How do you teach writing?  By diagramming sentences?  By learning the rules of grammar?  One should respect proper conventions, or at least stray from them purposefully.  But rules do not make the writer.

Observation. Hearing the Muse. Putting words on paper even when you don’t. Rough drafts.  Critiques. Revisions.  More revisions.  A final proof for typos and grammatical mistakes.  Good writers become great writers by writing. Period.

At Acton Academy, Eagles are offered challenging questions; encouraged to write every day; frequently critique each other and perform in public exhibitions.  Competition and collaboration offer inspiration at each stage.

Eagles started writing on the second day of the session.  By the third day, they were sharing and critiquing in groups.  Today, each Eagle read a piece of original writing aloud in his or her critique group.  Then the entire studio assembled to hear the two best pieces from each group, and an overall winner was selected.

What a gift to hear those last seven pieces.  Inspiring writers inspiring each other.