TEACHERS CAN DO THAT TO YOU

So you have always wanted to be a writer. You knew that when you were how old? Did others encourage you--your family, your classmates, your teacher? If they didn't, ignore their voices in your head. If you have the desire to write, you can nurture that desire, and your talent will grow with practice. Tap that ability just beneath the surface and the flow will come through for you.

No matter what you want to write, give it a try. Contrary to what teachers have always told you, you don't have to write about what you know. That path destroys curiosity, the urge to learn, and the need to grow. Hosw dull our writing would become if we never searched for something new.

Writers and school students rush into classes. That's not a bad thing; it helps us to learn more about the craft. But sometimes teachers are not really good for us. They long to, and often do, control the muses.

Public schools can take a natural poet and story writer, have them read "real" literature, discuss the virtues of famous writers,and embrace it. We don't have to step away from the warmth of our work, or not so famous others, in order to understand.

Stay close to the heart of your writing. Know what you want to say to the world of readers--and write it.