West and Blue Mountains Writing Teachers - WestWords

There is something quite joyous and inspiring about writing with others, and I do not mean in a collaborative sense exactly, but in a physical sense – sitting next to other people who are also engaged in the process of composing a piece of writing. Perhaps it is the sense of community – of each person responding to a prompt, writing for 10-15 minutes or so, and then sharing their composition – that is so impactful. 

As someone who enjoys writing but often labours under the paralysis of imposter syndrome and more often than not, perfectionism, the opportunity to engage with writing in a communal way is empowering. The process is less about the final product and more about getting words on the page and celebrating how well things came together, or if it didn’t all work out, talking about the process and what did work well – a sentence, a word, or maybe a memory that arose through engaging with the prompt.

It is worth considering how the collaborative writing model compares to other aspects of life and why it can be a motivating process. When I decided to attend a gym, it was to attend the classes on offer rather than slogging it out on the equipment by myself. Whilst I am not keen to be in the limelight during such classes, the far back corner away from the windows and mirrors was my coveted position, being there, with other people working out and doing their best, brought out the best in me. I really should go back…!

I also find my motivation increased when I have visitors in the house. I am able to whip around and clean and sort without the compulsion to lie on the lounge watching ‘Homeland’ or ‘The Good Wife’ or another suitably long running, binge-worthy show with strong female lead, and a decent sound track. All of a sudden, I have hung out several loads of washing, put another load to wash; I have changed all of the towels, made the bed, cleaned the living area and maybe even my office, all in a very short period of time. It isn’t that I do not like spending time with guests or the fact that the house is in a particularly heinous state of disarray, I just find myself in super-efficient mode in the presence of others. Perhaps it is the hiatus from my comfort zone or maybe it is my concern about what other people think of me that is a motivating force. I am not sure.

So, this brings me back to the writing group. At the first meeting there were four. I was there, as was my husband and two good friends. I will still nervous about the prompts I had prepared but thought of it as an opportunity to run the session as if I would with a larger group. It ended up being a really useful process – in the brightly lit, newly renovated grey, white, and red décor of the conference room of Parramatta WestWords (who were kind enough to lend their space to the group) we wrote. 

We began with formal introductions and even though we all know each other it was interesting to consider what types of things are included when providing a summary of yourself and your writing intentions. Here are the prompt questions: 

oName?

oWhere are you from?

oWhat do you love about writing? 

oWhat do you hope to get from meeting regularly with other writers?

I also handed out two articles that I had found whilst scrolling away hours of my life on social media (it is lucky for the writing group otherwise no one would ever see the fruits of my labour - haha!). 

Article 1. The Writing Workshop that Runs Itself 

Article 2. 13 Tips for Actually Getting Some Writing Accomplished 

The opening activity began with eating – Arnott’s Assorted Creams biscuits, to conjure the memory of a time gone by or to inspire a fictional piece. We ate, wrote, and then discussed our pieces. Taste, it turns out, can evoke a strong response from the memory and there were tears as well as laughter. The writing went to places I had not even considered – the power of a Monte Carlo  – who would have guessed? The writing was provocative, visceral, and heart-warming and all it took was a packet of Arnott’s Assorted Creams.

The second prompt was based on an activity that I learned when attending a writing workshop at Springwood Library with Cymbeline Buhler from Big Stone Creations. It required brainstorming and utilising unusual words to create description. The activity utilises words that fall into pairs (night and day, bacon and eggs, knife and fork, etc.) and then these are mixed these to come up with some extremely strange combinations that led our writing into really intriguing places. You could also complete the brainstorming and word association for a pair rather than mixing the prompts again. The brainstorming step before writing would be a really great way to support students with their writing. This activity really pushed my writing outside of my comfort zone, away from the cliché, and into new territory. It wasn’t an easy undertaking, but it was entertaining. 

The third activity drew inspiration from Instagram (but it would work with a photo stream on any phone with a camera). I asked everyone to count 14 rows down and 3 across and to use that photo as a prompt for a piece of writing. Consider the photographs we take due to the large storage capacity of our devices - to remind us of something – almost like a pictographic ‘to do’ list, to document a significant event or moment, to keep a note of things we love… all of these can evoke memory and the imagination.

