little things: writing process

If you follow me on Two Writing Teachers as a teacher, you know I've been thinking quite a bit about helping young writers find their own personal writing process. The more I write, the more I realize how personal my writing process is. I'm realizing if students can personalize it for themselves as well, then they will become more proficient writers.

The flip side of the coin is there are some things that all writers do. This is how the phases of the writing process were developed. All writers collect ideas. All writers make plans. All writers draft. As we become more comfortable writing, we learn to personalize these phases...finding what works (and what doesn't) for us.

Last week, in a third grade writing workshop, I asked students to place their tags on the phase of the writing process where they were working as a writer. One student placed his name between planning and drafting. Since I've challenged myself to notice little things, it was something that perked my interest.

As he passed me on his way to a writing spot, he said, "I know you wanted us to choose one to be as a writer, but I couldn't choose."

"Why not?" I asked, wondering if he didn't know what to do during work time.

"Well I know that I write a little and then I plan. Sometimes while I'm planning the next part I think of something to write, so I write. That's drafting. I kinda do both together, so I don't know how to choose."

"Then I guess it makes a lot of sense to put your tag between the two." I smiled as he hurried off to his writing spot.

Sometimes teachers demand students do things exactly how they want it to go. For some, my choice to empower this student to place his tag in between two phases felt "wrong." We want students to make clear, concise choices as writers. We force them to draw big bold lines around the phases of the writing process and then we want them to jump through the hoops to produce writing.

This little thing of placing his tag between the phases of planning and drafting is actually a pretty big deal. He was personalizing his writing process. He was learning specific things about his own writing process. This is important for him. Imagine knowing this about yourself at eight years old. Imagine how much more proficient he can be as a writer now that he understands he works best when he moves between planning and drafting. 

Not only that, but he inspires me to pay closer attention to my own writing process. How do the phases of the writing process overlap for me? What works best for me as a writer? These little things are powerful noticings for a writer.

{discover.play.build} little things

You know how the little things make a big difference? It's a mantra of mine: notice tiny, find big meaning. Yesterday I was thinking about this mantra in relationship to writing workshop. In fact, I was thinking about how often my success lies in noticing and appreciating the small details. This is true in life, teaching, and writing. So I decided to challenge myself to writing small, looking for the tiny in order to make big realizations.

{Discover. Play. Build.}
Want to join me on this hunt for tiny that in the end may just be bigger than we imagined possible? Take a few minutes with your notebook and jot down something tiny to see if, in the end, you can realize something big.

I'll be sharing my noticings in the next few days.

what happened to your sols post?

I don't know, I just didn't want to share it. Here's an image I created to go with it, though.

Join us for Slice of Life Challenge on Two Writing Teachers

Image Credits: Photoshop Elements 9.0; paper: A. Aspnes, Say Yes kit; butterfly mask: A Aspnes, FlutterBy layered template; font: Georg

a little note to my writer-self

Remember this conversation I had a few weeks ago with my crit partner? Well I have to face her and the others tonight. In the last six days, I've not discovered more about Krums or Sophi or their stories. This is because I've not listened for them or written or sketched or jotted or anything. I can't pinpoint exactly why, but I think I need to figure it out before I have to face my writing group tonight. I'm afraid Ruth's sinister approach to my writing life may be contagious.

Here is what I started in my notebook --

One week since I've worked on this story. It's not even that I've not had time, more like I've not taken the time. It's hard. No, not whining, just stating a fact. It's hard and I'm not sure what I'm doing and I wonder if I'm wasting my time.

So at some point I have to decide if it's a story worth writing. Is it a story I need to tell? Is it a story that matters? Who will read it and will it make a difference?

If it is worth it, then I know I can finish. I'll stick with it and find my way through. If it's not, then what? Clean the house? Watch TV? Twiddle my thumbs?

I think the more pertinent questions are:

• Why does Krums' story matter?
  Why does Soph's story matter?
• What do I want to know or understand about the way families work?
• What do I want to learn about relationships?
• Why are Krums and Sophia important to each other?
• Why do I need to tell this story?

I'll keep you posted...

i am so blessed.

In the past two weeks I know people who have been having a hard time.

• A mother was checked into a behavioral health hospital because life is too overwhelming for her.
• A marriage is unraveling.
• A home was broken into, valuables stolen.
• A man was diagnosed with cancer and will have surgery.
• A child had seizures and the doctors don't know why or if it will happen again.
• A high school senior's boyfriend cheated on her. She was the last to know.
• A son went to jail.
• A single mom lost her electricity.
• A father died.

And I sit here embarrassed by the things that have been hard for me in the past couple of weeks.

• Returning homework to the backpack as soon as it's finished (not when I find it on the counter while cleaning up dinner).
• Exercising at 9:00 pm.
• People misunderstanding what I say or do -- or the silliest of all -- my expressions or gestures during a meeting or conversation.
• Finding time to respond to email.
• A flopped dessert.
• Getting up the next morning after staying up reading or scrapbooking or writing.
• Organizing and putting away the massive amount of books filling our house.
• Putting laundry in the washer, then the drier, then the closets.
• Keeping up with the teachers who are excited about working together in writing workshop.

