Linda M James

Saturday 14 March 2015

DO WRITERS NEED TO GO TO WRITING CLASSES?




I am a published author/screenwriter who is also a creative writing tutor who knows that the writing techniques I teach my students help improve their writing skills because so many of them have been published after attending my workshops regularly.
[If you would like to learn a few of these techniques, I have a page on my website called Writing Tips which I’ll be updating which I hope will help you.]
Some people believe writing classes are a waste of time and money. They are if you have a teacher who is insecure in her ability to write well, who can’t communicate her expertise effectively, who has no sense of humour and who isn’t emphatic. All these skills are needed to nurture people who write. I realise my students are opening themselves to criticism and as we all know, criticism is hard to take if it is harsh and destructive. I always try to be constructive, but honest with my students.
Of course, there are some people who are naturally better writers than others, just as some people are naturally better pianists. But think about how many hours a day a good writer or pianist has to work to perfect his/her skills. If you have talent it needs stretching regularly.
I believe three factors are vital for a writer to achieve success: talent, tenacity and timing.
Remember what Aldous Huxley said: ‘It is not how we cope with success that makes us strong, but how we cope with failure.’

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