Living Life Twice

  There is much appeal in short stories. They provide tiny windows into other worlds. It is important to expose student writers to their charm. It serves to add an extra dimension to their writing options. Story 1 On Hold 'I’m standing in a crowded shopping mall waiting to order my lunch from a sandwich bar/deli; the kind where they build your sandwich from an assortment of fillings. My order is taken and I stand back waiting for the sandwich to be completed. A man standing beside me begins to order his lunch from the person serving behind the counter keenly awaiting his order. As he begins to relay his order, his phone rings. He dives into his pocket and extracts his phone of choice and holds up a hand to the woman before uttering ‘Hang on a minute.’ She immediately stops sandwich construction duties, and stands as if in suspended animation for what seems an eternity. Her serving tongs are held like a torch in the air while phone man attends to his phone message. The woman says ...

  Each and every time writing conversations are conducted with inexperienced writers the guiding question is commonly framed around –where do I begin? When a young writer is struggling to find a focus for their writing, teachers frequently seek to help the writer find a suitable topic by reminding them of their interest, or referring to their personal writing history. This approach generally works. Rather than taking this course of action let’s consider the writer in terms of the   future and what we as teachers can do to support and empower their decision making around writing. We could ask questions such as ‘What strategies do you think other writers use to find out what it is they might write about?’ If the young writers suggests they do not know the teacher could suggest some pre-writing strategies that could be employed to assist a writers to identify a writing focus Strategies such as: Reading/rereading Researching Listing   clustering  and brainstorm...

  After more than 50 years engaged in a writing life as both teacher and writer/poet, I offer the following advice to young and inexperienced writers. Advice about developing good writing habits and thinking about your writing in ways that deliver some essential energy to continue writing.  I sincerely hope my words prove of value to you and you go eagerly to the page to write what matters, striving to build confidence and experience as authors. Here Goes! If your words sound boring to you, they will probably sound boring to your readers. Write so the reader wants to turn the page to find out what happens next. Read your writing out loud before you share it with anyone. Imagine yourself as a reader hearing the words for the first time. Listen carefully. Develop a routine for writing and stick to it. A routine time for writing is more valuable to you than waiting for inspiration to visit you. Make sure you read a lot. Reading adds fuel to your thoughts. Books provide a launchin...

  A memoir is not a review of an entire life. It is merely a piece of that life – a snippet, a chunk, an event that has taken place during that person’s life. It's the snapshot, not the album. The events are told from that person’s point of view. Imagine a pie, and that pie represents your entire life. Well, a memoir is a slice of that pie, not the whole pie... 'The writer of a memoir takes us back to a corner of his or her life that is usually vivid or intense.' Zinsser,W (Ed). (1987). “Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft Of Memoir' A memoir incorporates a sequence of feelings, thoughts and observations surrounding the chosen event. Often the writer comes to a personal reflection on this event. How does this event reflect my life? What feelings, thoughts and observations are keys to this event? In teaching students to write a memoir piece, it is important for the writer to narrow the topic before commencing the task of committing words to paper. To begin, it may pro...

  Emotional response is critically important in writing.    It’s part of the total package. Our emotional responses manifest themselves in many ways. Sometimes it's the writer. Sometimes it's the writing. Great writing evokes an emotional response from the reader, such is its power.  Sometimes it's the way writing is taught that stirs emotion. In this article I find myself reflecting upon my responses to a number of common classroom writing scenarios. My heart sings when kids enter classrooms announcing 'I know what I'm going to write about today.' It’s clear evidence of rehearsal in the writer's mind. I find myself  disappointed when a teacher doesn't instinctively allow a young writer to hold the pen during an editing conference. Ownership of this task is critical to the developing writer.   I rejoice when a teacher is brave enough to share their personal writing with their students.   I am warmed when a young writer demonstrates a willingness to per...

