Teaching!

I know ... I don't blog enough, not near enough.  Call it a boomer thing.

Right now, Helene (wife/first read) has "The New Americans" and is busily editing it for content and readability.  But it's a long book, and she'll be at it a while, which has left me time to do ... other stuff.  This has included practicing martial arts, teaching chess to elementary school kids, turning my novel "Torq" into a audiobook podcast, and teaching.

Honestly, while I enjoy them all, I absolutely love teaching.

As of this writing, I've taught three evening adult education classes at nearby Haddonfield High School.  The first two were a six-week course on short fiction authorship that I developed called "Practical Creative Writing."  In this curriculum, students learn not just writing techniques but also how to submit one's work for publication.  Best of all, one student in every class is guaranteed publication in an online magazine.  I'm sure I don't have to tell you which online magazine I'm referring to. :)

I've just finished teaching my third class, which I called "Novel Writing 101."  This ten-week course was met with some skepticism by the fellow who coordinates adult education for the borough of Haddonfield.  He wasn't sure there would be enough local interest to support it. So, I was astonished when he informed me that, not only had the class sold out, but there was a waiting list! 

Well, waiting list be damned!  I insisted that he let everyone in.

That's how I ended up spending one night a week throughout this past autumn teaching a curriculum of my own design to eighteen aspiring novelists.  It proved to be a wonderful, enriching experience ... for me, at least ... though I certainly hope they enjoyed it, too! :)

I'm always surprised by the breadth of ideas that writers can produce.  I won't share them here for privacy's sake, but they ranged from fantasy, to romance, to comedy/horror.  During the course of the class, each student was asked to write three chapters, which I then edited for content.  I firmly believe that, while storytelling is an art, writing is a craft and can, to some degree or another, be learned.

Naturally, ten weeks isn't enough time to write a full-length novel, at least not for most people and certainly not for me.  But I hope that each of my students came away with the tools and necessary momentum to finish their projects.

The feedback I received from this class was gratifyingly positive.  In particular, several students asked me what I'm teaching next.  "How about 'Novel Writing 102'?" someone suggested.

So, after some consideration, I've pitched an eight-week follow-up class that I'm calling "Writing for Writers."  It'll focus less on lecture and more on workshopping and one-on-one mentoring to help authors who may be struggling with a writing project to keep moving forward.  Once again, I'll be offering it at Haddonfield High School and, while I have no idea how well it will be received, I'm hopeful.

Honestly, for the first time in my life, I think I understand why teachers teach.  I've never felt such satisfaction from any job.  It's been an amazing experience, and one I hope to take further as time goes on.  Toward that end, I've been offering "Practical Creative Writing" and "Novel Writing 101" to other local municipalities.  Maybe, down the road, I'll even find myself teaching at a community college!

In any event, I'm imparting knowledge, empowering newbie-writers, and having a blast doing it ... and that's the point, isn't it?