To Teach = To Learn

Yesterday, I began teaching an adult education course in my community. Though it was a small group, we had good discussion on what makes story and on creating strong characters.

I love to teach. Being able to talk about something I love, to people who are interested in learning what I know is satisfying. What I love the most is how much I learn from researching, formulating my thoughts, and sharing my excitement. Some of the things we talked about, I do without thinking, so it was great to be able to break it down for others. It is helping me to look at my own set of skills and find ways to improve them.

It has been too long since I have written anything. I keep finding excuses -- weddings, kids starting university, several trips. Really, all the excuses in the world mean nothing. What I am really suffering from is a lack of confidence. I think we all come across this in some form or another. For me, it has been rather debilitating.

I continue to wonder if my time would be better spent elsewhere, but I always come back to wanting to tell the next story. That's why this class is good for me. It is making me examine writing closely again. It is getting the ideas percolating in my brain and making my fingers itch for the keyboard.

So I hope my students benefit from the class and are glad they signed up, but in the long run, I think I will receive the greatest benefit of all.