Young Writers Society

So, I am a sophomore in high school and I decided to take a Creative Writing class, ya' know, because I love writing.

My problem is, it was never mentioned to me until I was actually enrolled in the class that we actually have to SHARE our writing with the class on a frequent basis. I cannot do that.

I took a Creative Writing class when I was in middle school and everything was strictly confidential. We didn't even have to let the teacher see it if we didn't want to. But in this class, it's not an option. I'm extremely introverted and can hardly stand to be called on in class to recite a simple answer.

Any suggestions as to what I should do or tips to make myself less nervous?

What specifically do you need tips on?

Writing material that you don't mind sharing with the class ...

(1) Redraft, polish and spellcheck. If you hand out first drafts, you're going to get a rougher ride than late drafts would.

(2) Get it critiqued elsewhere first. That way getting criticism of the piece is not a shock to the system, and you feel more in control of the critique you receive.

(3) Look out for repeated problems being criticised in your class. If pieces are being continually pulled up on grammar, for example, that probably means you have a sharp-eyed grammar nazi in your class, and you need to make doubly sure that your grammar is solid before you submit.

Reading your work out loud ...

(1) Choose a short, active section with good imagery.

(2) Keep it to only 2-3 minutes. Longer than that and people may glaze over.

(3) Practise in front of the mirror.

(4) Try to speak slowly.

(5) A monotone is death. Vary your tone.

(6) If spectacularly worried, practise on friends and/or record yourself and play yourself back.

Being critiqued face to face ...

(1) Write down everything you're told. Even if you think it's dumb, it looks like you're paying attention.

(2) Keep a poker face. Frowning and/or being clearly upset will inhibit commentary.

(3) Limit your vocabulary to "I see" and "That's really interesting", even if the commenter is clearly wrong and/or crazy. You absolutely cannot criticise the critique you're receiving.

(4) You can ask questions, but only of the "Could you explain ...?" kind, not "What's wrong with you, you freak?" - however tempting that may be.

The key to everything is control. By adjusting and polishing the material you send out, you can control the responses you receive. By practising your reading ahead of time, you can control how engaged your readers are. By remaining calm and writing down critique you get, you can control whether you come across as defensive and/or entitled.

Just some preliminary thoughts. It would be helpful if you could be specific about the tasks you'll have to do and the problems you anticipate.

You want to be a writer, right? Maybe even see a nice copy of your book on your shelves one day? Well, if you want that to happen, you have to share your work with other people. Getting critiques is the only way you can grow in your writing and get better.

And anyways, I bet that 90% of the kids in your class don't actually care that much about writing. Most of them won't care enough to critique your work anyways, and most of them will probably just start day dreaming when you start talking. (No offense or anything, it's just that that's happened to me in both creative writing classes I've taken.) So just take comfort in the fact that most of your classmates aren't even listening.


~ Maggie

i have the same problem. im a junior and i just joined a class. i used to be so scared, but then i realized, if i want to be a writer, im gonna have to share my ideas and stories. If all you want to do is keep your writing confidential, then being a writer is more of a hobby for you!
~Alter