Writing with Rox Weekly Prompt—I DARE you to ask

"Any questions?" I asked my Intro to Shakespeare class when I went over the syllabus on the first day of class, also my very first day TAing undergrads at the University of Minnesota.    "Anything at all?" 

Thirty pairs of eyes ricocheted around the room before settling back my way, a few polite smiles, shrugs. 

"Really? No questions?"  (Like...does anyone in this room wonder if I know the first thing about Shakespeare?

More silence. Had I scared them? Me? They looked too close to the womb to be in college. They were newborn fawns. They still had their kitten faces. Still... hello?

Finally, someone asked where the bathroom was.

Well! You'd of thought it was the million dollar question. Everyone had an opinion about this. That way. No over there. No, upstairs. Yeah, but the one in the basement...  But wait! Dude, have you seen the ones over by that thing?

A wild party of conversation ensued, a regular Intro to Shakespeare happy hour. Until I brought it back to the syllabus. "So before we go, what questions do you have about the class? Or Shakespeare? Or... I don't know, Old English?"

Immediately their faces went blank. Sure they had questions, but were they the right questions?

What had our world, not to mention our deeply respected places of learning, become?  It's not like I'd been living under a rock for the past ten years... though some might argue that most psychotherapists come from another planet. Still,  I was accustomed to an environment where everyone had a voice. Where dumb questions dared asked were thresholds to brilliance...healing, sometimes enlightenment. 

Since then I've learned to preface every class, workshop, or retreat with the following: Ask questions. Any time. If you don't know, ask. There are no dumb questions. There is no right or wrong. And so what if there is? Ask anyway. Sure, perhaps there are dumb questions... but there are also dumb answers, but no one makes a thing about that. So just ask! Especially if you think it's dumb: can you say growth moment? Just because someone knows the answer and you don't or someone thinks its' obvious and you don't, or someone said a similar question was dumb a long time ago, this does not make it a "dumb" question.

It kills me--kills me! when folks come back around and say, "you know, I always wanted to know, but never asked...but what exactly is a memoir?" Or... "I've been wondering, but was afraid to ask... is everything okay?"  

I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED. SO DEEPLY VERY GLAD. WHY DIDN'T YOU ASK SOONER?

This week's prompt is twofold: First, I dare you: ask a dumb question---any darn dumb question about writing, life, whatever you want. Ask more than one if you'd like. Answer I will! If you'd like, you can preface your question or tell me a bit about why you ask, but no need whatsoever. So try it. Ask away. Just make sure it's dumb. Get it out of the way.

Second: Since there are many questions that come my way in class, via email, at workshops, etc, I thought I'd add an ASK ROX thing. Got a question about writing, healing, adverbs, creativity, writers block? Publishing? Need some words of encouragement about your memoir, novel, prose poem? Need some words of encouragement about anything? Help with a love letter?  Rox answers all at rox@writingwithrox.com     I'm not saying I'll have THE answer, but likely I'll have one or several varying, lopsided, passionate, loving and sometimes experience based, largely imaginatively inspired replies.

I'm your "Dear Rox" from now on. 

To all questions, I'll post and answer on the blog at writingwithrox.blogspot.com 

You can either send a private email to rox@writingwithrox.com or on the blog in the comments box.

Either way, you can choose to be anonymous. 

No expiration date! You don't have to be curious just this week!

  

Ask away. Why not? Look forward to writing with you soon!

Rox

Roxanne Sadovsky

612-703-4321

rox@writingwithrox.com

www.writingwithrox.com

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