Being a Composer

I participate in a writing group, and it's one of the highlights of my week. The group has fluctuated in size and focus since it began a couple of years ago, but over the past year it has really gelled. In addition to reading and critiquing each others' work, we have also started a collaborative writing project that's a lot of fun.



One of the group members has a really hard time hearing criticism. He gets super-defensive and has suggested that perhaps other group members just don't "get" what he is trying to do. Worse, he is one of the group members most likely to be tactless in his comments on other people's work. Worst of all, when we ask him how we can make comments in a way that works better for him, he denies being sensitive and adopts a "Bring it on! I can take it!" attitude.

We want this member to remain in the group for a number of reasons. First, in spite of everything, he does provide helpful feedback ... and he often brings a different perspective than other members of the group. Second, although he is not always receptive to feedback when it is given, he does revise his work in accordance with our suggestions. Frankly, he challenges us to be better at giving feedback.

A few weeks ago, around the same time I was reading Don Killgallon's Sentence Composing book for my method's class, things came to a head with this group member. I won't go into all the gory details, but it involved a series of emails about writing "snarky" humor. I was beginning to get fed up because it seemed like he was asking for feedback but not listening to it.

Finally, I suggested that he take a look at Killgallon's book. And to my surprise...he did. In fact, he was really excited about the book and he found the exercises useful. Not only that, he's been more receptive to my feedback lately. It's almost like he's decided I might know what I'm talking about or something.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized this attitude actually makes a weird kind of sense. Hearing criticism from people you know can be daunting. Taking advice from a published professional, on the other hand, is just good sense. Because I was able to show how my ideas were supported by an "expert" I gained credibility in the eyes of this writer.

I think this is a valuable lesson for me as a teacher. Students might roll their eyes at me when I give them feedback. But those same students might be psyched to take nearly identical suggestions from an "expert." Letting students know where I get my ideas for classroom exercises and assignments could help them see that these are the same approaches "real" writers use.

In fact, I find myself thinking about other ways to incorporate "experts" into my class. Stephen King's On Writing, Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing, Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, The Writing Life by Annie Dillard. These are all essay collections that have a place in a language arts class. 

What's more, I can also take a multi-media approach to bringing experts into my classroom. Through the miracle of YouTube, I can have guest speakers like Stephen King, Annie Lamont, Amy Tan and many others. Students don't have to rely solely on my input and advice. They can take their pick from a wide range of sources and find something that speaks to them and inspires them.