Writers are teachers. Are you ready to teach?

In the spring of 2011, I let my intuition guide me and – on the spur of the moment – signed up for a course that has inspired, encouraged, and educated me in ways I never expected, but for which I am very grateful. The course is called TeachNow and it was created by the lovely Jen Louden and Michele Lisenbury Christensen.

Looking back, I’m not sure what made me decide to sign up. I had never considered myself a teacher per se. I thought of teachers in traditional terms – in a classroom or on a college campus. The only teaching I’d done, I thought, was when I was a child and had taught my younger sister to name all the parts of a horse. “I’m not a teacher,” I said, “I’m a writer.”

But, writers are teachers.

TeachNow changed my understanding of what it is to be a teacher. I learned that the teacher doesn’t need to know everything. I learned that teaching is less about instruction and more about helping students rediscover what they already know. I learned that teaching is also about holding space and giving students permission to explore and experiment and create.

My friend just posted this quote on Twitter and it reminded me of everything I learned with TeachNow:

“The role of the teacher is to create the conditions for invention rather than provide ready-made knowledge.”
~Seymour Papert

So … how are writers teachers?

Writers write to share what they know – of the world, of themselves, of the human condition. We tell stories to illuminate, to inspire … to teach. Our words reach out to the reader and draw her in, bringing her into our world, letting her see through our eyes. We bring characters to life to serve the same purpose – to provide an experience that teaches about another life, another person, another truth.

I believe that every writer is a natural teacher. You may not think so (yet), but think about it. Why do you write? What are you hoping to accomplish? For many of us, the answer is that we want to create some kind of change in the world. We hope that, through our writing, someone will gain a new perspective, try a new challenge, see the world in a new light. Our words are powerful catalysts for change and growth – for learning.

Not all writers teach in the traditional sense … 

True enough.

Maybe you have no interest actively teaching, preferring to take the role of a passive teacher who instructs through story. That’s an absolutely noble cause. But, maybe there is something you’d like to teach. Maybe there’s something you can teach that would complement and supplement your writing. Maybe teaching would open up new opportunities for your writing. After all, teaching brings people together in creative and inspiring ways and people who teach are often more well-known and respected because of their teaching work.

… but, if you think you might have something to teach … 

I highly recommend TeachNow.

The links I’m sharing here are affiliate links – which means I get a little kickback if you sign up. I am not an affiliate for any other course. I am not in the habit of promoting other people’s materials, but TeachNow is one I believe in so strongly that I can’t help myself. I have to share.

In January of this year, I taught my first online course. Inspired by the knowledge and support I’d gained from Jen, Michele, and all the wonderful TeachNow students, I finally got brave and ran a beta class about branding. When a student, who had not yet taken the TeachNow course, asked me my opinion of it, here is what I said:

“I don’t want to sound like an infomercial, but I can’t recommend TeachNow enough. I have taken quite a few classes about the technical and strategic side of online teaching, but TeachNow was the first class that gave me what I really needed – a way to approach the possibility of teaching from the inside out. It provided not only confidence, but a working framework that supported me in my creation of this course (which, I promise, will be the first of many). The community has been wonderful, and the energy stays with me. This is the only class that I have taken more than once AND the only class materials that I have returned to multiple times (and learned from with each new listen).”

It’s all true. Just last month I was feeling blocked on a project. I listened to a few of my favorite interviews from TeachNow and found the answers I needed to move forward.

So – that’s my spiel, such as it is. This is a course I love. This is a course that has made a difference in how I think about myself, how I value my knowledge, and how I see my potential to bring about change in the world. It has given me the tools, courage, and support system to launch a class of my own with more to come.

Are you curious?

If any of this piques your interest, Jen and Michele are offering a free intro/preview/teaser class on Wednesday, September 19th at 10AM Pacific/1PM EST. You can register for the call here: The Triple Bottom Line of Teaching: More Contribution, Income, and Evolution.

I hope you’ll check it out. Love to hear what you think if you do.

Jamie

P.S. I should mention that this course is not “just” inspiration and motivation, it’s also brass tacks and straight talk. The conversations on calls and in the Facebook group have been priceless as fellow teachers share their journeys, tips, and insights. Nothing is sacred. No question is dumb. Also, the course is for anyone who wants to teach anything anywhere – new teacher, experienced teacher; online, offline; knitting, marketing, investment, yoga, writing …

P.P.S. I chose the picture of Jen and Michele (above) because it perfectly illustrates how much fun they are. These are women with big hearts, big ideas, and the ability to elicit big laughs and epiphanies at the same time. Pretty cool.

