A Break from Reality

 After months of writing about how to write (and actually writing almost every day), I recently had a pleasant break from the grind. I got to help someone!

I'm part of several writing groups on Facebook, and out of the blue, I volunteered to answer some questions from a college student in a creative writing class about being a writer. There's a part of me that likes teaching, just not in the formal setting. 

Over the last six years, I've learned a ton about the realities of being a novice writer. Stuff that would NEVER be in a college course. As we all know, college and reality aren't always the same thing. 

What did I tell her? I focused on just two things: learning what works for you and learning the craft of writing. There are a million different writers, each with their own style. All any writer can do is hope to be the best version of themselves. 

Learning the craft is the most interesting of all. When I started, I thought writing was something you did, not something you learned to do. Oh, how wrong I was! Like any skill, golfing, or playing the accordion, or whatever, it takes both studying and practice. "Learning the craft" is another way of saying study and practice.

I am fortunate to live in a unique time. I have a world of books, webinars, websites, and videos at my disposal. I can purchase (or probably check out from the library) "How to Write a Mystery," or I can go to YouTube and watch the great Kate DiCamillo talk about writing or visit dozens of websites. The challenge is doing it. For better or worse, there is a big part of writing that is solely dependent on the choices I (or the individual writing) make. 

That's where I worry about students in writing and everything else. If they/you think they/you know everything already, they/you aren't going to continue their/your education. I've talked to a significant number of professional writers and they've (literally!) all said the same thing: Learn the craft. 

The most useful "hands-on" wisdom I shared was that outside/fresh eyes are perhaps the most important thing in the writing process. I realized it as a kid and my mom was a great critic/editor, but it's easy to forget. It's just too darn hard to look at your own work.

I worry about the students again. There are far too many who think that, "Oh, I used spellcheck and even used Grammarly (it's a Grammar-check program) on my work- it's fine. Yeah, no it's not. Useful tools, but not the end of the line. I will 100% guarantee that my reading team will do a better job.

And since I worry a lot, I will add that writers need a thick skin. All artists need to be able to take criticism. It's just business. But so many kids today have never been told that their work is anything but the greatest thing ever. When someone does dare tell them otherwise, they throw a fit or shut down or mommy & daddy intervene. The kid actually doesn't learn anything from that. Wanna help your kids? Help them learn to turn failure and feedback into learning.

Did I do any good? I don't know. She thanked me and went about her work. What I do know, is that it A) felt good to help someone, and B) reminded me to keep learning the craft.