Im going to start teaching fiction writing again this year and my first job will be an afternoon creative writing workshop, where, amongst other things,Ill be talking about the myths surrounding writers and their lives... things like the idea that writers are born, not made. Some people cant quite believe that you can teach fiction writing, as if somehow its a magical skill that only a few people have. Its not; the craft of writing can be taught by any experienced writer. It is simply, if you like, a bag of tricks and tips that are perfectly easy for new writers to understand. Im talking about things like how to produce effective dialogue, points of view, how to show a story rather than tell it and so on. However, there are three vital aspects of a writers life that you cannot possibly teach someone, so no matter how acquainted a writing student might be with the bag of tricks they wont succeed as writers without these three things. And the things are imagination, [something very private and personal that each of us can only nurture alone], discipline,[a writer must have a fully fledged work habit and write each day],and finally perseverance, [in order to put up with the disappointments, rejections, and endless waiting associated with the publishing industry]. On the business of what you can teach: while there might be differences in approach between one creative writing teacher and another,we all teach the same stuff, so dont be fooled into thinking that if your tutor happens to be a well-known writer that theyll know something none of the rest of us do, because it isnt so. It also isnt so that their success will somehow rub off on you, although they just might have useful contacts that bring a bit of luck your way, and God only knows we can all do with luck.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Mar 2014 13:51:05 +0000
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