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Writing class and the power of self-awareness

When I walked into the first session of the class I’m taking at Grub Street Writers, I felt like I was walking onto hallowed ground. It had been so long since I’d taken time out of my busy life to invest in my writing. I made my pilgrimage into the city, my head filled with undefined expectations. Other than what I’d read in the class description, I wasn’t sure what I’d find or even what I hoped to find.

One thing I didn’t expect was to find a silver bullet that would solve all my writing challenges. Writing is not a mechanical skill that can be taught by rote. There is no black and white way to do it. It works differently for each person who dares harnesses its creative spirit and climb aboard for the ride. Most writing teachers will tell you that they cannot teach anyone to write. They can only provide the space and the framework within which their students explore their own processes and ideas. Happily, I arrived at that first class with no specific expectations. I was just glad to be there.

Just being there – in that space dedicated to the pursuit of the writing craft – was good for my inner writer. I felt her stir the minute I stepped off the elevator. The years of sticky slumber that had kept her lying quiet and dormant began to melt away.  She stretched experimentally and was delighted to find herself in a space without the usual boundaries of deadlines, school pick-ups, phone calls, and endless social media chatter. This place –wrapped around the time I’d carved out to spend within its walls – was a fortress against the usual onslaught of interruptions and distractions.

Without those distractions, my mind slipped easily and readily into “student mind.” Open, eager, and focused, I waited to see what the class would bring. Stepping outside my normal routine let me step away from my monkey mind – that incessant and annoying inner dialog that prattles away non-stop about the slow driver in front of me, my grocery list, the client call I had earlier, what I’m going to have for dinner, when my daughter’s last dentist appointment was, and so on.  I let go of my usual need to be constantly doing, and sat back – ready to receive.

That first class was full of ideas on how to approach my stories, create my characters, and build my worlds. I also heard about the lives and work of my fellow students. Some of them read their free writes aloud. That was when the insidious side of human nature kicked in. As though I suffered from a mutant form of Turret’s, I began systematically comparing myself (and my writing) to everyone else in the room. When, at the end of class one, the instructor asked each of us to commit to a writing goal for the upcoming week, all I could offer was that I would show up to the next class. Next to others who were committing to 2 – 6 hours of writing a day, my intention felt weak and pointless. The voices of fear and judgment began whispering in my head:

“Wow, she’s really good. You’ve never written anything like that. You don’t even know what ‘narrative altitude’ is. How can you even call yourself a writer when you haven’t written so much as a short story. These people have finished novels, for gods’ sakes! If you really wanted to write, you’d make more time…”

But then I told those voices to shut up.

I said, “I’m here, and that is enough. This is where I start.”

I adopted a businesslike approach. I thought about writing not as some romantic endeavor fueled by the capricious good will of anonymous muses, but as a profession. Without inflicting so much as a scratch on the surface of my creativity, I replaced the “magic” of creation with the “science” of study, practice, and solid execution. I reminded myself that this fiction-writing thing is not so different from the non-fiction writing I do each and every day to make my living.

The beauty of making these observations about myself as a writer is that they gave me some clarity about my strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities and potential pitfalls that I will encounter on my journey. As I watched myself ride the ups and downs of my emotions, I could see my fears and pick them off, one-by-one. I also realized that I could recreate this class experience for myself. So can you:

1. Set aside some time, but don’t limit yourself by setting specific expectations.
2. Find a space that fills you with energy and maybe even a little reverence.
3. Adopt the “student mind” (and shut down the monkey mind – use a sledgehammer if you must, he’s a resilient little bugger).
4. Give yourself a minute to compare yourself to others – your favorite authors, your writer friend who just landed an agent – but just enough to get it out of your system.
5. Get down to the business of approaching your writing like the professional you are. Keep the magic in your heart, but don’t let it cloud your mind. You know what you have to do. Do it.

There is no definitive guarantee that a writing class will make you a better writer. It depends on the writer, the class, the teacher, the subject matter, and a hundred other variables. But any writing class – even one you create for yourself – will increase your self-awareness and provide you with a broader perspective. Just the act of being in that space and engaged with the craft will help you sink more deeply into being the writer you are. And that is worth the price of admission every time.

What do you think? What have your class experiences been like? Do you think you could create a class-of-one for yourself? 

Jamie Lee Wallace is a writer who also happens to be a marketer. She helps her Suddenly Marketing clients discover their voice, connect with their audience, and find their marketing groove. She is also a mom, a prolific blogger, and a student of voice and trapeze (not at the same time). Introduce yourself on facebook or twitter. She doesn’t bite … usually.

