Recently I met a teacher from a nearby school. When she found out I was an author, she asked if I would be willing to come talk to her classes. She emailed me a few days later asking me to come visit her seventh grade classes, her ninth graders being too busy the last two weeks of school. I happily agreed.
These students all read above their grade level. The two classes had different personalities but I was prepared for that. I had a loose outline with no strong agenda. When dealing with young people (at least in the USA), rigidity is generally a bad idea. Here's the outline:
Favorite authors, books, genres?
What do you think of when I say “writing?”
Who likes reading? Writing? Movies? TV? Radio? Music? Blogs?
All of these involve some form of writing. I have written for newspaper (record and concert reviews), radio news, computer magazines, cards, poetry contests, short stories, novels.
What makes you a writer? Writing.
Basics- Write. Learn the rules. Write. Read. Write.
Basics- Write first, edit later.
Writers block? Not exactly. (Examples of what to do)
Find your way and rhythm (pantsing vs plotting, pencil vs computer, etc.)
Editors, early readers, critics.
Publishing.
Contest and bookmarks.
I had 45 minutes per class. The first class I more or less followed the outline. The second class asked more questions and went down more bunny trails. One of the "genres" someone mentioned in one class was "murder". When asked if she meant mysteries or just murders, she said, "Just murdering people!" Some people would get nervous; I saw a seventh grader not unlike I had been, and dove right in. Later when discussing plotting vs pantsing ("and no, we're not going to be pulling any pants down!"), I was drawing and writing on the whiteboard and wrote "Murder Emily".
Someone called out, "Wait! We have three Emilies!" to giggles and fake cries of distress. I changed it to "Murder the right Emily". Everyone was happy, especially the Emily who liked writing about murder; a published author had just written about her!
At times I pointed to a student and said something like, "If I want to write Jamal into the story..." This led down a quick detour about his real name and who he was, which I worked into the story we were plotting.
Not once did I read anything from the outline. For instance, going into #4, I asked, "So who thinks writing for a newspaper would be exciting?" A few hands went up. "Boring?" More hands went up for this. "In college, I started writing for the newspaper. I wrote album reviews. This meant they gave me free music." A few people who seemed bored looked up quickly. "I did concert reviews. They gave me free concert tickets." I had their attention. "A friend did movie reviews for the radio station. She got free movie tickets. We went together to a lot of concerts and movies." They were mine to lose at this point, and as far as I could tell, I didn't.
They asked some good questions, some of which were already on my agenda. I tried to answer all of them, although in a couple of cases I said, "We'll get to that in a minute."
I forgot to bring the bookmarks in, and had only 45 minutes per class, so I came back after the second class with the bookmarks, which Mrs. Byrd was going to hand out the next day.
Near the end of each class, I gave away a book. Rather than do names in a hat or anything, I asked, "Whose last name starts with (a random letter)?" In the first class, I had to try two letters. In the last class I went with "Q" as a joke, and someone raised their hand. It was legit, and they got a book. (Books were dedicated and signed, of course.) Afterward I signed and donated a set for the teacher, who asked to have them dedicated to her students; they'll stay in the classroom by her choice.
I didn't try to sell books in class (I turned down an offer, primarily because I had also forgotten to bring change; I am not a morning person! I am, however, making a checklist for future engagements. But the teacher sent a note home, orders were taken, and I have six books dedicated to various students, ready to go. I discount for students.
Quick tips for engagement:
Play to your strengths.
Play to their interests.
Involve them.
Mix it up.
Have fun.
These work for almost all class settings; the details vary based on the group, whether they're first graders, software engineers, teachers, or CEOs.
This is easy for me; I've worked with youth for years and love teenagers. I also knew the school already as we have known numerous students and several teachers there, which made things even easier. If that's not you, you were a teenager once, and probably knew and have known quite a few more. Never forget what it was like; it will stand you in good stead.
I'm looking forward to doing this again next year, and to other opportunities. If you're a teacher (or know one) in the general vicinity of Austin, I'd love to come talk with your (their) classes.
Copyright 2019 Miles O'Neal, Round Rock, TX. All rights reserved. Original photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash (free photo downloads). Edits by Miles O'Neal