Living Life Twice

  If we purposefully teach student writers the habit of  ‘re-reading’ their writing, we provide them with a powerful tool for improving the quality of their writing. This reading includes, re-reading as they draft,     and re-reading as part of revision. They begin to hear their words as a reader will hear them. It provides powerful feedback. Reading aloud to the walls & windows. When drafting a piece of writing the developing writer is commonly driven by the production of words across the page. The urgency surrounds the act of writing,  so the writer is not necessarily focusing on what the words are ultimately saying. The result is often- too many words or too many ideas. The writing may lack focus.  A decision is required at this point. What exactly do I want my words to say and mean?    It may be difficult to throw away words considered precious. Remember though, each word cut from the text may lead t...

When we read our written words aloud and listen closely to them with focused intent,  we begin to appreciate their true impact on a reader's ears -someone more than likely reading those words for the very first  time.  We learn about our writing with unparalleled efficiency simply by feeling the shape and sound of our words and sentences as they tumble from our mouth and are received by our ears. If we are listening closely, we instantly discover what needs to be done in order to move our words onto the next stage of development. For this reason, I have long been an advocate for encouraging student writers to develop the practice of reading their words aloud before approaching a fellow writer and asking them to read what has been written.  This action of reading your words aloud before sharing is both informative (for the writer) and respectful (for the prospective reader). I was taught this valuable action many years ago by the late Australian author, Morris Lurie. ...

  To maximize the relevance of the Writer's Notebook as a writing tool and a resource for gathering embryonic ideas requires the support of mindful teaching. Conferring with young writers about the kinds of entries they are collecting in this special space and how they view the purpose of such entries therefore assumes significant importance. Focused writing conversations need to take place concerning notebook entries and how best to harness their potential. Such conversations with student writers and the effective use of their writer's notebooks can focus on a range of considerations. Here are some starting points: How are you, as a writer, building upon your notebook entries and ideas? Are you rereading older entries to discover new topics for writing? How are you dealing with the challenge of the blank page and getting their words to spill onto the page? Are you using close observations to inform your writing ideas? How are you using your senses to inform your notebook entri...

  Revision is a phase of the writing process frequently ignored and commonly misunderstood. Because it is misunderstood, it is often afforded scant attention –glossed over. Yet,   it is in the revision phase that the writer has the greatest opportunity to lift the quality of the writing.   It is a chance to polish those raw words. Too often when inexperienced writers revise a writing piece, it simply involves changing the surface features of the writing- spelling and some rudimentary grammar. Sadly, the content may remain unaffected by the visit. The notion of adding, changing, deleting and reordering the language fails to impact the overall quality of the writing. A great opportunity to upscale the writing goes begging. The writing process is one of problem solving. Writing is recognized as a cognitive exercise. Therefore the ability to revise is significant for every single writer. It assists the writer to more clearly assess their own words, clarify thoughts and i...

The late Australian writer, Morris Lurie taught me how important it was to read my writing aloud. It was something he practiced and he shared this good advice most willingly. For many years I have been passing on to young writers I meet this same sage advice.  Another renowned  writer, Truman Capote said, ‘ To me the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the music the words make.’   This is why we must hear our words. We must ensure the music of our words is suitably melodic. Colum McCann in his wonderful book, ‘Letters to a Young Writer,’ suggests we should have a conversation with what we write. I totally agree.  As writers, we need to hear the sound our writing makes. We need to hear the repetition, the alliteration, the assonance and the onomatopoeia –all the wonderful notes. We must listen for the rise and fall. When you read your words aloud, you are able to hear them as a reader hears them. You get to hear the intent of the...

The question arises- How do we best facilitate lifting the writing out and up in order for it to be shared with a broader audience? How can we as teachers of writing support inexperienced young writers to successfully move from collecting writer’s notebook entries to identifying their own writing projects .  Helping the inexperienced writer avoid becoming trapped in a whirlpool of copious notebook entries (that never grow and develop into something more fully developed) remains a critical consideration, for those of us responsible for teaching writing. The writer’s notebook is a tool for writing. It is not intended for the entries to become ensnared; trapped in a word prison. The notebook contains many beginnings and not all of them are destined to be launched beyond the notebook pages, but their presence affords the writer options. The skill lies in identifying and lifting out that piece, or pieces, the writer feels have the most potential for developing into something bey...

  To prepare for the writing that will emerge during the year we need to teach young writers how to find great ideas for writing  lying  deep inside themselves, before writing about them with focus. We need  young writers to think deeply about what they are writing down. We want them to write about the things that matter most to them, -those things closest to the heart. Encourage young writers to REREAD their initial work efforts to see if they can add more information for their reading audience. Possible Teaching Points Upon Which to Focus: •Writers make lists of important memories, people, places which could become story topics. •Writers often sketch important memories, people, places which could spark an idea for a writing piece. They collect artifacts and ephemera to further stimulate their thinking. •Writers get ideas for writing from reading lots of books.  Books similar in genre/mode to what they are wishing to write. •Writers ...

I must state from the beginning that I have long  held misgivings regarding what passes as publishing (of student writing) in many schools. Like fast food, publishing student writing has evolved into something pretty much standardized.  A one size fits all mentality often applies to the publishing phase of the writing process. Publishing should not be every student publishing their writing at the same time, in exactly the same way. Yes, publishing is time consuming, but it presents a powerful mechanism for motivating students to continue reading and writing. Publishing should allow students a strong sense of ownership over a host of decisions regarding the shape and form of the final product of their writing efforts. I think that for some teachers 'publishing' becomes a beast that needs to be controlled. This need to control is what ultimately stifles creativity, resulting in a pie factory outcome. We should hold fast to the idea that publishing means ‘to make the writing...