One of the BEST Ways to Grow as a Writer

We all need to grow as writers, so what are the best ways? In this episode, Chris and Gena talk about one of Gena’s favorites: by teaching writing to others. When you have to explain techniques and break down concepts, you can’t help but grow as a writer. You become more aware of those techniques as you write/edit.

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Episode 6 Transcription:

[00:00:00].610] - Chris
Hey, writer. Welcome to the Writing Momentum Podcast. This is Chris and Gena Maselli.

[00:00:05].820] - Gena
Hi.

[00:00:06].040] - Chris
How are you doing today, Gena?

[00:00:07].440] - Gena
I'm doing well. I'm excited about this topic today.

[00:00:10].480] - Chris
This is a good topic.

[00:00:11].940] - Gena
This is a Gena topic.

[00:00:13].220] - Chris
Does this warm your heart? Like Valentine's Day? Warms your heart.

[00:00:16].470] - Gena
It warms my heart like Valentine's Day.

[00:00:19].350] - Chris
That's right. So I think this is good. This is something that you were talking about the other day, and we thought we need to record a podcast about that because you've really feel like lately you've really grown like you've been writing for 20 some years.

[00:00:33].750] - Gena
Almost 20 years that I have been writing.

[00:00:36].470] - Chris
And yet you feel like even recently, you have grown even more because of something that you have started doing more. And why don't you share that with us?

[00:00:46].180] - Gena
Well, I think that no one ever arrives as a writer. I think there are always concepts to try, techniques to try. There's different genres to try. There's always ways to grow. I think that's the beauty and probably also the frustration of being a writer is that you don't just arrive at one time. At one point, it's like I got everything that I need to know.

[00:01:15].960] - Chris
Wait, what? I want that to happen.

[00:01:19].580] - Gena
I know, right?

[00:01:20].920] - Chris
I just want to know stuff.

[00:01:23].210] - Gena
Yeah. Well, one of the ways that I have grown as a writer and continue to grow as a writer is by working with students. And right now, I am working with 7th to 10th graders.

[00:01:43].810] - Chris
Well, so you're talking true students like true school students.

[00:01:47].630] - Gena
Although I'm sure that any type of teaching is going to help. But what I'm working in right now, and I am a homeschooling mom. I home school our three kids. I always have. But I have started in the last year again, I've done this in the past. I have worked in writing, teaching writing classes before I'm doing it again this year, I stepped up to do it, and I just think that this is one of the best ways to learn about writing. And that is about teaching kids.

[00:02:23].100] - Gena
Now, I believe that you could probably work with adults. I'm not saying it has to be young people, but the thing about teaching that is so powerful. And I would say this with this with even working with your own kids. And we'll get into where you can find these students. But it's that when you're learning a concept or you're reviewing a concept and you have to explain it to someone else, there's something about that that helps it stick even more in your brain.

[00:02:58].860] - Chris
Yeah, that's true. Because sometimes these things become just kind of innate the way we do things, right. Because I've had times when people had me, they've seen that I use a certain piece of software because I'm kind of techy, right. And they'll say, hey, can you teach me how to use that? I say, sure. Let's go ahead and log online and I'll show you how to use it. But before we do, I realized I always have to sit down and I have to write out kind of a checklist and say, what actually, do I know about this?

[00:03:22].240] - Chris
Like I have to reassess what I know and how can I share that in such a way that they can receive? And I imagine that's exactly what you have to do when you're teaching writing to students.

[00:03:31].280] - Gena
It is you have to take a concept and you have to break it down. And if you can, you have to make it applicable to that student. You have to make it personal to them. That's the best way that they're going to learn it is if they can understand it for them. So, for instance, what I mean is if I'm talking to kids about writing a really good thesis statement, or I'm talking with kids about adding description to their writing, or I'm talking to kids about even the importance of formatting, which that even gets into just the technical side of what do I want this piece to look like?

[00:04:12].620] - Gena
As I submit it to different places, as I'm talking about those things, I'm having to explain not only what it is, how to produce it, but also why it's important and what it can do for them. And as I'm writing that, or I'm reading that, or I'm speaking that that is just getting more and more in my getting in me even more. And so I've had it with sentence structure. I've had to teach sentence structure. I've had to teach even grammar and punctuation, just explaining to students, why do I put a comma here?

[00:04:50].270] - Gena
Why do I use this kind of series? There's so much you can go into. Why do I differentiate my sentence structure and break it up so that it doesn't all read the same? How can I add drama to something that would be fairly bland otherwise?

[00:05:13].080] - Chris
Yeah. A lot of the things I imagine we kind of just take for granted that we know how to do some of that stuff, right? If you've been writing for any period of time, you don't really think about why you put a comma where you do or why you might use a certain clause somewhere or something like that. But as you have to articulate that to someone else, it really even helps you be more aware of it in your own writing. It's kind of like with editing.

[00:05:38].410] - Chris
One of the reasons I love editing is because it makes me a better writer because I have to think about the words and the way they're structured it's kind of the same thing, right?

[00:05:46].340] - Gena
Absolutely. And it's also just a lot of fun to see the light bulb moments that come on for the students. But I think as you're helping them practice these different techniques, you will become aware of them in your own writing.

