Well, just yesterday I was invited to speak to a classroom full of creative writing students in Panama via Skype. The video didn’t work (could have been either my older version of Skype or the fact that it was Panama) but the audio was good, and language wasn’t a problem. Anyway, it was the first time I’ve done something like this- imagine, doing the Q and A thing in front of a whole audience just like a real life Author! Guess that’s what I am, then. I began with some bits about myself then fielded question about what it takes to be a writer, to create, and so forth, and got to speak specifically about Maldene. I really enjoyed the experience.

But then comes “The Feedback Letter”. So I can’t help but wonder, did they like me? Did I stutter too much? Did I sound like a Pro or a dweeb? So as the drum roll starts in my head, I open up the email and find… Hey, pretty good. Great, in fact. But rather than paraphrase and misquote, I’ll just clip out the whole email below. Maybe this is the start of something, the beginning of a fan base and my climb upwards in Life. At the very least, this email is going into my permanent archives. Thanks go to their teacher, Anna Ayala, for allowing me the opportunity.

And now the email…

Hello, Mark!

First off, let me thank you again for your willingness to share with my
classroom. As I’m looking through the survey results, I’m seeing that there
were many different positives that the students were able to share and very
little negatives (mostly having to do with the connection/genre).

The students reported that after hearing from you, they saw it as a real
privilege to talk to a “legit fantasy/sci-fi writer.” One student wrote “I
was able to think of writing as a full time job. I did not know this was
possible. I am now considering writing as a job.” Students reported that
“he was funny, gave thorough answers, and was very nice to us…It is not
easy to be a famous writer.”

Another student wrote, “I learned many things about the writing process and
tips to avoid getting stuck…I was also able to hear the real experience
of a real writer, which I feel allowed me to connect to the whole process
better.”

In terms of the largest “take-away” the students had was understanding how
a full-length novel is planned and organized. They were amazed to find out
that you don’t get writer’s block and that novel writers many times outline
their full idea for the novel ahead of time rather than just working when
they get “inspired.” Students wrote the following:

“I learned more about the process and that outlining really helps.”

“I got the learning about outlining. Although I make outlines before I
write I never make one for each chapter. Now I will do this in order to
organize myself better.”

“I finally figured out how to actually stop writer’s block.”

“I learned that outlining helps in preventing writer’s block because it’s
basically a map of what one is going to write about.”

8 students in the classroom of about 24 said that fantasy/sci-fi was their
favorite genre. Perhaps the students that related least were the 3 who said
that “Romance” was their favorite genre. I also had a couple of “Literary
Fiction enthusiasts, We also had a great number of action/suspense fans in
the audience who have already promised me Girl Scout cookies if I can get
James Patterson to talk with us via Skype!

The only negative feedback, and perhaps a challenge for you as well was
that one student (since we are in an international school) noted that many
of the inspirations you pointed out were American writers and wondered
whether you should consider reading international writers as well in order
to open your mind to new possibilities! (lol! These “globally minded”
teenagers these days!!!)

I realize that this is a very long email, but I do hope that you take it as
a form of encouragement. We appreciated the sharing of your experiences and
all of the hard work that it has taken you to get here. After class one of
my more intelligent students asked me what “ghostwriting” was. He had no
idea that it existed! So that is also a potential takeaway for that
particular student. He began talking about “freelancing” and it’s great
that he realizes that opportunities like that exist in the writing world!

Take care, and have a great day!
Anna Ayala

****

Just LOVE that “Famous Writer” line. <(;--)>~~~