kind, or responsible or do the right thing.  People like us.