I’m off to see a Team K member today!
I’m currently on the train heading home to visit my old
school, where I will be taking a creative writing workshop this afternoon with
the Higher English students. Part of the
session will be a reading of the short story I won an award for earlier this
year, followed by an analysis of the writing and the creative process. I’m quite excited about it. I feel prepared for the first part given I’ve
been doing similar readings over the past month at my coffee shop exhibition,
but the second part is what’s going to be interesting. I haven’t had my work critically analysed in
this manner before. Yes, I’ve had
assignments and had feedback on writing from peers, publishers and agents I’ve
sent material to, but I’ve never heard a group discuss the merits (if any!) of my work in an open
forum. That bit I’m nervous about!
The invitation came from my old English teacher, one of the
first people to tell me I had a talent for writing. As young as twelve she was encouraging me to
write prose and submit my work. I did
quite well as a teen; I had two features published in regional newspapers,
winning a teen-journalism competition in the process, had a handful of articles
published by my local newspaper and was a runner-up in the international
Pushkin Prizes competition with my portfolio of work written in class. I also wrote the scripts for the local
pantomime and drama group in my latter years at school. Thinking about these achievements now, it
makes me wonder when exactly in my personal history I stopped believing in
myself and started to think my work wasn’t adequate? I may have to do a bit more of the time
travelling exercise to investigate this further; it’s important that I’m able
to recognise when my belief in myself is lacking to prevent future crises of
faith.
On the subject of time travelling, I best go read my notes
for this afternoon before it’s time to traverse those lost corridors of my
teens.
K
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