Being a teacher of creative writing is both thrilling and somewhat nerve wracking. I can't seem to reconcile putting marks to a student's experimental work, sometimes written so very close to the heart. I am also often left in awe over what a student has written and I feel perplexed with my role to judge or evaluate. I have a privileged view.
I suppose I know a few tools of the trade. I can point your way to a metaphor. I can recite a line from Shakespeare. I will spot a paradox, hear the oxymoron and enjoy sharing discovery of how a writer layers meaning and gives life to words. I think now of: "how the boredom overtook us", and that "lovers and madmen have such seething brains" (Theseus from Shakespeare's, AMidsummer Night's Dream).
I also know that human beings are entirely complex and beautiful. I know that people have been telling stories about people for all time. Word and voice have power. Stories, poetry, drama, all life in action, give us avenue towards understanding and enjoying our shared existence.
I invite you, students, to contribute to the multitude of voices creating and reflecting on . . . everything! "Say What You Think, Even If Your Voice Shakes." Take risks, try things, study others, accept feedback, throw out what you can't use, and consider everything a work in progress.
I look forward to reading your work and growing as a writer with you. :)
P.s.
When bracing for the peer or teacher feedback, remember Alice after she fell down the rabbit hole and declared: "Well, after this, I should think of nothing of falling down stairs" (C.S. Lewis, Alice in Wonderland).
