Andrea Yarbough an award-winning author and a co-director of the Northern Virginia Writing Project. Her works have appeared in a range of anthologies, including her most recent piece, “Slipping Away.”

She is currently working on her debut novel, Fault Lines.

My path to becoming a published author ran straight through my role as a teacher: it was my work bringing creative writing to core English Language Arts classes that led to my first publication: Artfulness: Formula-Free Creative Writing Explorations for Secondary ELA Classes.

This work was born of a growing recognition that the same students who were too fearful to take risks with their “academic” writing would flourish when given an opportunity—rare indeed—to write creatively in their core English classes. Often relegated to elective work, Artfulness argues that all writing is an act of creation. Therefore, all writing is creative writing and has a place in core instruction. 

While this book led to some unexpected consequences (click HERE to learn more about Artfulness and the ways it can revolutionize your classroom instruction), it had an unexpected consequence for me as well: it brought me to the entrance of my own writing journey. My work with Artfulness connected me more fully to the National Writing Project and my local chapter, the Northern Virginia Writing Project. As part of my work with these organizations, I began drafting more. And more. And more.

And before I knew it, I was polishing some of these drafts into finished works, submitting these finished works to contests and publications, and—most surprising of all—winning some of these contests and having my works accepted for publication. Quite by accident, I became a writer.

It may seem counterintuitive. Teachers are known most often for their burnout. Stephen King has argued in his own book, On Writing, that he does not believe he would have had any success as a writer had he remained in the teaching profession. And yet my journey, in contrast, is the exact opposite. My work as a teacher led me to my work as a writer, and I am so grateful to embrace both sides of my identity as I continue along this journey. Does it interfere with my creative endeavors? Always. Do I anticipate a time when I may have to make a choice? Perhaps. Nonetheless, it is only because I am a teacher that I am also a writer.

That’s why so much of my work is centered on supporting other emerging writers. I continue my work with the Northern Virginia Writing Project to support writing instruction in classrooms and promote the development of a writer’s identity for children and adults alike. I am a board member at large for my local writing organization: Write by the Rails. And my newsletter isn’t simply a platform to showcase my own writing which, like many writers is often a work in progress. Rather, it is a tool for developing community, supporting others in their own quest to develop a writer’s identity.

I hope you’ll join me.