HomeI once got to see a writing teacher I really liked. I have read and
reread her books on the topic of how to write and I love them. They are
replete with exercises and writing tips to help you become good at all
types of writing. When I saw her read, she was reading from a novel she
had recently published.
It was weird to me how much more I got from the writing books than I
did from hearing her read from her own book of fiction. I had read a few
of her poems in her other books and loved them. I felt that I had
received many writing tips
from her tales of doing spontaneous writing at booths she set up at
fairs where she would charge passersby one dollar per poem and write
about whatever topic they threw her.
Hearing her fiction, I found it to be unfocused. I forgot to listen
several times even though she is one of my favorite writers. Only, it
seems, when she is teaching her craft rather than practicing it.
I love reading her chapters about the writing life, which are full of
writing tips and exercises. This author is a Buddhist who often goes on
meditation retreats. Her writing about spiritual topics translates over
well to the topic of writing and the growth and voice of each writer.
She has spent much time learning how to write herself. She perfected a
practice of making herself spend several hours just writing and not
worrying about what came out. Her exercises are great for getting rid of
writer’s block, though I did find that they work best for turning out
short pieces such as poems or short prose pieces. When I saw her read
from her novel I thought the same thing, that she couldn’t sustain a
long piece of writing like a novel as well as she could write a great
short poem.
I still love and return to her writing manuals. This experience
demonstrated how it’s possible for an individual to be a wonderful
teacher, but at the same time not be as talented at the art they teach,
as they are at teaching the topic.
I have seen this many times in my educational experiences. I had
teachers with a gift for picking out the best in others who were not as
good at carrying out the art for themselves.
At the reading I attended, I saw this same phenomenon. I could get
valuable advice from this author’s writing manuals forever, but it
doesn’t mean she is a natural at writing the best novel ever written. At
least she is following her own advice, and doing it. She obviously
loves writing.