November 19, 2009

I wrote a literary vignette about my history with writing in journals as a child (making this into my digital story). Reading Spandel's article on 6-trait writing, I especially related to the section on the beginning process of drawing from personal experience. Even though I eventually delved into creative writing, my early writing as a young person was all from my own unique stories. This part of the process of formulating ideas sounds easy to me as an adult. However, I think it is something that takes training and practice before it becomes so natural.

I can see this as I work with both my first graders in my dyad experience, as well as the sixth graders in my main placement. Those first graders are just at the tip of the learning process. Sure, we provide plenty of rich topics from which they can choose. And we would think there would be a wealth of experience from which to tap, but this part of the process seems nearly impossible for them. Maybe it's because the whole idea of writing is daunting to these youngsters! Many of them are intimidated whenever the task of putting pencil to paper is presented. We'd be happy if they could draw pictures of these ideas, or even just a few words. We're trying to teach them that they are full of engaging stories that others would like to hear. I've seen a lot of jumping on the bandwagon with ideas like riding a roller coaster, watching John Cena in the WWF. The sixth graders are more hung up on conventions of writing and seem to experience writer's block when first starting a writing assignment. I also see a lot of copying of ideas--the easy way.

Seeing the power of our written word--for me the journal writing that helped me grow up--I hope I have the magic to share with young writers the importance of memories and even the simplest of ideas. I hope I can coax from them the telling of what is important to them in their lives and how valuable it is for us to reflect on those things.

Spandel talks about how "writers write before they write" (p. 152). If we could teach kids that their everyday thinking about what matters to them is their "pre-write," we could ease them into viewing writing as fun and accessible.

Carved Crayons

Deepest Fear

November 9, 2009

Ann Lamott...would love to go have drinks with her sometime! As we have been asked to identify quotes from her Bird by Bird book, I have ended up with a book loaded with a bazillion Post-It notes locating my most favorite quotes. Not sure how to explain my admiration...her honest way with words floors me, and I admit I can relate to a lot of what she says!

An example: The chapter, "How do you know when you're done?" (pages 93-94): Her analogy of "putting an octopus to bed" so reminds me of multiple writing experiences in school these past few years as I finished my undergraduate degree first and continued with coursework in the t-cert program. While attempting to attain A's in my classes, I have felt the wrath of several wild octopus tentacles as they threaten to send me over the edge of sanity. I can work on a piece of writing and come pretty darn close to what I would call my very best work--ready to print out my "final" version--but then that octopus rears its ugly suction cups. I stay up way too late trying to "finalize" a piece and then try to sleep with that nagging back of my mind saying, "If only you could fine tune that section a bit more" or "I know I've left out some critical element...let me just suffer through a few more hours trying to locate it!" I remember asking a much admired professor of mine at UWB while writing a research paper in his class, "How do you know when to quit?!" He said, "You just do. You work to the deadline and then tell yourself, 'It is what it is.'" No big magic or sixth sense in knowing when you're done.

Okay, one more: page 112 in the "Broccoli" chapter. Lamott writes about "being militantly on your own side" and the need to trust ourselves. She says not to "look at your feet to see if you're doing it right...just dance." After writing my literacy vignette drafts--both of them, I was a little underwhelmed with myself--especially after feedback from my writing group. I don't have Ann Lamott's sense of humor and am challenged to make my writing entertaining to other readers. I thought my vignettes were true to my word and my story, but they ended up a little "short" on the engagement factor for other readers. But you know what?! Those first drafts were truth and directly from my memories. I guess I need to not worry so much about my rational depiction of those memories via the written word and just keep working and searching for those details that best show my recall as "valuable stuff."