I am done with great things and big plans, great institutions and big success. I am for those tiny, invisible loving human forces that work from individual to individual, creeping through crannies of the world like so many rootlets… ~William James
After publishing my last story, shaped by a tumultuous October, I promised myself that I’d keep writing as often as possible.
In fact, I committed to publishing at least one story each week.
But, as you and I both know, that is often easier said than done.
Yet, one can always seek inspiration, at least as a starting point.
I haven’t gathered myself enough to be inspired by the project I was building. But I sure will; it’s just a matter of time.
In the meantime, what other topic could interest me enough to explore, read about, research, and eventually put into words?
I usually answer that question by reading other people’s work.
You know, scrolling through Medium to see what your favourite writers have published.
Well, most of them had not written in a while either.
Even Dan Koe, Perell, and members of my writing community all appeared to have run out of ink.
So I returned to my reliable source..bookmarked stories.
Henry Miller’s 11 Commandments of Writing, which I had saved ages ago, caught my attention and Popova’s tweet: “when you can’t create, you can work.” stuck out like a sore thumb.
My interpretation was literal.
When inspiration, flow, or artistic energy is absent, you can still do the mechanical, foundational parts of the craft instead of waiting for the right mood to arrive.
You can jot down ideas, do a brain dump, write morning pages, revise, organise, or do other routine tasks.
If creativity is stalling, you can at least write something..anything to fill the blank pages.
I was immediately reminded of my days in teacher training.
You arrive at the UCC language centre around half 8 clutching a cuppa.
Sometimes you may need to print last-minute worksheets or cross-check your lesson plan with your teaching partner.
And you have to do all this before your tutor arrives for the usually awkward input session at 9 am.
Next up, you get through the eye-rolling discussions and corrections, then take a short break before the dreaded actual classroom teaching.
Anxiety builds…face to face with 10–15 students all focused on you.
But hey..you got this.
You learned long ago that failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
So, having prepared, you take a deep breath, go through your lead-in.
Surprisingly, the minutes fly by, and suddenly you are hugging the finish line…Yaaaay, you made it!
That was CELTA — the most intensive and nerve-racking academic endeavour I have ever undertaken.
In the early days, it was all grind. But as the course progressed, I began finding ways to bring creativity into different parts of the training.
While planning lessons, I wrote clever prompts to elicit responses from students and conveyed them through spontaneous pantomime in the classroom.
You cannot always summon the inspiration you want.
Sometimes, you just have to start working, and creativity gradually follows.
I think that is almost always true.
Perhaps it is one of nature’s ways of rewarding our persistence.
In any case, it’s almost a year since CELTA.
I have applied for part-time teaching jobs with little success.
Employers want experience, and many would prefer to tie you into a long-term contract.
There are tons of tempting opportunities abroad, but yours truly isn’t ready to relocate yet. Perhaps in a couple of years, but certainly not now.
I have done some online teaching here and there, but nothing consistent.
What’s more, nothing beats the traditional classroom environment for me.
So when the opportunity to volunteer with Fáilte Isteach showed up, I grabbed it with both hands.
Teaching has always been my dream because I believe in lifelong learning. And in teaching, you will learn.
As someone who relocated to Ireland, teaching migrants feels as surreal as it’s fulfilling.
It is even more so because I am giving back to the same organisation that taught me creative writing in 2017, for free.
Not much has changed at Nano Nagle Place.
It is still the same warm and welcoming environment with no othering.
Although it has many rooms and offices, the building somehow appears smaller than it really is.
The living room has everything you need for a proper break: coffee, snacks, and perhaps a good chat.
The compound is also surprisingly spacious with a lovely garden.
Our coordinator is a gentle factotum.
She’s always looking out for everyone with “Are you okay?”, “How did it go?”, and “Have a cuppa or something.”
My teaching partner is incredibly supportive..in fact, she is a gem.
I only recently discovered that she’s been teaching for over 6 years, so you can imagine how much I will benefit from her experience.
The students are eager to learn and deeply appreciative.
Above all, the social interaction with people from different cultural backgrounds is unquantifiably rewarding.
It is a win-win for me, and a gentle reminder that we can achieve more by indulging the smaller things.
Yes, I genuinely relish the hours I spend planning an English lesson that I will teach for free.
I don’t hurry through the lessons. I actually enjoy giving extra minutes to clarify a word or sentence after my allocated teaching time.
I smile while packing and organising the teaching materials to leave them just as I met them.
And it gets even better.
Nowadays, I’m thrilled when a friend calls from her Safari in South Africa to inform me she just sent a live video of Kasongo to my WhatsApp.
I revel in another’s comment saying she’s glad I’m recovering from illness and congratulating me on my new teaching gig.
I savour her forthrightness the more, knowing she is also a teacher herself, from the pulpit.
This isn’t an epiphany or something like that.
It’s also not as if I didn’t value these things before now.
This is just a determination to luxuriate in the ‘smaller’ wins of life moving forward.
The rewarding feelings add up to propel you to the next level.
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