Drafted with my kids today, a different piece every period as a challenge. Preplanning page drawn from ideas displayed from my Writer’s Notebook, tracked thinking .. and then finally settling in to write with them in longhand on yellow paper.
By page 2 I wanted to give up.
I made note of this and kept going.
When we were about 5 minutes out, I invited the kids to begin thinking of additional notes where their thinking might take them and jot those ideas down before the bell rings. As I’m understanding it, the quick draft is like a process of discovery in itself — we go in with a plan, but in this unique 1-hour writing session approach, any creative idea can emerge. We jot it down as a writer, loyal to what our mind wants to give us and we can decide later. This is a draft..
By my next period, I was more than ready to call it quits after 1/2 a page in.
By the next, my essay looked like an outline.
By my last period, my mind gifted me with a well-developed Introduction on an idea I ‘d been playing around with 2 months ago. I assigned myself this piece 2 minutes before while flipping through my WNB as my kids got settled in to write. There were a lot of musings on that one and I was surprised I’d revealed a truth about Mt. Everest, comparing the struggle on the mountain to our troubles in life.
Like me trying to stay away as I write this very moment.
Tired.. tired… My plan is to write some time earlier in the day and pre-publish, revise in the evening.
Because if I really want to do any “real” writing long-term, I’ve gotta build the stamina for it. Today, as I wrote with my kids, I just didn’t have it.
.. exhausted.
And you know what? That’s alright. That’s writing real.
I didn’t feel like I had it tonight, either.
Tomorrow will be better.
Your perseverance in teaching (and writing!) rocks!
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So thankful for your encouragement! Thank you!
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Likewise — there’s a lot of that going around. I’ve been using 750 Words for warming up and just to keep writing, Anything. http://750words.com/
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What a WONDERFUL resource, Vanessa!! Thank you!
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It’s hard to write in front of kids and really hard to sustain it for several class periods. It is exhausting, but it’s also a good reminder that sometimes our kids can’t just turn on the writing when we expect them to—
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I love this sentiment — I understand it completely. It’s a conversation I think I’ll be having with my science/history/math/english team soon!
Thanks!
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It does take stamina…that writing muscle is hard to develop; but you are doing a great job! By the end of March, you’ll be flying!!!!
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Thank you, Lori! I believe it! Thank you so much for your encouragement!
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But how amazing that you will by the end of March!
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I know and YOU TOO! I’m excited for ALL of us!!
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