xxxThe following writer has been kind enough
to share her story with us.
xxxIf you would like
to contribute your story and photo to me, email them to:
xxxrob@easywaytowrite.com
xxxThank you.
xxxSandra Stiles
I am a
teacher by trade. I hold certificates that enable
me to teach elementary grades 1 - 6, English grades 6 -
12, Reading grades 6-12 and English to Speakers of Other
Languages.
I have always loved to write and have found fun
and creative ways to teach writing to my
students. After the events of 9//11 I told my
husband I had a story I wanted to write. I said this
every year on the anniversary of that terrible
year.
This September 2008 I once again made mention of the
story I wanted to write. My husband said, "Just
do it!" He then handed me a notepad and a
pen. I started writing my story and it just
continued. I finished my first draft of it by
October 31st. It has been revised and I am actively
seeking a publisher for it. I have not
received any hits yet but am confident that I
will. I believe in the old saying, "If you
throw enough spaghetti against the wall, some of it will
stick". I believe if I send it to enough people
I will get it published.
Once I had finished my first book, one of my Limited
English speaking students asked me why I had so many
books on my shelves and if I had read them all. I
told him that I had over twelve hundred books because I
love to read and that unfortunately I had read only about
a thousand of them. He looked at me and said,
"Why don't you just write your own to put on your
shelves". I told him I had written one
already. He then asked me what my second one was
about. At that point I decided to start my second
book.
Being a multi-tasker I found that I have a book I am
writing in my free time at school and one I work on at
home. Education is my first
love. However, changes in education are making
it very difficult to teach. We spend so much time
testing and less time teaching that I made a decision to
work really hard and smart at my writing. I want to
eventually earn my living with my writing.
I know that it will be a difficult path and one that will
be very fulfilling. I encourage my students to
write. They do the mandatory essay's every week and
at least twice a month they do a creative writing
piece. I am trying to teach them how to develop
characters and plots so that maybe some of them will find
their way into the writing field. If I can encourage
even one student, I will have the satisfaction of knowing
that my love was passed on to someone else.
