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Karen Grunberg

Where's the Teacher?

I just wanted to tell you guys my two cents about the subject matter. I have now been a member of WVU for about a year and a half. I took Fiction 99 and mentored it three times. I have taken quite a few of the classes and back when I joined, we had no instructors or facilitators at all. So I am somewhat familiar with WVU, tho I have been spending lots of time writing my book lately, so I haven't been very active and there have been quite a few changes. If anything I say is no longer true, I apologize in advance. Also, bear in mind that I haven't been published and I am no expert at writing whatsoever. Anything I am going to say is just my opinion and nothing more. OK, having said all the disclaimers, here goes :)

When I first joined WVU, I, too, was looking for an instructor. More significantly, since I hadn't really written much fiction before, I was interested in someone telling me whether I was doing it correctly or not. I took some classes where I couldn't even understand what the homework called for. I bought any book anyone mentioned on the subject matter of writing fiction and read them cover to cover. After a while, I realized something:

Many people (especially fiction teachers) might disagree with me, but I still hold on to my opinion. There are parts of writing fiction that can be taught, like grammar, punctuation, POV etc. But for the most part, it's an acquired skill. The best way to get better at writing is by writing. A lot. All the time. The books and the teachers can offer you suggestions on what kind of exercises to do and how to get "your setting to be vivid" or "your characters to be 3-dimensional" but they cannot teach you how to write well. I would think most people write to get published. As a fiction writer, I want others to read my work. I care a little about what the critics might think but I care a lot more about what readers do. Mainly cause I want people (lots of people) to read my books.

Which brings me to my second point (my first point was that I don't think fiction writing can be taught and especially just cause someone is published, it doesn't qualify them to be a good teacher). My second point is that the best critics of your work are your fellow classmates. While they are not the most common audience (and I would highly suggest having non-writers read your work) they are more "typical readers" than any teacher.

Giving feedback is also a fantastic way of improving your own writing skills. Seeing what you consider a mistake in other people's writing (or what you consider a really great idea) makes you go back and look at your own writing in a different way. You can tell your classmate who's worried about feedback that we have feedback seminars at WVU and also there is really no way to give "wrong" feedback unless he is rude in the way he gives it. He can think about it this way: "don't give feedback in a way that you'd be offended to receive it"

So in short, WVU promotes exactly what a beginner (or probably any) writer should be doing. Writing! Don't worry about whether it's right or wrong. That's why you have peer feedback. And don't rely on a teacher to give you feedback, your peers count just as much, if not more. Looking at how many different styles exist and the wide variety of things considered successful and publishable fiction, I don't think anyone can tell you that your way is wrong.

Again, everything I said is my opinion. Normally, I love taking classes and I rely on a teacher heavily. I have decided that fiction, for the most part, is something I can only get better at if I keep doing it and worry less about whether I am following all the rules of a "teacher."

I am sure there will be many people who disagree with me, but I figured I'd share my 2 cents anyhow. The fact that all of us don't think the same way is what makes the world an interesting place for me :) as Suz always says "keep writing"

Karenika

karenika@wvu.org