Writing and How Making A Workshop Is Helping Me Focus

So, I told you guys about my writing workshop for my old high school right? Did I? I don’t remember. Anyways, if I didn’t, I’m currently working on a 12 week, one lesson a week, writing program for my old high school that will encourage the class to take an idea, nourish it, turn it into a story, write the story, and beyond. I’m incorporating NaNoWriMo into the program so that the kids will be able to gain the benefits of winning a NaNo too (like the discounted swag!).

In writing this program, I’ve come up with various ideas for one-shot lesson plans focusing on various areas of writing – like grammar, show vs tell, POV, etc. and have worked on those in bits and pieces. But the main thing that writing this program has done for me, is help me to focus on one project at a time.

For example, before writing this program I was constantly trying to decide which of my millions of half started novels I should focus on, and every time I made up my mind I would change it within a few days. But now! I am focusing on An Epic Tale to great success right now. I’m world building and plot outlining and character profiling – and I really don’t ever do those things! It’s great!

So I guess what I’m saying is… well, I don’t really know. I never thought that doing educational writing would help me focus on my creative writing. It’s fun, and relatively rewarding. I don’t know why I didn’t do this years ago!