Writing and Teaching and Teaching and Writing

One of the things I find very energizing and helpful to my own writing process is teaching. In fact, though I think writing is the thing I love best in the world, if there must be a second, it’s teaching.

Nothing helps me isolate my thoughts and examine my own processes like pulling them apart in front of curious student eyes. They ask the questions, and you try to describe and it forces you to examine all the angles and possibilities. “How does this work?” someone will say. And you’re expected to know it well enough to give a cohesive answer.

So teaching enhances my own expertise, in a way. It keeps me balanced on the balls of my feet and agile enough with my thoughts and musings that I can give up a concise answer at the notice of a moment.

With that in mind, I'm excited to be immersed in an autumn that has a lot of teaching in it. Aside from some projects recently completed, within the next week, I should be sufficiently sated by the teaching process to happily trundle back to my desk and my isolation in order to start on my next project. Meanwhile, there are a few exciting weeks ahead.

In just a few days, I’ll be at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference in Surrey, British Columbia. While there, I have a full slate of activities, including teaching two workshops: one on Creating an Active Voice and another on Self-Editing. I’ll also be on the Killer Fiction panel that will be moderated by Hallie Ephron. Ephron is awesome and my co-panelists, Michael Slade and Grant McKenzie, are old pals, so I know we’ll have a great time. You can see more about the conference and my part in it here.

Then on October 27th, I’ll be back at the downtown campus of BCIT for the second Publishing Success Seminar. David Middleton, Murray Baker and I had a great time doing this same seminar last spring and there was sufficient demand that we decided to go back and do it again. (And here’s a secret: we’re currently making plans for Victoria, B.C. dates early in the New Year. So if you don't manage to squeeze into the October seminar, you’ll be able to get on the boat and join us in a different city in a few months.)

If you’d like more information on the Publishing Success Network and the October seminar, it’s here.

Maybe I’ll see you soon!