Celebrating Writers (Stenhouse, 2013). I'm writing (with Christi Overman) about ways to celebrate writers within your classroom, local area, and global community. This book is a “weekend read” for K-6 writing workshop teachers. It is devoted to fueling writers through celebration. It isn't a party planner for writing workshop – no, it is much more. It is a book that looks beyond published products and celebrates the lives of writers. It is a book intended to refuel both teachers and students to continue day in and day out the demanding work of living like a writer through writing workshop.
Through writing this book, I learned the importance of having others around to believe in the project and nudge you even when you don't feel like writing.
Day by Day: Refining Writing Workshop Through 180 Days of Reflective Practice (Stenhouse, 2010). After blogging together for a few years, Stacey Shubitz and I were offered a contract from Stenhouse Publishers to write a book. In November 2010,
Day by Day, rolled off the press. You can check out more about it
here.
Developing the daily writing habit of making something really big (like a 300+ page book), changed me. I've been a blogger for years and a regular collector of stories through scrapbooking and journaling. All of this writing is like an addiction and suddenly, all of the
pipe dreams of writing books seems possible. (Maybe.)
Someday I hope to include other big things I've written here like --
- YA titles
- A book about adoption to give hope and peace to parents
- Picture books
- Middle grade novels
- More professional titles
However, I'm realizing being a writer has little to do with publishing and a whole lot to do with putting words on the page. I'm a writer not because I'm published, but because I collect words in order to make sense of the world.
It's about time I document this little adventure.
