My Writing Class

Jane Underwood

I was a little hesitant to register. So just to play it safe, I waited until the class was closed to sign up. As luck would have it, a former student asked to be put on the waiting list, too. Since the class is based on exchanging writing with a partner–and since the former student's request created an even number (36 total in the class)–Jane let me in. It turns out that I had a great time at our meeting yesterday.

Here's the idea: An e-mail exchange of short, daily, timed writings with your partner. A new partner is assigned every week, along with 7 daily writing prompts (words or photos).

Writing time: 10 to 12 minutes. NO MORE.

You receive your partner's write and send it back to them the next day, with your brief responses, along with YOUR next day's write.

Reasons for partnering:

1. To get in the habit of writing every day -- that is, to PRACTICE writing.

2. To continually generate new ideas for your writing. Most ideas come
while you are actually in the process of writing.

3. To feel the difference between writing only for yourself, and writing
for someone else (an audience), and to notice how your writing changes, depending upon who your audience is.

4. To practice (and risk) being open and honest for an audience

5. To get an immediate, daily "response" to your writing (so that you
feel less like you are writing into the void–less isolated)

6. To indirectly learn about your own writing through the process of
responding to someone else's. It is often much easier to see what works
or what doesn't work when you are scrutinizing a piece of writing that
isn't your own. You will begin to develop a more "objective" eye, and
eventually you can learn to use that objectivity when looking at your
own writing.

7. To capture your "natural" voice (innate tone, style, personality),
before you have a chance to: snuff it out, smother it,tidy it up, hide
it, correct it, polish it, soften it, or otherwise stomp the life out of
it, all in the name of "improving" it.

Doesn't this sound perfect? You can sign up for a class here.