Living Life Twice

A young writer makes plans for layout on post it notes  and publication using the draft of the text to inform  the necessary process . Recently I had the opportunity to work with two groups of keen young writers to assist them to identify and launch a personal writing project . in the process I have been sharing some of mine, both big and small.  I took the time to outline the process followed in each project. I outlined the time each project took and what I discovered in each writing journey. I encouraged these less experienced writers to ask questions in order to build their knowledge of what a personal writing project may require. I wanted to challenge the long held practice that the first logical action after identifying a writing project is to always immediately start drafting. For generations schools have reinforced this approach. It does the young writer a disservice. It does teachers and learning outcomes a disservice too.  I acknowledge, on occasions w...

Another school year is about to launch in Australian schools and for the young, inexperienced writer, learning to find suitable writing ideas; ideas that allow them to explore matters more deeply, comes into sharp focus. For teachers, it remains important to teach student writers how to firstly, identify potential writing ideas. We must show them where ideas can be found, -which is basically all around them. Ideas tend to hide in plain sight! We must let them in on this little secret. They frequently overlook possibilities purely because they are not practiced observers. Sharing how a more experienced writer determines what they will write about and how they will present their writing ideas, is an essential part of growing writers. It is an important step in the quest to develop self directed, confident and independent writers. So, where might we begin? A writer’s life experiences  are an important starting point. Encourage each and every writer to  TELL  their own unique...

It is important to note that a personal writing project does not equate to the allocation of ‘free writing time.’ where the writer is given a small portion of time to write ‘creatively.’  Free writing time generally focuses upon the time given, rather than the actual writing that may be involved.  For this reason free writing time is little more than a tokenistic gesture. It lacks gravitas, for its purpose is often ill defined. It is offered in the misguided belief that such an allocation of time provides sufficient investment in supporting and engaging young writers. It fails to enshrine authentic writing practice, selling young writers short. It's an example of fickle literacy. When a writer chooses to write 'freely' in order to discover what it is they want to say, they may pursue the drafting of a piece to determine what is important, by trying out ideas. Here they are trying things out with a purpose in mind.   Doling out occasional periods of 'free writing time...

Personal writing projects provide the inexperienced writer the opportunity to make some genuine, meaningful choices: They become the epitome of the saying-‘Writers make decisions.’ They choose- Their own topic/issue Their own genre Their own purpose Their own process Their target audience They have the opportunity to write in their own way, driven by their own goals and intentions. The chosen project benefits from replicating processes writers enact in the wider world. That way it will be grounded in authentic purposes.   It is important to note that a personal writing project does not equate to the allocation of ‘free writing time,’ where the writer is given a small portion of time to write ‘creatively,’ in the mistaken belief that this provides sufficient investment in supporting and engaging young writers. Such an approach pushes personal writing to the edges of the curriculum in terms of its importance. Such an approach is tokenistic, offering little sense of ...