As much as I enjoy writing today, there was a time when I absolutely detested writing. It began in middle school where I had an English teacher who absolutely lived for character sketches. I never could get into those.

Then there were the teachers who wanted you to summarize chapters. I didn’t want to regurgitate. I wanted to create. And I was never free to express my opinion which quite often differed from the author’s.

Anyone out there remember iambic pentameter? Why was that one chosen to be the norm back in the 60s? Thankfully times have changed.

In college I got to take a course in Creative Writing. Finally a place where I could safely express myself! Even the write your own obituary allowed for creativity. That was a pretty awesome course and I’ve taken one or two more online over the years

But one thing I really wish schools would bring back are classes in grammar and spelling. Back when my kids were in high school I used to cringe when I read some of their assignments.

Having taught ESL in Mexico for several years, I became very conscious of grammar. I became known as the grammar guru in more than one school. But since I’ve retired my grammar has somewhat fallen by the wayside. I’m really struggling with grammar in Spanish although my friends remind me that most Mexicans aren’t fastidious when it comes to grammar.

Write your hearts out people. Be creative. And most importantly, enjoy the writing experience.

Have a great Sunday!