  Dealing With Double Trouble!   While reading Jeff Anderson’s 'Ten Things A Writer Needs' a while back, I discovered Jeff tells his students that tautology means ‘DOUBLE TROUBLE.’    This mention of tautology sparked a memory of how annoying it is to hear such redundancy, used so frequently, and so unwittingly.    Here are a few that immediately come to mind: At the present time Very unique Mystery puzzle Wet monsoon Past history Pair of twins Free gift Sad misfortune Invited guests End result Boat marina Will and testament ATM machine I'm sure you get the idea… Tautology occurs everywhere. While living in America some years back , the frequently used term, ‘TUNA FISH sandwich’ left me constantly bemused.  At JFK airport, I would sit waiting for my flight home to Australia and at regular intervals I would hear the announcement, ‘ This is the LAST and FINAL call for flight…’   and start twitching....

  Let's Turn Up The Volume In Student Writing!   A priority for any writing program should be to progressively build the stamina of young writers, enabling them to sustain their writing efforts for extended periods. The aim is for the writer to reach a stage where the ideas flow freely and the blank page surrenders to a relentless flow of words. We want young writers to view the blank page as an invitation to write, rather than something filling them with trepidation.   The answer lies in the act of writing. Too often young writers become distracted and a gap emerges between their intent and their action. The talking so vital in the pre-writing phase continues into the composing stage and the promise of words not surprisingly, evaporates. There should be plenty of time for talk and discussion when the writer has produced some words on the page. We owe it to the writer to provide such discussion time.   A range of issues may arise to interrupt the flow of...

I have recently been working with two groups of young writers in my capacity as Writer in Residence at a local primary school. Among these writers I have discovered writers who are experimenting with the writing of song lyrics. One writers has brought himself a new notebook solely for the purpose of capturing his emerging lyrics. He has another notebook dedicated to the collecting of stories and observations. I love how he recognized this need for specialization in his writing. Two others writers have been collaborating on the writing of song lyrics and have also put some of their words to music at home. These writers are making decisions regarding their personal writing projects and their sense of agency and volition is being revealed to theeir fellow writers.  Their focus upon writing lyrics and using dedicated notebooks has reminded me of a special notebook I was given as a gift. A notebook clearly designed to celebrate music in all its forms. The deliberate and intentional focu...

The ability of young writers to reflect upon their written works and to reflect upon the thinking that influenced their writing processes is of significant importance.  It is essential to develop a sense of ones-self when writing.  It is a critical component when striving for improved levels of writing attainment. Young writers begin to thrive when metacognitive awareness and reflection is fostered by their teachers.  The role teachers play in this growth of metacognition is evidenced when writers in a classroom community exhibit a shared metalanguage while discussing aspects of their individual writing process. When prompted in this way young writers willingly convey their writing intentions, or engage purposefully in writing conversations (writing conferences) with fellow writers -peers and teachers alike. In other words, they discuss the events surrounding their writing lives, and they do it using the specific vocabulary of writing. This is the result of teacher's...

  Writer Joan Didion famously said our (writer’s) notebooks give us away. We are revealed by the contents. Our notebooks are a place to collect, then take those collected items and use them to spark further original writing. As Ralph Fletcher, writer and educator reminds us, we use our notebooks to breathe in (collect) and breathe out (generate). With these thoughts ringing in my ears, I envisage notebooks brimming with words and ideas across a range of subjects and genres. The notebook is a place to experiment, take risks, make important discoveries, or excavate memories and ideas from deep within. It can be a place to have fun with words. So why is it that in some classrooms when students take out their notebooks the pages reveal a picture far removed from the images I have just outlined?     Why does one get the impression that the notebook in these school settings is only realizing a small part of its potential? Why is the critical ingredient –‘writing,’ so lacki...

In my many conversations with teachers, the subject often turns to writing beyond the classroom. I urge both the teachers and their young writers to write beyond those four walls. -Write around the school, and weather permitting occasionally write outside of the classroom. Write at home.  Make a conscious effort to write somewhere else, somewhere different and see what it brings to your writing experience. Taking the time to write in a different location allows a broader range of sensory elements to influence your mind, your writing.  Consider your notebook as a travelling companion. Tuck it under your arm and write in wild, unfamiliar spaces. Actively challenge the notion that writing is something we just do at school.  Make it a form of portable magic, just like reading. Let's re-imagine writing as a free-range activity! Some writers need a special place to write. They can only write in that space, that particular location -by the sea, in the mountains, in a cottag...