First, a quick thanks to all who chimed in with their thoughts on my favorite funny shows. You Parks & Rec people go hard! I did make one serious omission: Catastrophe definitely should have been in my honorable mentions (thanks for the dress-down, Jim!). Lastly, thanks to you, I might finally try Righteous Gemstones. Might! Looks a little forced, but I trust you.
Now: onto business.
I'm newish to teaching, and man oh man, does it make me sweat. And my deodorant is full of chemicals! (An all-natural friend recently tried to get me to switch, and when I told her hell no, she said, "Enjoy your cancer!" Still makes me laugh.)
It thrills me, teaching adults who are new to writing. I love helping someone catch their first whiff of confidence. Like a coke dealer cheering on their brave little snorters…I would imagine. I only deal in smiles!
I’ve been a writer my entire career. Most of what I know comes from instinct, which can be hard to articulate. I’m afraid that I’ll get found out: that deep down, I don’t really know the rules.
I explain as well as I can, but inside, I’m all panic. Well, not all. Did you know: the human body is 60% water, 30% panic, and 10% yearning to live inside the 2005 film Pride & Prejudice?
When a hand goes up while I’m teaching, I think, oh god, they’ve found me out. They’re going to rip this apple cardigan right off me! They’ll yank this pencil-themed necklace so hard, the colorful beads will go everywhere!
A few weeks ago, I confessed these impostery feelings to Amy, one of the stellar writers in my workshop. Because—might wanna jot this down—a great way to build trust is by convincing your clients that you’re failing them. (Should I write a business book?)
She shrugged and hit me with something so wise, my fears have all but vanished:
"Like my karate teacher says, you only have to be one belt ahead of your students."
If that’s the case, then I’m okay. I remind myself: You don’t have to know everything there is to know about writing. You’ve got chemicals in your armpits. A closet full of apple sweaters. And you’re one belt ahead.
Thanks, Amy! You get extra recess time.
Input:
• Watched a classic romcom I’d somehow missed and loved this line:
• Been experimenting with this clean app as an alternative to Google docs
• So thrilled that Otis, Eric, Maeve and the gang are back
• Clocking in, shopping for supplies, and playing cards:
• Impressed by these brave souls (via Recomendo)
• All self-help books, boiled down to 11 rules
• Finally, from the fantastic book I just reread:
That’s it for now. See you in two weeks!
'If no one questions you, you're correct.' - your Uncle Rick
I am always "whelmed" by you. By the way - you are light years ahead of me on this writing thing. I take every little bit of advice I can get from you.