Ralph Fletcher Shares His Writer's Notebook Experiences @ ALEA


Today I attended a number of session at the ALEA Conference , but my absolute favourite was the one conducted by Ralph Fletcher,  where he outlined how he uses his writer's notebook.

 After reading his words for more than a decade, it was wonderful to hear the author give voice to those words.

 Among the many messages Ralph delivered the following are important to share.

 Creative ideas are just like infants They are Fragile, weak and in need of support

 Notebooks are a place to breathe in the world then breathe out and share your collected thoughts and ideas.

 Write about what moves you
What you wonder about
What you notice 

 Record it in your notebook. Ruminate on it, then do something with it.

 Di snowball talks about the conversation that surrounds a book. We must have these influential conversations. They will influence our written words.

 Find the mystery in ordinary things

 Lists and artefacts are important to the notebook writer

 A notebook has the capacity to capture a wide swathe of literacy. The writer must be mindful of this.

 Photographs, writing that inspires you and an assortment of odd facts should all find a home in your notebook. They stimulate thought. They have stories attached to them. Ralph told us a fact 'Babe Ruth struck out 1330 times.'There's a story there.'

Rereading older entries can reveal hidden gems.So regularly run your eyes over the entries

 Writers find interesting stories in their ordinary lives. 
Just like a wallet, put things that are important in your notebook and put them where you, the writer chooses.
We must sell the Writer's Notebook to students and teachers as a place to play with words.

 Well, there it is. A power packed 60 minutes. A session chock full of practical wisdom. 

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