TinyTeaches: How My Passion for Writing and Editing Keeps Growing

Last week, when I did a revision of my first ever short story, I was reminded again of how long five months can seem. Because that is how old that first story was. That was the one that got me into writing fiction.

I've always books--everything about them, really. The smell of them, the feel of a book in my hands. The idea of wandering into a world completely different from my own...

But to think of creating a completely different world of my own, now that was something I felt I wasn't up to. Until something made me try anyway.

After that--after rolling into The Writers' Block and learning not only how to be a better writer, but also how to be an editor, my passion for writing grew exponentially. 

I enjoy teaching people new things, helping them improve their skills and hone their talents. I always have. Words fail me when I try to explain how that makes me feel.

I also happen to think I don't suck too badly at teaching either. That's how my TinyTeaches series started out. As an active editor over at The Writers' Block, I found myself explaining the same thing over and over again. 

Hold Up, Jasmine

If you keep having to explain the same things again and again, doesn't that mean you're not too good at explaining?

Well, not exactly. You see, I keep explaining these things in the drafts of the writers I'm editing for. But we keep getting new members at The Block, and they make those same mistakes we all make when we start out. So we keep explaining to other people.

So Do Something About It!

I did. I picked a pitfall I came across a number of times and turned it into a non-fiction article on how to avoid that pitfall. I wrote Visuals in Writing, the first part of my TinyTeaches series. People on the Steemit platform--those that matter to me anyway--loved it and I remembered again how great it can feel to teach.

I wrote Visuals in writing, the first part of my TinyTeaches series. People on the Steemit platform loved it and I remembered again how great it can feel to teach.

I couldn't stop now. I followed that first TinyTeaches blogpost with Finding Your Way in the Land of Babel: Writing in a Second Language. As an ESL author myself, I know from experience how hard it can be to write in a language other than your native tongue.

Later followed the article Forget the Hot Glue Gun. Get the Scissors. It discusses comma splices and how to spot them. A week after that, I wrote That's What She Said: The Use of Dialogue Tags.

This very morning, I wrote the latest article in my TinyTeaches series, The Eye of the Beholder: Different POVs in Writing.

Will You Keep Writing TinyTeaches Articles?

Hell yes. Because I enjoy them a lot. I absolutely love seeing the feedback I get from people who understand something they didn't before. I also love how much I'm not only able to help others become stronger writers, but how much I'm learning from writing these posts.

They're making me think about a lot of things I've been doing instinctively. When an instinctive response works, that's fine. It really is. But I'm convinced that awareness and the ability to make a conscious, informed decision can only benefit our writing skills.

They're also just a lot of fun to work on. I'm having a blast looking for examples and thinking of jokes to insert into the articles to alleviate the dryness of the subject matter. 

So I guess you are all stuck with me and my online ramblings.

Please don't hesitate to visit the Library section visible to your left. It contains the links to most of my work in these most amazing and inspiring five months.

Looking forward to your next visit.

Hugs

Jasmine