I have noticed a few things since I have began teaching. We are a rare few who love to write. I live in a state that requires all students to complete a writing portfolio at different times in their school career. It is such a struggle to persuade students that they too can write.
I have discovered that there is talent to creating the great novel, or the top-notch poem, but there is also a formula to acceptable writing. The students are asked to complete a structured set of requirements: prewriting, drafting, revising, and publishing. They are told to think of audience and purpose. They are told to fill their work with details. Some of them, if following these rules can produce a great piece of writing.
I have been wondering, if writers like us followed these rules, that our work would get better as well. Do we keep these long held lessons in the backs of our minds? Do some of you still follow these steps? How useful are they to creative writers? Are they restrictive to the imagination, or do they open it?
There are so many things to think about when writing fiction. I think I will try doing what I have my students do on the next piece I start. Tell me what you think.
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