A student stopped by to ask about Creative Writing.
“What’s it like?"
“Well, you get a lot of choice."
“So we can write about whatever we want?"
“Well, I want you to think about genre, audience, and purpose with every piece."
“Ok. So what will we do?"
“We will write. A lot."
“Why’s that kid’s name on the board?"
“He’s leading the prompt for tomorrow."
“He is leading the prompt? Isn’t that your job?"
“Is it? In here, students will have some choice in the direction we head. And we all find inspiration from different sources. I want everyone to share that."
“But you’re the teacher…"
“And in here, we are all writers."
I just stumbled upon this behind-the-scenes clip of Saturday Night Live's cue card process. This is intense writing. This is writing that is dependent upon trust and checks and balances. Over a short period of time, skits are written, drafted on cards, revised, and the cards revised over and over again. I also really love that SNL continues to use cue cards and not a teleprompter. Like Wally points out, technology can fail. Handwritten cue cards ensure the show goes on. Comedy is hard work. Writing is hard work. Changes are made up until the last minute to get things just right. This is a form of real-world writing.