Really?

Really.

These are the hard things in my life.

Someone needs to slap me the next time I feel the need to complain or worry or crab.

And I realize life is all about a little ebb and flow. Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes it's harder. Sometimes it's easier. And sometimes it's really good. 

I'm in the midst of a really good wave. 

Thankful to recognize it.

Anxious to use the opportunity to find ways to make life easier for others.

It's about being blessed in order to be a blessing to others.

protection detail

Much of my energy in a day is spent protecting people from THE RUSH. I get up early, plan ahead, am intentional about conversations and length of minilessons and taking advantage of moments throughout the day in order to make space to breathe. At home I build in buffers so people can finish the thing they're doing (building train tracks, reading a book, drawing a picture) before they have to move on to the next (dinner, bath, books, bed). I try not to look or sound harried on the outside (even when I'm feeling it on the inside).

I'm not as successful at this protection detail as I would like.

Life sneaks in the cracks and if I'm not careful it takes over. I used to think it was about saying no (and no and no and no), but I'm beginning to realize this protection detail is more about a state of mind than minimizing commitments (although that is some of it). The fact of the matter is life is full. Between work and church and three little lives (who are involved in things too) and an exchange student and writing and connecting with high school kids and, and and...life bulges.

Last night, though, the detail was successful. There was time to play. Train tracks built by a little boy in a fireman helmet and a little girl in a princess dress. Kids wrapped in blankets reading books. Andy had time to watch both hockey and baseball. Homecoooked dinner -- on the table around 5:30 along with all six of us -- was relaxed and we had time to linger in conversation and dessert. Andy and Karianne went to visit his dad in the fields, because you can't live in Indiana and not ride in a combine. The kids and I snuggled together for books -- they each had their choice and it didn't have to be a "short one." I rubbed their backs at bedtime. I went for a lengthy walk. There was time for an actual conversation between Karianne, Andy, and me. We talked about nothing, and yet, it felt so important.

Times like this make me believe this protection detail is not an impossible task. And like other protection details, it makes the difference between living and not.

Join us on Two Writing Teachers for Slice of Life.

notebook #4 for my current wip

I've been playing with characters for a new YA story since April. About six weeks ago, I started to play with a draft. Last month at writing group, Ruth helped me think through the structure of my story. It was giving me fits and we finally realized it's a story told from two voices -- and with flashbacks. Ruth insisted that I let Krums, a teenage boy, into my head to help tell the story.

It was painful, but I did it. For a month I've had a teenage guy talking to me, telling me his side of things. At one point, this showed up in my notebook (it's from Sophia) --

Straight from Soph's heart and  into my notebook.

Last Thursday our writing group met again. Ruth and I had the following conversation (She's an actual person...this isn't a conversation with myself. Here's her blog for proof -- but don't be fooled by the sweet persona. She is more like an evil drill sergeant.):

Vicious Ruth: You are writing a love story.

Me: I. Am. Not.

Incessant Ruth: You are too. You have two main characters, a boy and a girl, and a couch. It's a love story.

Me: Is not.

Brutal Ruth: If you want it to be more than fluff you have to dig into their back stories. The stuff you wrote about Sophia's past was powerful. There's more there.

Me: No there's not. That was the only horrible thing that happened in her life.

Ruthless Ruth: You're lying. It's not going to be easy, but you know there's more there.

Me: Major eye roll. It's not a love story.

Atrocious Ruth: It is a love story, but it's more. You need to dig into Krums' history too.

Me: I let him into my head, what more do you want?

Relentless Ruth: You need to listen to before to understand who he is now. And I'm not surprised you found him to be sensitive.

Me: Sigh. Then a bigger sigh.


Unreasonable Ruth: Just write the back story. It doesn't mean it'll be in the book, but I think you need to know it so you can write the kind of story you want it to be.

Me: What if I don't want to know their histories. I'm afraid it'll hurt too much.

Sinister Ruth: Then don't do it and write a fluffy love story.

Me: It's not a love story.

Ghastly Ruth: It is a love story, but you can make it more. Just let them tell you their back stories.

Me: Maybe I'll give up.

Why-I-listen-to-her Ruth: No you won't. You can't leave them where they are. Besides you need to write this story. Not only that, but you can write this story. First you need to dig into Krums and Sophia's pasts, though.

That night, after writing group, at 11:18 pm, I started a notebook just to record Krums & Soph's back stories. Here are the first two pages (and probably the only pages I'll share out of it).

First page of writer's notebook #4.

Either write now or write later...I might as well get started!

 Less than a week of listening to their back stories and I'm already gaining more of a vision for the draft. I can see how the past and the present are woven together. I think I might have the smartest, extremely brilliant, and amazing crit partner on the face of the earth. (Of course, she had to be a little atrocious first...but I imagine that's what makes her so remarkable.)