Monday, October 28, 2013

Writing help

I write, and though not officially a writing teacher, I help others do the same. They fall into two groups, age opposites. At the older end are some seniors who gather on Friday mornings at a neighborhood center on Manhattan's East Side, and who come to write a "memoir." This collective has gone on for a couple of years, writing under the most elastic definition of memoir--most anything about their lives. None of the people are professional writers, but all have gotten bitten by the bug, writing short pieces for their children or grandchildren, or just themselves. Everyone reads aloud, and offers friendly criticism. They have clearly improved. The other group are high school seniors whom I try to guide in writing personal essays for college applications. These are not wealthy private school kids; they're from immigrant families, mostly Latin American (and often undocumented). They are destined mostly for city or state universities--some quite good. They face the double challenge of writing--who ever thought that was easy--and in a language not their first. I warn them that they almost certainly won't get the work right the first time, and they moan and finally get into the groove, some at least. If they persist, produced come strikingly good stories. The teacher has gotten his pay. On a tax return nothing to declare but satisfaction.

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