[00:06:04].050] - Chris
What if you don't have any kids at home anymore. How do you find someone that you can teach like this?

[00:06:10].570] - Gena
Well, I think there's definitely ways that you can find these students. One you can tutor in schools, reaching out to the schools, especially for students who might be struggling writers. So it's a volunteer capacity. There may even be organizations in your area that offer this kind of service to the schools. You can also work. I work with my own children, but I do work with other people's, children or grandchildren. I'm still working. My kids know we laugh about this, but our kids are not getting out of this house without being able to construct a decent paper and be able to communicate in writing.

[00:06:56].790] - Gena
So working with our own kids, even if you do something outside of school, you say where their school doesn't have this kind of writing program doesn't mean that you can't do something with them during the summer, do a short story, practicum with them during the summer. Also home school co-ops. They're homeschool co-ops in your area. They would love to have a strong writing coach, a writing teacher. This is an area, and it's a subject that a lot of people don't believe that they're good at and they don't have the training.

[00:07:35].300] - Gena
So they are looking for coaches and teachers in that capacity.

[00:07:39].740] - Chris
Libraries, too. We're always looking for people to come in and teach this kind of thing for in program.

[00:07:44].810] - Gena
Yeah. To teach, to read to the kids and then to talk to them about what they're doing. You could put a whole program. I'm sure together even the Boys and Girls Club of America, that's another organization that I know is probably looking for help with students and for programs. So there are a lot of different avenues that you can find students. But I would just encourage you if you want to grow. If you're looking for an easy way to grow as a writer, look for a way to become a teacher.

[00:08:14].570] - Chris
Yeah. I don't know that this is even limited to students either, right? I mean, you could become part of a writer's group. And if you find other writers who are at a younger area than what you're at right in your writing by helping them, it helps you become a stronger writer. For instance, we teach a lot of writers conferences to adults, and that makes us better writers. Anytime you can share the knowledge that you've received, it will make you a better writer. Hands down. And you can even do it online.

[00:08:45].470] - Chris
Right. You could teach courses online and become a better writer because of it.

[00:08:50].080] - Gena
Yeah. There is also that there's also just becoming part of writer's groups where, like Chris said, maybe a critique group where you're helping one another strengthen your writing is going to be good. Any point where you have to stop and really think about what am I trying to say? How am I trying to help this writing or this writer improve and then stop and really think about it and communicate what that is it's going to help you. And I think it also the thing that you're going to see as you go down this path of helping others become better writers is that there's a difference between head knowledge and practical knowledge.

[00:09:34].300] - Gena
And it really is kind of like a muscle memory that you get. You know, that there's this thing that happens like Chris was just saying that there's this thing that happens that as you write, sometimes you don't necessarily know what you're doing. You just kind of do it. But when you have to stop and think and explain, it just gets deeper inside you and you become more aware of ways that you can just strengthen your writing and what makes strong writing.

[00:10:02].550] - Chris
I think this is good, too, because sometimes it can be very easy to become pessimistic with everything that's been going on in the world today and that sort of thing. And when you are giving out of yourself to help others in a manner like this, it really helps make you a more optimistic person. You see more of the possibilities that are out there and the potential in others. And I think that helps with our mindset, too. So Gena, go ahead and let's just recap real quick some of the things you talked about today, and then we're going to let everyone get back to what they're doing.

[00:10:35].120] - Gena
Okay. So today we really just wanted to encourage you to look for a way. If you want to become a better writer, look for ways to teach it, look for ways to communicate what you've learned and what you know and to help others grow in their writing. There's just something about that taking it in and really breaking it down and communicating it and teaching it that will help that knowledge go just from straight head knowledge to heart knowledge. And to really get down into your own writing, you will see a difference in your writing.

[00:11:11].370] - Gena
I have no doubt about it. You can looking for students. You can tutor in schools or in local organizations or at the library. You can work with your own kids. Think about doing a special practicum type writing exercise during the summer or during breaks, or just sit down and have fun with them. Write poetry. That kind of thing. You can also help out at home school co-ops. They are very happy to have writers come in and teach writing to the students because this is an area that people are struggling with.

[00:11:48].620] - Gena
But if you would prefer to work with older people, think about joining writing critique groups online or other writing groups online and help other people. Just other adults who are wanting to strengthen their writing. Look for those the students are there if you'll look for them, and then when you're thinking about teaching a concept, think about the concept. Find examples of it. Look up. What a lot of times if you're not sure how to explain it or even what that concept is, do a Google search on or a YouTube search.

[00:12:23].480] - Gena
You will find professors a lot of times who are explaining it to their own students. So practice makes perfect. And so as you practice, and you will inevitably start applying, that what you're teaching in your own writing.

[00:12:40].630] - Chris
Good stuff. All right. Well, that wraps up episode number six of the Writing Momentum Podcast. If you've enjoyed this episode, please review and rate it to let other people know it's out there. And please subscribe. Because we have so many good topics coming up, we're very excited. We have a whole list of stuff that we're going to be talking about, things that we're going to share, that we've learned or found out or discovered that we think that you're going to benefit from, too, and it's going to give your writing momentum.

[00:13:05].790] - Chris
So thank you for joining us. And until next time, may all your writing have momentum. Bye.