In the past couple of weeks, we have been exposed to some excellent resources on writing by Regie Routman (Writing Essentials), Anne Lamott (Bird by Bird) and Stephen King (On Writing). And yet, here I sit, wondering how I would model writing to students in this moment -- staring at a blank screen with no idea of what to blog about this week. It's not that I haven't taken in any new and interesting information. On the contrary, I think I have taken in so much that it is hard to sort it all out in my mind enough to reflect on it in any meaningful way. This is when I should take Anne Lamott's advice to just start writing. I love her advice to just get a bunch of ideas on the paper (what I like to call a "brain dump") and sort through the mess later, but I have procrastinated and "later" has already arrived. I love to journal (when I have time to be more reflective), but right now I find myself empathizing with the many students I have encountered this year who I have found sitting at their desks staring at a blank page trying to get started on a writing assignment. They tell me "I don't know what to write about" and I dutifully respond with encouragement and a few prompting suggestions to get their creative juices flowing. They sigh and continue to struggle to put pencil to paper. This is how I feel right now -- and I have no one to encourage me or prompt me on. But wait, I do -- I have my fellow teachers-in-training who are struggling alongside me (not physically at this moment, though I'd bet that the majority of us are sitting in front of our computers right now working on one of the many assignments due this week). I am encouraged by their support as we all struggle through our heavy-work load this quarter. I am encouraged by their enthusiasm and their dedication. I am encouraged (and inspired) by their thoughtful blog posts! I have what I need to get writing -- an audience (my cohort) and an authentic purpose (sharing my learning). And look, it may be what Anne Lamott lovingly refers to as a "sh---y" first draft, but I actually have something written!!
Joking aside, I'd like to share two of my favorite "On Writing" nuggets that I have uncovered the past few weeks. From Anne Lamott: "Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. That thing you had to force yourself to do -- the actual act of writing -- turns out to be the best part . . . the act of writing turns out to be its own reward (p.xxvi)." And from Stephen King: "At its most basic we are only discussing a learned skill, but do we not agree that sometimes the most basic skills can create things far beyond our expectations? We are talking about tools and carpentry, about words and style . . . but as we move along, you'd do well to remember that we are also talking about magic (p.137)."
This blog post is a far cry from "magic," but the act of writing, of "sharpening our pencils" and grappling with how best to transmit our thoughts to our audience in a coherent and meaningful fashion, is hard work worth doing. I look forward to learning more about how to effectively teach students to embrace and value the process (the struggle) of writing as much as its end result as I also learn to do this myself.
I also wrote about writing this week! I thought Stephen King and Anne Lamott had some pretty good nuggets of knowledge to offer. I'm definitely more forgiving about my writing now. Now I've come to think of my writing in terms of being in drafts- it's a process!
ReplyDeleteIt is so nice to know I am not alone! Last week I had a serious case of bloggers block too and it was definitely because I had too many ideas floating around in my head. I started my post with a few sentences about something and then suddenly I had switched to a new subject completely. I felt frustrated and unfocused. I was also influenced and inspired by Lamott’s “Sh—y First Drafts” chapter. Normally when I’m in the writer’s block mode, I would sit at the computer and stare at the screen and get more discouraged and even angry. However, this time was different and I made the choice to just keep writing. I clearly needed to get out all the ideas I had! After I was done, I went back and took a look at what I had and it was chaotic, but within that mess there was a thought I wanted to pursue. I found this to be a more productive process for me and even though I was stumped, it wasn’t as hard as I thought to get unstuck.
ReplyDeleteThank you for opening up about your process. This cohort is amazing and I feel so supported by everyone. I often brag to family and friends about the encouragement I receive from it and how you guys keep me afloat.
I have experienced similar feelings interacting with students who are stumped on what to write about. In 1st grade we are focusing on small moments in our lives to write about. Even this topic is difficult to get kids going on sometimes. I taught a writing lesson, and modeled a small moment in my life to write about, and most of the students were in turn excited to share their ideas with me. It can be a challenge, no doubt about it!
ReplyDeleteI think it is funny that we (me included) are getting writers block because we have TOO MANY thoughts floating around in our brains! Who would have thought? I can appreciate you being so open about your writing process. It is nice to know that I am not the only one sitting in front of my computer some nights wondering which direction to go. This cohort is an AMAZING support system! I'm grateful to be a part of it everyday! No better group of people I could have pictured going on this journey with.