November 2009
Linda Morel writes “What’s Cooking,” a monthly column for the Jewish Exponent of Philadelphia, as well as holiday food articles for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, a national wire service. Her favorite genre is personal essay writing. Linda has been a teaching artist through Teachers & Writers Collaborative since 1999.

How do you start a new piece?
I never start new pieces the same way twice. Often I have to write a page or two to figure out where my story actually begins and what I want to say. There is often some anxiety involved in the combustion of creativity.

What is more frightening: a blank page or a manuscript in need of a complete rewrite?
Definitely the blank page. During the revision process, I’ve got a lot to work with. Now all I have to do is change everything.

In Richard Hugo’s essay “Writing Off the Subject,” he states, “When you start to write, you carry to the page one of two attitudes, though you may not be aware of it. One is that all music must conform to truth. The other, that all truth must conform to music.” In your writing practice, have you taken a position on this? In your teaching?
I have no position on this statement in either my writing or my teaching. Pieces and students have an uncanny way of marching to their own beat.

How does teaching influence your work as a writer?
I gain as much from my students as I give them. Often I see things in their work that I adopt in mine.

What’s your favorite in-class writing prompt?
“I Am From.” It’s a great jumping off point for people of all ages.

Are there any aspects of writing that you feel can’t be taught?
No. I feel over time writing technique can be taught like building a house, brick by brick.

When you are teaching, what pet peeves do you come across frequently?
Teachers who feel their students lack talent. There’s a poet within all of us dying to dazzle world.