Living Life Twice

In recent days I have been pondering the art of storytelling... A continuing narrative of my work in schools is to promote the idea of writers as storytellers. I have always been a person who has enjoyed sharing stories and jokes, whether from first hand experience, or relating stories gifted across a lifetime. I always encourage developing writers to tell their stories too. It is a rehearsal tool for the inexperienced writer. Telling their stories before they write not only eliminates the notion of cold starts' it frequently results in a much enhanced end product. Often a writer's story may be told many times before it emerges as written words. I often tell my stories many times before I commit them to the pages of my notebook.  It is in the telling that the story and the words are refined. The reader benefits from the repeated tellings. Each of us has stories unique to our experience. It is folly not to see value in sharing them. I once had a student comment a...

In the early years of writing many teachers require young writers to create personal recounts of particular events and incidents in which they have been involved. The aim of the recount is to relate experiences or retell events. The writer is aiming to either inform, entertain or reflect. In the piece the writer needs to create a relationship between themselves and their reader. While recounts can also be factual and imaginative, generally  the teaching focus in these  initial years is on personal recount. In order to write a satisfactory recount students need to know: How the text is structured  How language features are used to achieve the purpose of the writing.     An awareness of consistently using simple past tense in conjunction with expression of time and place.  The use proper nouns or pronouns when making reference to participant The word choices the young writer makes should be influenced by certain factors: What do I wa...

Yesterday I walked around the house consciously collecting small objects. It’s important to notice small things. -Teeny, tiny things. Microscopic things. Things that almost need a magnifying glass in order to be noticed, observed and appreciated. In fact it’s good to actually go all the way and look at wondrous objects through a magnifying glass. When we do, wonders begin to reveal themselves, just as they did when we were kids. Small things are precious.  It is akin to holding a baby or a bird's egg.  Small things must be handled mindfully.  Their fragility requires this level of care.  Small things like my wife Vicki, who is in fact, petite. As well as her petite appearance,  she's also very precious to me. So, I can't engage her in the latest craze of 'koala-ing.'  Such an unexpected latching onto, could result in serious injury.  In my more exuberant  moments she frequently reminds me that she is ‘Birdbones.’  -in recognition o...

As I walked this morning, I passed a discarded bicycle that someone had placed on the roadside outside their house in the hope that a passerby might feel a need to acquire a extra set of wheels. The bike in question was somewhat forlorn looking though. The colour lacked any lustre, the spokes had no sparkle -and more importantly, this begrimed bike, was missing a seat. The sight of the shabby cycle, evoked an instant memory. My mind went pedaling back some twenty years. It’s like that in the writer’s mind… Back then I was riding a bike clearly designed by a committee. Bits and pieces cobbled together from assorted bicycles to create a machine of questionable quality.  At that time my wife, Vicki and I did a lot of riding with the kids along ‘Nunn’s Walk’ near our house. Nunn’s Walk is a track that winds through the coastal bush-land overlooking Port Philip Bay . It is favoured by dog walkers, runners and amblers alike, providing spectacular views across the water at various...

Recently I have been working with young writers who are developing narratives. We have been focusing on helping our reading audience to visualize where the story takes place- the setting. For many student writers setting is often receives a cursory mention and glossed over. The rush to get to the action means the all important sense of place receives little attention.  And yet, a sense of place is strongly linked to our hearts and minds. It makes sense to tap into this rich vein as writers. In my classroom work I have undertaken some awareness training around setting by investigating how other authors develop this aspect of their writing and how it assists the reader. I want young writers to understand the potential of settings to enhance the quality of their writing. Ralph Fletcher in his book,   What A Writer Needs   writes about setting in this way, ‘The setting or place, creates the world in which the characters live and struggle.    In this world,...

As another school year is  about to commence here in Australia an increasing number of t eachers are taking up the challenge of maintaining their own Writer’s Notebook Those who are just beginning to develop their writing lives often request examples of the types of entries one might gather when starting out. Entries, that will serve as examples to share with their students. Entries that will show students how their teacher interacts with the world.    If you are experiencing trouble launching into your own  writing, maybe these ideas might prompt your thinking. They may spark a connection to a topic/idea you feel strongly about; -enough to get the pen moving across the page... I also hope we begin to see the whole class topic, 'My Holidays' disappear as a starting point for writing! It saddens me when this happens. It sets the bar of expectation so low for your teaching, and denies what we know about effective writing instr...

I was sitting in my favourite coffee fix café, Via Boffe’ yesterday wandering through some recently written notebook entries, whilst slowly savouring a cappuccino. The café was packed and pulsing with caffeine desperadoes’ A waitress ask me, ‘How do you get inspiration when it’s crazy like this? I glibly replied, ‘I bring it with me.’ I should have more accurately admitted inspiration has its own magic and can take place at any time, anywhere. It’s a matter of whether one is ready to receive it… I became aware of a sound, an altogether foreign sound in a café -a sound, not unpleasant, but a sound not to be denied. A high lilting sound that swirled through the tiny café like smoke wisps. -not Mini Ripperton high, but high nonetheless. Where was it coming from? I turned in an effort to find its source. A bald headed man wearing a mostly white t shirt and fawn jeans sat at the front window seat; a place I frequenlty covet when I come to the café. He was whistling, quite loudly, yet...

T eachers who are embracing the Writer’s Notebook for the first time often request examples of the types of entries one might gather when starting out. Entries,   that will serve as examples to share with your students. I am not a great fan of prompts, but if you are having trouble gaining the inspiration to launch your writing, maybe these ideas might prompt your thinking. They may prompt you to think of a connection to a topic/idea you feel more strongly about. Most importantly, I urge you to dive straight in and start filling the page with your words. Your own writing is such a powerful model for your students. I urge you to take the risk... Write about the first book you remember reading     Create a Life Map to show events in your life so far Write an entry about one of the items on your Life Map. Write an entry over any topic of your choosing. Write about your personal opinion Write a response to a book you are currently reading  Write about the ...

Everyone has a story to tell. In this installment of  Stenhouse Publishers, Questions & Authors series, Kimberly Hill Campbell shares some great memoirs , followed by some ideas that support writing a memoir. Kimberly’s recent book Less Is More: Teaching Literature with Short Texts, Grades 6-12, explores a variety of short texts to engage a wide range of young writers. Enjoy! The Power of Memoir This fall I was asked by one of the graduate students in my language arts methods class to explain the difference between personal narrative and memoir. And I immediately thought of the personal narratives so many of my high school students had written. Stories of experiences that were often rich in detail but missing what I so appreciate about memoir: the why of the personal story. Personal narrative is the starting point for memoir, but it is in the selection of what to include and what it all means, that we move from narrative to memoir. As William Zinsser, ...