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The best writing teachers inspire you to write. When you leave their class, you can’t wait to race home and play on the page. They are the people Mark Twain refers to in the second part of this quote: “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” I believe we are all great—and capable of much more than we imagine. A skilled teacher knows how to navigate and help transform limiting beliefs that stifle creative urges.
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Great writers are not necessarily great teachers. Writing and teaching are two separate skills. I’ve studied with wonderful authors whose classes I’ve left feeling diminished and deflated. I take responsibility for these feelings, but I also believe the teachers whose classes trigged them, did not deliver what I think excellent teachers must: inspiration, vision, and support—as well as tools of the trade.
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My students are energized and inspired by my classes and also by their peers. They are honored, celebrated, and free to explore all aspects of themselves and their experience. I teach them how to listen deeply to their innate wisdom, as well as how to hone their skills—as craftspeople, but also as artists. Anyone who wants to write, if dedicated to the journey, can learn.
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Teaching and writing are acts of restoration. When we ignore the quiet voice inside, it either dims or grows louder. Whether this voice whispers or screams, when we listen, we honor our souls. This requires compassion, courage, and generosity of Spirit.
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I believe in saying, “yes” to myself and to my students. You can do this—you must do this—if you are called—even if you’re afraid, weary, or don’t think you’re up to the task. You are. You might need to go about it differently. You might need assistance. You might need to allow yourself to feel lost. You may need to learn the art of surrender, which is also part of the writing process.
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One must reach into darkness to bring forth light. I encourage my students to do this. I do not ask them to take risks I myself am not taking.
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