TEFLing and writing- how to fit them together

A guest piece by published author and, more importantly on his CV I’m sure, TEFL.net book reviewer Saul Pope

“I don’t know if it’s just a Russian thing, but it seems that every second EFL teacher in St Petersburg has aspirations to write a novel. For some this is just a vague dream, soon lost in the fog and hazy recollections of long nights embroiled in the city’s lively bar culture. For others, though, this is an important goal of their time abroad. Unfortunately the job that we do is not the best companion for this, with its long days and split shifts, its focus on graded and unnatural English rather than the type you would like to be writing, and the rigours of trying to fit in to a strange place. It’s not easy to get a novel written and published in such circumstances, but, three and a half years since I first had the concept of ‘Russia, The Man and Jonathan David’ during a holiday in Lyme Regis, I have finally done it. Below I’ve listed my tips to those of you who are seriously considering juggling TEFLing with writing a novel – hopefully they’ll help you to see that it’s not as hard as it seems.

Tip no 1 – Use your time wisely

Sounds obvious, but I think being disciplined in both my job and my free time was the main reason why I managed to get my first draft finished. I set aside two hours on a Saturday morning for writing, which meant not joining my colleagues for the post-work drinking session on Friday nights. At the time I wondered whether it was worth missing out on this bit of weekly fun to sit alone at a computer, but now I know that it was. And don’t believe the people who say it’s better to write drunk, as it somehow enhances your ideas. They’re wrong.

Tip no 2 – Look around you

So much of the inspiration for my novel came from the seemingly mundane. I found my trips to and from the in-company classes to be invaluable in forcing me to see everyday Russian life; they gave me the chance to see different aspects of the city I was in, many of which feature as locations in my novel. They also provided the chance to people-watch to an extreme level. As I (subtly) looked around the Metro carriages I seemed to be almost permanently encased in, I tried to imagine the different lives and the different stories of the people around me. This really helped develop my imagination and characterisation, and one or two of the people even ended up in the final version of the novel.

Tip no 3 – Get some experience

One of the teachers I worked with took an unpaid, expenses-only job at the local ex-pat newspaper as a restaurant critic. This led to the newspaper publishing some other articles he’d written. Another teacher I worked with wrote a regular diary for a TEFL site, and said that this gave his writing discipline, as he was a) writing to a deadline and b) writing for an audience rather than just for himself.
Explore opportunities locally – it should be easier to get something than it would be at home – but be prepared to work for the sake of getting experience and not for cash.

Tip no 4 – Start a journal/diary

I don’t know if it was out of loneliness or out of boredom, but when I started my first Russia posting (in a small town where I was the only foreigner) I kept a diary detailing what I’d done during the day and where I’d been. Three years later, when I started writing ‘Russia, The Man and Jonathan David’, this proved to be an invaluable source of memories and information. I think this type of thing works better if it’s written for yourself, i.e. a diary rather than a blog, though I guess starting a regular blog might sew up tips 3 and 4.

Tip no 5 – Don’t give up

Writing whilst living abroad can be an incredibly enriching experience. The fact that you’re in effect writing in a vacuum can aid the concentration, and it also removes from the equation any feeling of competition, pressure or jealousy that exists when you’re home and permanently surrounded by frustrated writers.
However, it can also get rather lonely. You need to keep going and believe in yourself more than ever, as there will probably be few people in your current location who are motivated to encourage you. It took me 3½ years to get published, and at times I thought about quitting, but I’m so glad that I didn’t. I’m not rich beyond my wildest dreams, nor am I mobbed everywhere I go (writing one decent book is unlikely to bring you either fame or fortune, just in case you’re still under that illusion), but my novel is published and people seem to like it. I have achieved an important aim in my life, largely through not giving up.

Tip no 6 – Peer review

As long as you have peers who are willing to tell you the truth, this is invaluable. A few years ago I set up some peer-reviewing with a couple of my colleagues who were also budding writers, and looking back we were a little too kind to one another. However, in the later stages of my writing I used a peer-reviewing website to submit my work to, and suddenly I was getting the truth about my work. It wasn’t pretty, but the suggestions of these honest people moved my manuscript from slush pile dirge to actually becoming a real book.
Lately I’ve taken a look at the manuscript of a former TEFL colleague now based in Prague, and have learned from my earlier peer-reviewing adventure – hopefully my more honest and constructive criticism will help him improve his work.

Tip no 7 – Get inspired by your TEFL students

One of my biggest inspirations has undoubtedly been the company of my TEFL students, of whom I have met literally hundreds, and who have acted as a better guide to St. Petersburg than any tour or guidebook could ever hope to be. None of them have featured specifically in my novel, but the mood they set within me, spending day after day in their company, helped give the novel a mood that I hope encapsulates at least some aspects of St. Petersburg. Now that I have moved away from that job, I realise that I would not be able to write that novel again.

‘Russia, The Man and Jonathan David’ by Saul Pope is published by Youwriteon/Legend Press.”

Thanks to Saul for that, I almost feel inspired, not a common feeling for me! Any more TEFL related guest pieces, TEFL ladies and TEFLmen?

Tags: guest writers, Time management

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 15th, 2009 at 10:12 pm and is filed under ELT publishing, Getting published. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.