Living Life Twice

Quite some   years back, I found myself talking to a group of enthusiastic Year one writers keen to commence their writing pieces. As they stood up from the carpet to return to their seats, I realized that the spark of imagination that would fire my own writing ideas, had suddenly evaporated.  The students all seemed fired up and ready to create the miracle of meaningful marks on paper There I   was the most experienced writer in the room,  completely blank, unable to conjure up a single thing to write about. I was trying to will my brain into action. A damp foggy mist had descended upon my writing mind. An unexpected intrusion on my normally rich inner world of ideas. A small boy stood beside me at this critical juncture and casually announced, 'I’m going to write about the first time I went fishing on Saturday with my Dad.' 'Oh thank you,' I said with an audible sigh of relief. The bemused child looked at me unsure as to what he had actually done. 'You have ju...

Here are five of the most popular Living Life Twice posts for 2022. Thank you for your continuing support and interest in teaching writing and all it entails. Donald Graves Address 2022: Reflecting Upon the Writing Revolution and the need for Rejuvenation I felt greatly honoured presenting this year’s Donald Graves Address. Given the names of those who had previously presented here, I found myself in rare air and quite privileged to be called upon to celebrate the life work of Donald Graves. I remain indebted to ALEA/AATE for this incredible opportunity to share Donald's immense legacy with you. https://livinglifetwice-alwrite.blogspot.com/2022/07/donald-graves-address-alan-j-wright.html Writing Conversations to Launch At The Start Of The School Year Writing conversations to launch a school year.  In the early weeks of a new school year, we would hopefully expect to hear conversations around writing raising matters with student writers, similar in intent to the types of matte...

  In this post I wish to explore the types of questions I hope arise when teachers and students share critical writing conversations (writing conferences) in the classroom. The questions teachers bring to these important conversations should aim to encourage the developing writer to become more reflective in their approach to writing in order to grow in both confidence and competence, as they move forward. Are you writing about things that matter to you -matters you care most about, matters close to your heart? If your students are writing merely to please a teacher or impress their peers, then this conversation is quite important. We should never embark upon writing we don’t care about. It should matter to the writer. It might actually be a piece they need to write quite urgently because they never want to forget that particular moment/ feeling/ event/ experience. Do you know why you are writing about a particular topic/issue/ideas? This is an opportunity to nudge the thin...

In my home state of Victoria, Australia, we have returned to stage 3 lockdown conditions due to a resurgence of Covid cases in the last three weeks. I have been consciously using this home time productively as I continue my journey trawling through old notebooks.  After almost 40 years, I have a plentiful supply of notebooks from which to mine potential treasure and hidden gems. As most of us appreciate, conversation with family and friends remains important. More so right now. This prompted me to gather some conversations and dialogue captured across my notebooks. I am a practiced eavesdropper. I sit, I listen, I note.  Learning to capture authentic conversation is a most valuable thing for any writer to develop. So, this morning I went gathering some examples of authentic exchanges and words overheard . Hope you like what I unearthed. I present it here for your consideration. ‘It’s ridiculous! Jeans in January. I don’t associate jeans with January. What’s happening?’ Cool su...

Some Writing  Fundamentals… Some fundamentals beliefs and actions need to be considered when thinking about our teaching practice. It is no less important when we consider how we undertake the teaching of writing. What are our fundamentals? What are our non-negotiables? The role of the teacher in assisting the inexperienced writer to grow assumes paramount importance once we begin to consider what fundamental beliefs surround our pedagogy. It drives how we conduct ourselves in the classroom. It is helpful to revisit what we hold to be true about the essentials of writing. With this in mind, I have revisited my own fundamental beliefs regarding the needs of young writers. This is what emerged: Young writers need to be encouraged to develop and choose their own writing topics, their own ideas and projects. How do they learn to do this important work- by watching and observing how more experienced writers go about the very same process. When young writers choose their own topics ...

On  weekends a magazine comes with the newspaper delivered to my front door. It frequently contains a variety of topical articles, some engaging, some merely page fillers.  At one time it also contained a regular feature entitled,  Your Time Starts Now. It involved a different person answering a series of predetermined questions each week. I always looked forward to reading their responses. I am naturally curious about other people's experiences in life. I often found myself wondering, how would I respond ? Would my answers differ or equate to those printed before me. So I have challenged myself to respond to the type of questions this feature posed: My earliest memory:  Watching my mother go to hospital in a taxi just prior to the birth of my sister and wondering if she would ever come back. I was quite distraught. Months earlier, my dog, Buster went to the  dog hospital  (as my parents put it) and never returned! My favourit...

My fervent hope for this year, as it is every year, is for student writers to encounter teachers who are focused on teaching the inexperienced writer how to write, rather than what to write.  For this to become a reality, teachers of writing must be prepared to commit to being writers too.  Writing alongside your students sends a vital message regarding the importance of being someone who chooses to write. it immediately elevates writing in the minds of impressionable, curious learners. I urge everyone who is responsible for teaching writing to be bold and brave. Become the risk taker you want your students to be.   I can say this with full confidence;  every teacher possesses the potential to be the most influential writing mentor students will encounter in any school year.  You don’t have to be a published writer to successfully mentor young writers, but you most certainly need to be a teacher who writes. You must be someone who makes time to write. S...

In the early weeks of a new school year, I would hopefully expect to hear conversations around writing raising matters with student writers, similar in intent to the types of matters listed below. Are you writing about things that matter to you -matters you care most about, matters close to your heart? If your students are writing merely to please a teacher or impress their peers, then this conversation is quite important. We should never embark upon writing we don’t care about. It should matter to the writer. It might actually be a piece they need to write quite urgently because they never want to forget that particular moment/ feeling/ event/ experience. Is there something you are hoping to see improve around your writing this year? How do you intend to achieve this change? Do you know why you are writing about a particular topic/issue/idea? In other words, have you thought about why it is important for you to write about this matter at this time. W...