Teaching Creative Writing

The Queset House Library - where we meet.

I started my writing group yesterday morning. They are 3 women, all retired teachers (more may come as the week goes on). One, 84 years old, wants to write memoirs about friends she's known to preserve her still sharp memory of the 1930's. Another, in her 60's, is a Revolutionary War enthusiast and re-enactor and has a rough draft of a novel that bridges modern day and the late 1700's. The third is a fairly new grandmother and wants to create picture books. Talk about three different points on the compass. My work is cut out for the next 2 weeks even if no one else shows up.

The creative challenge for me is to tap the passion of why they want to write. One of the biggest problems for new writers is "finding the time" which usually means finding energy and patience to get down to it. Everyone finds time for what is most important to them, even if it's just watching television.

So I set them each a task to start with, a method to find the heart of their stories and get their imaginations stirred up. Every day I hope to send them away with homework that is just a bit more demanding than the day before so that by the end of our time together, they will working hard without even realizing it.

It may take all the imagination I have to make that happen but that's always the fun part for me.