Troy teaches

NTSFW member Troy teaches a class in Cincinnati about writing

Troy says:

While in Cincinnati this week, I spoke to a 7th grade English class about the joys and frustrations of writing.  I covered some of the basics, such as P.O.V., active and passive verbs, pacing, and dialog versus prose.  Three of the students read paragraphs from stories they had written, and I was asked to give a quick critique.  I was very impressed with their work at that grade level, and with the amount of time the teacher had devoted to encouraging and developing their writing skills.  Several had read my self-published novel, and were enthusiastic about it.  They asked many questions, and made comments on the characters and action, thankfully all of them positive.  I think I picked up a few fans.  I am including a few photos and, as you will quickly notice, it was pajama day at the school.

Some of the questions stumped me for an answer, such as “Where do you get your story ideas and the names for your characters?”All I could think of was “Keep your eyes and ears open to things around you, and then use your imagination to incorporate them into your story.”

I had the full hour to fill, and later wished I had more time because I wanted to touch on more things I didn’t think about while I was up there.

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