TL;DR:
- Share your story!
- Find a writing time that works for you and show yourself compassion if you miss a session.
- Start sharing your writing by becoming a blogger for Teach Better!
- Believe in yourself.
Skater Boi Turned Writer
Ever since I was a young, little punk, skating around town, sporting a mohawk, and donning oversized shorts, ripped-up Vans skate shoes, and a Rancid t-shirt, I’ve always wanted to write a book. Even my mom, one of the individuals who has always supported me throughout my life, would always say after I experienced some event, whether traumatic or celebratory, “You know Mike, you should write a book.” I always replied with, “Yeah, I know, I will one day…”
To be honest, I always thought my first book, and all books after, would be fiction. I majored in English Literature and taught middle school ELA so it was basically in my blood to be a fiction writer! I started numerous fiction stories and never finished them. Why, you ask? Simply because I didn’t have the passion for what I was creating. I was going through the motions of telling stories of my life through fictional characters. It wasn’t what I wanted to share with the world.
The EduCulture Cookbook
If you know me, you know that I recently released my first book, The EduCulture Cookbook: Recipes & Dishes to Positively Transform Classroom & School Culture with EduMatch Publishing. I’m not going to go into details in this blog of what the book is about or how I came to write about the positive, culture-transforming recipes we dished out on our campus. If you would like to know that check out this blog and then go pick up your own copy.
Write a Book: A bit of advice…
Many people ask how I got connected with a publisher and if I ever felt imposter syndrome while writing?” My goal with this blog today is to help provide some insight to anyone either struggling with writing their first book or contemplating starting one.
We all have stories to share.
We all have advice to provide. I don’t care if you are going through practicum courses to become an educator, taught for 172 years, or have made your way up the ranks to superintendent, we all have something beneficial to share with others. Don’t ever think that your voice doesn’t matter. If one person is affected by what you have to say then it was worth it.
How do we begin to find our voice? Begin blogging! Start getting comfortable sharing brief pieces of what you’re going through and experiencing. This will help to get you focused on how you write and if there is a specific topic you have a lot of insight into that others will benefit from. Blogging also will give you feedback on how your writing is being perceived. You’ll have a much better understanding of what connects and what needs tweaking or even elimination.
Don’t ever think that your voice doesn’t matter. If one person is affected by what you have to say then it was worth it. Click To TweetWrite!
Find the time that works for YOU. Write in the morning by getting up a bit earlier or in the evening after the family winds down. Maybe you write on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Whatever works for you is when you write. And please, don’t beat yourself up if you miss a session, or two, or twenty-seven. This isn’t a race. You’ll get that manuscript done and be proud of it.
Share Your Writing
Share your writing with individuals outside of the circle you work in every day. If you’re reading this, I’d put money down that you’re already pretty connected on social media. By having others across the world read your work, you will be able to gain that feedback. Sharing our writing helps us to get a better insight into how we can help provide advice to all educators and not just those in our existing circles.
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Believe in Yourself
There are many educational publishing companies out there. Research each company, find out what their submission process is, and do it! If you get an interview, be confident in yourself. They wouldn’t be taking an interest in you if they didn’t believe you had something great to share! If you don’t get that contract, move on and submit your work to another company! This is about helping others and sharing your stories, not working for a specific publisher.
I hope this advice helps. If you’re looking for more in-depth details, please reach out to me. I’d love to chat. Now go write!
About Mike Earnshaw
Michael Earnshaw is a father, husband, and elementary school principal. He is the author of The EduCulture Cookbook: Recipes and Dishes to Positively Transform School and Classroom Culture with EduMatch Publishing and co-host of the Punk Rock Classrooms Podcast. Michael strives to empower others to know they can change the world by fostering positive, trusting relationships and modeling risk-taking himself. When he’s not helping others and changing lives you can find him skateboarding, running, or sharing laughs with others.
