Gearing up for Teachers Write! & Friday Feedback - Summer 2015

Teachers Write! 
What it is and How it Works 
& FAQ’s






What it Is
Teachers Write! is a virtual writing camp for teachers, librarians and other educators who either:
          * want to become better writing teachers, and thereby “walk the walk" by doing their own writing for the benefit of their students,  or
          * aspire to write fiction or non-fiction works, and, thus, desire to become better writers for their own benefit and purpose.

I may have doctored this quote. 
***Before you keep reading, HERE'S THE LINK TO KATE MESSNER's BLOG with MORE info and SIGN UP links!!!*** (yep, just click there).

How it Works
We like to think of Teachers Write as an all-you-can-eat buffet loaded with YOUR CHOICE of opportunities to learn about, improve, and share writing.
Each weekday -- except Wednesdays which are a Q&A day -- there are writing lessons, prompts and exercises posted on Kate’s, Jo’s, Gae’s and/or Jen’s blogs (and linked to on our Teachers Write facebook page which you should join NOW HERE (click that link!) if you are willing. 
These prompts are intended to illustrate, inspire and spark your creativity. You do not have to do them all, but you may. You may pick and choose those those exercises and prompts you connect with, that move you to try them out. 
The week unfolds primarily as follows:
Mini-Lesson Mondays– chat about the topic in the comments with the guest author
Monday Morning Warm Ups with Jo Knowles – just what they sound like. Monday morning gems to get you writing!
Tuesday Quick-Write – Kate or a guest author sharing prompts!
Wednesday Q & A – lots of guest authors chime in!
Thursday Quick Write  – Kate or a guest author sharing prompts!
Friday Feedback  – Gae or a guest author sharing a writing lesson and a brief excerpt of new writing, followed by an opportunity to post your own brief excerpt and give and get hands-on editorial feedback!


Some basic FAQs you should know about TW !

    *  I’m not a real writer. I’m not worthy. Can I participate? Should I just lurk?  
      There are “campers” of all different writing skill levels participating in Teachers Write! Some of us have been writing for years, have manuscripts in the works, are even close to querying agents. And others are about to force themselves to write something creative – anything creative – for the very first time ever or in years.
No worries, whatever level of skill you are, you are welcome and wanted, and will quickly find yourself jumping up levels as you dive in. Some of our newbies of Years One and Two are already in that querying phase! Others are still struggling in the early phases of finding voice and confidence in their writing. It’s OKAY. It’s all OKAY. As Teddy Roosevelt once said (and one of our awesome campers reminded me), “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Jump in and be brave at whatever level you are. We’re here to encourage and support you, and we’ll sit back and smile when you soon find yourself moving up levels by leaps and bounds.

    * I don’t even know what a WIP is, so should I pack my bags and leave? 
      A WIP simply stands for a Work In Progress. Any work in progress. Though authors often use it in reference to a novel, here we use it to reference any work in progress: non-fiction essay, blog post, spark of a short story you are writing from a TW! prompt. Even a poem!
Wear your WIP proudly, and share bits of it when you’re feeling brave.

    *  My inner critic has been stomping on my face in cleats.  How do I share when I’m filled with doubt and self-loathing ?
      This is all we can say to that: ask past campers! 
      We’re here to support and encourage, not tear down. Wait until you see how much fun it is! And until then, isn’t this a great feeling to remember when you ask those vulnerable students of yours to share in front of their peers?!



* Sounds good! How much does it cost?
      Nada! Zero! Zilch! Or, you know, the cost of being brave and putting yourself out there. 

Having said that, if you are able, we do ask you to PLEASE buy at least one book by each of the hosting authors (me, Kate and Jo) and at least one book by a guest author (and as many more as you can!). We also ask that you share our titles with your schools and local libraries, encourage your friends to read and put up reviews. Tweet our titles if you like them. All of these things truly help to keep our books in the limelight. And we love you for it.



* Okay, great. But I'm not a teacher or educator. 
Can I still participate?
Sure! The posts are all public, so anyone can write along with us! We just ask that you write on your own, rather than posting for critiques, etc. (except for Friday Feedback here on my blog, which is always open to the public!) because that way the groups stays a manageable size for our teachers and librarians. We love you, but that's who we really want to serve here because of the work they do with kids.


Hope this information helps! Still have questions? tweet to me @gaepol, comment to me here, or email me at g.polisner@gmail.com 

      We can't wait to see our returning campers and meet our new ones,
      Gae, Kate, Jo & Jen.