I’ve always identified as a writer--not so much the kind of writer who actually writes, per say, but rather the kind of writer who revels in the glory of having written--who frequents local coffee shops, noshes on baked goods, stalks social media, keeps up with the Kardashians, and wakes up the following day magically holding a beautifully-bound book in her hand that she herself has written.
This kind of writing identity is difficult to sustain.
It’s not that I dislike writing. I’m actually one of those annoying people who enjoy writing, especially when I’m riled up enough to feel as though I have something important and/or entertaining to say. I even enjoy revising, most of the time. And--not joking--reviewing copy edits is something I actually look forward to.
I KNOW, right? So obnoxious.
The problem is, I’m easily distracted when I’m writing. There’s always an email to answer, a celebrity feud to navigate, a gallon of milk to buy. So if you’re looking to me as a writing mentor along the lines of Donald Murray (Nulla dies sine linea--never a day without a line) or a Stephen King, who once shared that his average daily word count hovered around 2,000...you may want to look elsewhere.
I don’t even privilege words when it comes to writing. (Gasp!) To me, writing is so much more than composing words. It’s broader than that. In my book Renew! Become a Better--and More Authentic--Writing Teacher (Stenhouse, 2017), I spend all of Chapter 3--close to 5,000 words--trying to convince my readers of this in what can only be characterized as an exercise in irony. But since writing that chapter, I’ve embraced this notion a hundred times over. I’ve practically thrown myself into practicing digital composition, remixing, comics--even emoji stories!
It’s the comic writing, though, that’s ensnared me the most with its novel, razor-sharp hooks. I have never identified as an artist--that is, not until very recently--and yet I am simply spellbound when creating comics. Unlike when writing prose, I am nearly impossible to distract when composing a comic. I have missed appointments; I have neglected to shower; I have failed to feed my children dinner while in the process of writing a comic. And though I still have so, so much to learn, I can already see myself improving as a comic artist, which is like a magical elixir, compelling me to experiment more, fail more, produce more.
This year, I not only want to continue to improve the comics I compose by hand; I want to learn how to create webcomics--yikes!--using a program like Procreate or Medibang Paint. I want to continue to learn from and absorb the brilliance of mentors like Chaz Hutton, Lucy Knisley, Sarah Andersen, and Reza Farazmand. And I want to do it all while remembering to shower and feed my children dinner.
Wish me luck.
Shawna Coppola is a K-6 literacy specialist and the author of Renew! Become a Better--and More Authentic--Writing Teacher from Stenhouse Publishers (2017). When she is not teaching, presenting, or consulting, she writes comics and posts for her blog, My So-Called Literacy Life. You can connect with her on Twitter (@shawnacoppola) or Voxer (ShawnaCoppola) to talk books, education, or the Kardashians.
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I could never in a million years imagine myself as a comic creator, but nevertheless, your post was so entertaining. I love to lose myself in creative projects. As my children are now out of the house, I only have to remember to feed the dog and the cat, and occasionally, the husband. Thanks for writing for our TeachWrite blog. I bought your book and am going to re-read Chapter 3 right now.
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