The Top Ten Writing Tips I Learned From My Students

By Gabi Stevens

Thanks so much for having me at Muse Interrupted. I’m excited to be here to “talk” to all of you.

In the day job, I’m a teacher. Eighth graders. They’re a fun group: too young to be mature, too old to be childish.  They are challenging, contrary, frustrating and inspiring. So here are…

The Top Ten Writing Tips I’ve Learned from My Students:

1.  Dream big—Did you know I have a classroom full of future multi-billionaires? Seriously. Or if they won’t be as rich as that, at least they will be actors, singers, or professional sports figures. OK, reality check. But they aren’t so wrong. If you’re going to dream, dream big. Like placing on the NYT list, or winning the Rita. Or even bigger like being on the ship that will colonize a distant planet or having the ability to breathe underwater. You never know when a big dream can lead to a plot.

2.  Have fun—Life is too short. There is much to learn and sometimes school, uh-hem, responsibilities can weigh you down. So seek fun. And if you still have responsibilities to shoulder, find the fun in everything. Somehow. Attitude will take you far.

3.  Procrastination is a bad idea—I usually give my students their essay assignments weeks (WEEKS!) in advance. I pretty much can tell you that most of them wait until the night before to write their papers. I have daily, weekly, monthly reminders of how bad procrastinating is. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean I actually don’t procrastinate; I’ve just learned it’s a bad idea.  

4.  Creativity doesn’t come from a book—I’m not a big fan of how-to books; I know they can be useful, but really, if you want to learn how to write, read and write. There are some lovely books on creativity: On Writing, Bird by Bird, The Writer’s Journey among many others, but I honestly believe creativity has to come from you. It can’t and shouldn’t be regulated, or dictated, or made homogeneous.

5.  Reading makes you smarter—I can always pick out my readers, those kids who read voraciously. They have better vocabularies, grasp ideas easier, think more logically, and form their own ideas faster. Reading teaches you facts, ideas, words, and grammar.

6.  A little misbehaving is good for the soul—I’ll be the first to admit it: the biggest weakness I have as a teacher is discipline. But I also don’t see the point in dinging the kids for every little thing. Now, I don’t let them go totally nuts, but let’s just say I’m lax. And sometimes raising just a little hell keeps the peace better than policing the rules would. But I also admit that I’m lucky because I teach very small classes. This year my biggest class has eight students.  So go ahead and break some of those grammar rules.

7.  Consequences matter—This is great help in plotting. Your hero or heroine might do a noble deed, but there will be consequences to their actions. This concept led to the twist at the end of my current release, THE WISH LIST, and turned the story into a series rather than a single title.

8.  Vacation is a good thing—While I truly love my students, it’s nice to get away from them. Sometimes it’s good to get away from writing as well. I know there are authors who never take a break, who write without taking a holiday, but I can’t be one of those writers. Some of the best advice I got once when I was having trouble with a book was “Don’t write. Wallow in not writing.” I cam back when I was ready and the troubles went away. If you’re on deadline, a break isn’t always possible, but reconnecting with yourself, your family and friends (who aren’t writers) can rejuvenate you.

9.  A laugh is always welcome—Do I really need to explain this? Lightening the mood helps to relieve tension. Even in the darkest and heaviest of books, a touch of humor helps the reader breathe.

10.  Report cards suck unless they’re good—We want everyone to like our books. We worked so hard on them, but realistically there will be people who won’t enjoy our story, our style, or our voice (Or all three or any combination thereof). Something we as authors have to live with.

So have you ever learned something from a surprising source?

–Gabi

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To read Gabi’s bio and the cover blurb for THE WISH LIST, see yesterday’s post. To learn more about Gabi and her books, visit her website at www.gabistevens.com.