What I Learned While Teaching
By Guest | September 28, 2010 |
Therese here. Today’s guest is Janet Skeslien Charles, an American author who has lived in Paris for over a decade. But there’s much more to Janet than that: She recently became the first American to win Britain’s Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance for her debut novel, Moonlight in Odessa. Here in the states, Publishers Weekly chose Moonlight in Odessa as a top ten debut novel last fall, and National Geographic chose Moonlight as the Book of the Month last September. Foreign rights for the novel have sold in 11 countries.
Moonlight in Odessa released in paperback here on September 6th. We’re thrilled Janet can be with us today to talk about how teaching about writing brought her unexpected gifts. Enjoy!
What I Learned While Teaching
When I approached Sylvia Whitman, the manager of Shakespeare & Company here in Paris, about hosting a writing workshop, she accepted immediately. Looking at the walls lined with books in the upstairs library, her father George Whitman opened his arm wide and asked, “How long can you stay?”
At the time I approached Sylvia, I’d been in Paris for five years. In a city famous for its literary friendships, I had trouble making connections. I worked all day and in the evening tried everything from Meetups to writing classes. My experiences ranged from one group who only wanted to write “Literature, not the trash that’s published today” to another whose male members’ only advice was to add sex to every scene. Fed up, I decided to start my own group. After all, I’d had a few stories and poems published and had experience editing while I’d been on the board of a literary journal. When I started my workshop, I expected to share my knowledge but instead received many unexpected gifts.
The writers were so passionate about reading and writing that after each session, we left the class feeling energized and ready for another week of writing. Sharing our stories, our challenges, our small victories, gave us the courage and the energy to continue writing.
During the day, we dealt with tough professors, passive-aggressive coworkers, and the pushing and shoving that is just a part of city life, even in the City of Light. In the workshop, witnessing the writers’ generosity of spirit was a balm. The writers ranged from total beginners to prize-winning authors. Each week, the beginners gave feedback to the more sophisticated writers, while they gave gentle encouragement to the novices. They also gave excellent advice.
One writer, Bob Levy, said something that forever changed my sentence structure.
“End with the most powerful image or word.”
I went home and re-examined my own work. Most of my sentences started strong and petered out. Bob’s advice made me re-evaluate every sentence, paragraph, and chapter in my novel.
Many writers took several sessions of my classes, which forced me to read more to find interesting excerpts to share each week. I became a stronger reader because I had to analyze an author’s writing in order to present it. This made me articulate and evaluate my thoughts on technique, voice, and structure.
Discussing the published short stories, poetry, and essays I brought in gave us all a deeper understanding of the work as we shared our different points of view. In a Peter Christopher short story, which I have reread several times a year since 1994, the main character begs his girlfriend to return his discharge papers. I always assumed he meant military papers, until a writer who worked as a nurse in a psychiatric hospital said that mental patients also receive discharge papers. In an instant, my understanding of the story shifted. What a gift to discuss a story and hear many possible interpretations. With writers from France, the U.S., Russia, Australia, England, and Germany, who were IT specialists, journalists, nannies, students, retirees, and academics just to name a few professions and countries, we had lively debates.
I led two workshops per week at Shakespeare & Company for five years. When I finished my novel Moonlight in Odessa (Bloomsbury), the writers I’d encouraged over the years volunteered to read it and give feedback. When the manuscript sold, we celebrated with a glass of champagne in the Shakespeare and Company library. What began as a writing workshop became a community of friends, evenings of energy, and lessons for both the students and the instructor.
Have you ever found writing support in an unanticipated place? Do you spend time with a writing “tribe”? Where?
Thanks so much, Janet, for a great post.
Readers, you can learn more about Janet on her website HERE. Write on!
Many thanks to today’s guest.
You can read more WU guest posts by visiting this link.
Janet – good timing with this! Not about the teaching side, but about Shakespeare & Co. I lived in Paris for 8 years and was just planning a trip there (that might not work out, but I’m trying) and was thinking of calling Shakespeare & Co. to see if I could speak there about my novel integrated with a blog, set in France. Strange thing, these coincidences.
As for finding support in an unanticipated place, yes: here on Writer Unboxed.
I used meetup.com to find local writing groups, tried a couple out, and I’m now deeply entrenched with a small, focused group of people that are not only writing buddies, but now my true friends. (Two women in particular.) Like you said, the advice is almost as valuable as the nurturing “balm” we get from one another. I wouldn’t trade my tribe for anything. :)
I’m in my last semester of a Fiction Writing degree, and I’m taking a class to learn to tutor other students in the program. During my first session with my first student, I had a kind of a lightbulb moment when I realized that I *love* to teach.
Also, a big part of the class is figuring out what we students learn about our own writing while teaching. It’s this great collaborative process.
Also? This: “End with the most powerful image or word.” is genius.
I love hanging out with other writers, because the love of words and books creates an instant bond — you don’t have to explain why you have this magical connection with stories and the characters that you transport from your brain onto paper. :)
It also seems to create an amazing energy, having a group of writers in one place. I always leave feeling rejuvenated and raring to get back to my writing.
I think the best of teachers know how to create that synergy – that, as much as experience, can be their gift. I’m lucky to have found my tribes, but it’s been a process. Perhaps someday I’ll get to sample Shakespeare and Company myself.
This is lovely! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve been a part of several beneficial groups. Now I’m get feedback from critique partners I found through blogging: one is my genre-mate, one is my agent-mate, and one is a young woman who utterly inspires me.
Thanks for sharing your story about finding a community. And one of the best gift of teaching is finding that we learn as much, if not more, than our students.
Congrats on how many readers your book has found.
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Not merely an interesting post, Janet, but inspiring! Not only that, but your book sounds quite amazing. Truly looking forward to adding it to my teetering pile :-)
What a wonderfully inspiring post. I love the advice to end with the most powerful image or word–time to go through my manuscript. Thanks and congratulations on Moonlight in Odessa!
Many thanks to Therese and Writer Unboxed for letting me share my story! Many thanks to readers for letting me know that the post was inspiring. I appreciate that you took the time to write and say hello.
Best wishes,
Janet