Image Credit: Lyre Lark

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Want to succeed with your writing? Invest in it.

There comes a time in every aspiring writer’s life when you have to stop playing at being a writer and actually become one. The day will dawn when you have plum run out of excuses, and then you will have to make a choice. Either you are a writer, or you are not a writer. What’s it going to be?

For many people a writer is simply someone who writes. Though your words may never be read by a stranger’s eyes, the simple act of putting pen to paper or fingers to keys is enough. And that’s fine. But for others the dream is to write professionally – to make a living at this wordsmithing, storytelling craft. I fall into the second category.

By many standards, I have already achieved this dream. I do, after all, make a living with my words. But, each time I answer the dreaded so-what-do-you-do question with “I’m a writer,” I cringe just a little. I know that the person I’m addressing is going to assume I write fiction, when in truth I write marketing copy – websites, ebooks, case studies, and so on. I’m not embarrassed about my work. In fact, I’m damn proud of what I do, and on most days, I really enjoy it. The projects are like puzzles and my clients are a fabulous bunch of people who appreciate my strategic and tactical skills and bring a lot of fun into my workweek.

The thing is, I didn’t grow up saying, “I want to be a marcom writer.” I grew up wanting to become my favorite authors: JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Anne McCaffrey, Ursula LeGuin, Madeleine L’Engle, and all the other weavers of the fantastic tales and outrageous adventures that made my childhood imaginings so rich and full. And now, as a grown-up, though I put my mind to work on comparatively pedantic tasks, I still adore and aspire to emulate the writers who bring the exotic, unusual, and unbelievable to life. I read Neil Gaiman, Charles DeLint, Erin Morgenstern, Lev Grossman, Catherynne M. Valente, Philip Pullman, and others and am drawn once again into worlds of magic, mystery, and often mayhem. This is what I want to create with my words: stories that entice and enchant – tales that whisk the reader away and change her in the telling.

But, up until now I haven’t invested in that dream. Not enough, anyway.

I haven’t invested my time, or my money. I haven’t taken action to prove that this dream is important to me. I have thought about and talked about writing. A lot. I have written hundreds of journal entries and read thousands of blog posts. I did do NaNoWriMo … once. I did participate in a writing group … for a little while. But those concrete actions took place a long time ago. I’ve given over my days and nights – all my precious hours – to my other work and to pastimes that are enjoyable, but which do not feed my dream of writing stories.

I’m changing that. Now.

Step 1: For Christmas last year, I bought myself a copy of Scrivener – the beloved software of so many fiction writers.  It wasn’t a big an indulgence, and I know that software does not a writer make, but it felt good to put that particular tool in my bag of tricks.

Step 2: A month ago, I attended the Grub Street Writers’ annual conference – Muse. I forked over the cash and carved out a whole day to just hang out with other writers, listen to them speak, take notes on what they were teaching, and generally immerse myself in an atmosphere of literary blossoming.

Step 3: Today, as you read this, I will be sitting in my first Grub Street Writers classroom taking the first of a 6-class series on unlocking the power of fairytale and myth.

I’m ready to start putting my pen where my mouth is. No more dancing around with the idea of being a writer. It’s time to step up and BE a writer – the kind of writer I always dreamed I could be, the kind that writes stories like the ones I loved as a child. If my “wannabeawriter” years have proven anything to me it’s that I can talk a really good game, but if I’m going to actually get anything done, I need to ante up. My good intentions have delivered little in terms of results. Investing in things like this class provides me with more than exciting opportunities to learn from professionals, meet other aspiring authors, and stretch my writing muscles. The fact that I’ve paid for and committed to this class means that my butt will be in that chair for four hours each week for the next six weeks. That’s 24 hours of working on my craft. Given that I haven’t spent that much time in the last two years combined, this investment – though small – is a pretty big deal.

I’m excited. How about you? What can we get you excited about?

How do you define writing success? How badly do you want it? What will you invest to reach your goal – make that dream come true? What can you do today? What can you do next week? What can you commit to doing before the end of the year? 

Jamie Lee Wallace is a writer who also happens to be a marketer. She helps her Suddenly Marketing clients discover their voice, connect with their audience, and find their marketing groove. She is also a mom, a prolific blogger, and a student of voice and trapeze (not at the same time). Introduce yourself on facebook or twitter. She doesn’t bite … usually.

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Image Credits: “If it’s important” – from Scrappin Along; “Dreams don’t work” – from Lucious Works

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