Lieberman Doctor Lisa. - Accidental Poetry: Improve Your English Through Creative Writing

Accidental Poetry:
Improve Your
English Through
Creative Writing

Lisa Lieberman Doctor

Copyright 2015, Lisa Lieberman Doctor

Accidental Poetry

The words fall from my mouth
and the man in the bar
sweeps them away with his broom.

A college student in central Europe wrote those words while learning English. Neither her friends nor her family in her small village speak English, yet she made the bold choice to write her feelings, her thoughts, and her ideas with her limited vocabulary, allowing the words to flow without concern for grammatical correctness. I call this kind of creative writing Accidental Poetry. Its colorful, its effective, and it gives new speakers of English the confidence to communicate in a language theyre still learning.

Another first-year student in Europe lives in a church with his sister and single mother. The family exchanges housekeeping chores for room and board. When asked to write about the glue that holds his family together, his response began,

We are the children of the garbage.

In one sentence, with his limited vocabulary, he conveyed with depth and sensitivity the way he and his family are seen by others.

A third student, musing about a new love, wrote,

Lets travel around our day in eighty different worlds.

There you have it: Accidental poetry.

You might be wondering if its really possible to improve your English skills through creative writing. The answer is: yes. With only a basic grasp of English, you can begin writing now with confidence and depth.

By responding to prompts without fear of grammatical errors, youll experience the joy of being understood in a language youre still in the process of learning. This proven approach helps new English speakers communicate with ease while increasing their skills as they continue to write.

Heres how I created the Doctor Methodand why I know it works. While teaching American English idioms and grammar at a university in Spain, I was struck by a revelation: what if I were to offer my students the writing method I created and used with novelists and screenwriters back home in Los Angeles? In a career that has included being a movie executive, a television writer and a writing teacher, Ive developed hundreds of writing exercises designed to connect authors with their fictional characters by exploring common emotions. Ive worked with winners of the Academy Award, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Tony, and the Emmy, and Ive also guided new writers approaching their first novel or screenplay. The Doctor Method has become a powerful tool that offers writers at every level the ability to write deeply and with ease. Why not share it with new English speakers, too?

I decided to ask my students in Spain to try this method of writing from their hearts and to read their work aloud. I knew from the start it was risky. After all, I was in a foreign culture where men and women were not accustomed to sharing the details of their lives in the classroom. Other foreign language teachers at the university used conventional textbooks with their students, and did not encourage personal writing. Introducing a new approach was surely a challenge, but I was determined to try it.

First, I gave each student an exercise of their ownI asked questions like, how has compassion for others changed your life? And, when were you held hostage by your own fears? They could answer with whatever vocabulary was available to them, without concern for grammar, spelling, or verb conjugation. It was, quite frankly, the opposite of what I was hired to teach, yet the results were extraordinary. Once the students began writing, they asked for more prompts until the writing exercises became our entire curriculum. To my delight, they wrote with passion about the love of their family and the rich cultural history of their homeland. They displayed no shyness when sharing their sadness about a recent break-up with a romantic partner, or their empathic concern when a close friend lost his way. Heres how one student wrote of his financial woes:

I see myself in red numbers.

Another student wrote this about her new romance:

That French young man of hazelnut eyes.

Not only did these students with only a basic command of English write with depth and poignancy, their confidence about communicating in a foreign language skyrocketed!

By semesters end I was eager to continue teaching English using my unique method. I returned to Spain three more times in as many years, expanding not only the circle of learners at the University, but also organizing private workshops. Next, I shared my method at one of Spains national language schools with a group of English language teachers. They immediately saw the power of using creative writing as an effective teaching tool, and invited their students to join in and give it a try. The outpouring of interest was so great that we had to bring a microphone into the meeting room to address all the enthusiastic students who attended. Everyone was amazed by the response. When the session ended, the administrators and participants thanked me and asked me to return, saying theyd never experienced anything quite like it.

I continued to work with new English speakers in foreign locales using the Doctor Method, and the feedback was thrilling. My students unanimously agreed that the learning was so easy and pressure-free that they wanted to keep writing from the heart.

Their joy became my joy as they connected with themselves and with each other in a truly profound way.

Its been a most gratifying journey, watching so many new speakers of English communicate with confidence. This guidebook is the result of that journey. For years I was reluctant to put the exercises in a book, afraid that being absent during the process would hinder the results. And of course, I would miss the deep satisfaction of hearing my students words and feelings soar.

But this method works too well to keep it all to myself. Its time to share it with everyone interested in jumping in and writing creatively. That means you.

So here you are. Whether youre an instructor of English or learning the language on your own, youll find that these exercises will help to develop language skills creatively and effortlessly. This is not a book that will teach you grammar and conjugation. The purpose of this book, above all else, is to enjoy learning Englishor help others learnby communicating thoughts, stories, and feelings.

Theres no better time to begin than right now.

Have fun as you write, and dont expect perfection. In my many travels, Ive encountered new English speakers who wont visit English speaking countries until they have perfected their language skills. Im always disappointed by this. While waiting to achieve the impossible, theyre missing out on wonderful travel experiences. Its a faulty belief that we must speak flawlessly in order to be understood.

Several years ago, while having dinner with my husband in a caf in Italy, a woman seated at the next table asked us, Pardon me. Are you American? When I said that we were, she asked if she could join us. Soon, we learned that she was from a small town in Norway and was traveling on her own for several months. She described to us her exciting adventures in at least a dozen countries. When she was unsure of a word in English, we filled in the blank, easily understanding what she was trying to say in context. At the end of the meal and our lively conversation, I asked her if shed ever been to the United States.

No, she said. I wont go there until my English is better.

I was amazed. After assuring her that we understood all of her travel stories, I asked what would happen in the unlikely situation that she would be misunderstood while in the States.