When each participant walks away with writing on the page that did not exist just hours before then you know the prompts have worked. You will find them here. May they offer inspiration and possibility to you and your students.

Writing Prompts:

PDF West and Blue Mountains Writing Teachers Prompt #1

Word  West and Blue Mountains Writing Teachers Prompt #1

Check out the upcoming WestWords writing events - they are reasonably priced and there is a reduced price for members.

The English Teachers Association Annual Conference 2017 - Atwell's Writers and Readers at Work

This is the link to my Saturday presentation where I will speak about the work of Nancie Atwell.

Here is the link for the materials presented: Atwell's Writers and Readers at Work

Blurb:

Atwell's Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) provides opportunities for students to write and read in the authentic ways that real writers and readers do. By developing routines that support students to write well in real world genres and read widely, Atwell's approach prioritises the student voice and allows students to develop a deep love of reading. The session will explore the research that inspired the creation of Atwell's school CTL and her extensive publication In the Middle, as well as the ways in which Writing and Reading workshop can be utilised in the Australian classroom. 

The English Teachers Association Annual Conference 2017 - Write Right!

What a pleasure to be attending the 2017 ETA Annual Conference (my 10th!). It has been, always, two days filled with inspiring and cutting edge approaches to pedagogy in the English classroom. I always leave feeling like I can conquer the world and from looking at the line up, I am sure this year is sure to be amazing!

This year, feeling a little brave, I decided present - twice! Today I am presenting with my colleague Luke Bartolo and tomorrow I will be solo, speaking about the work of Nancie Atwell.

Here is the link for the materials presented for Friday's session Write, Right: Authentic Engagement with Creative Writing

Blurb:

Through following the Atwell model and implementing the mini-lesson approach to creative writing, teachers can provide an opportunity for students to construct imaginative text in an authentic and practical fashion. Skills are taught in close-up in order to facilitate understanding and application, with an emphasis on empowerment of students to express themselves effectively as active participants in the authorial process. By focusing on discrete skills, teachers become active facilitators in assisting learners to become specialists in identifying and using sophisticated techniques in their creative writing. 

SaveSave

Writing about Reading Books about Writing #2 'On Writing' - Stephen King

The bookshelf that holds my growing collection of 'books about writing' has started to bow so with renewed determination I have begun adding them to my GoodReads account - surely if I populate my 'To Read' list with their titles I am sure to read them, right?

I am drawn to books about words and the people who write them. I have been thinking about why I enjoy the genre and I have reached a conclusion - I am intrigued by the way the creative process plays out differently for each individual - and I like the life story tucked behind. What I have found in my reading so far is much more than sets of writing rules. There is a sense of the person who has grappled with imposter syndrome, self doubt, incredulity from friends, and possibly family, as well as contended with the ebb and flow of imaginative energy to embark on the creative life.

So this brings me to my latest read - Stephen King's memoir 'On Writing' which is featured on every online list of writing advice. The memoir is significantly shorter than King's works of fiction and was published in 2000, which I initially figured wasn't that long ago, but one can quickly become deluded when they reflect upon how long ago it was since they sat in a high school classroom. I read Stephen King voraciously from Year 10 through Year 12 - my late teens were the apex of my horror reading. I sometimes wish I spent some of this time reading the books all English teachers have read by the time they leave school - but alas I did not have that reading list, and I am still yet to find it - so 'K' was the section I hung around in the Laurieton Library.

I found solace in school, and reading and whilst I cannot exactly recall where I was when I was reading - was it on the school bus? Or was I lugging tomes of horror to roll call? Who knows. I just know that 'Cujo,' 'It,' 'The Shining,' 'The Stand,' 'The Dark Tower Series' and 'Black House' (which was co-written with Peter Straub) allowed me to escape into the deep to become entangled in plot lines twisting around upon themselves and to lose everything in the languishing accumulating detail that characterises many of King's works.

In reading the opening chapters of 'On Writing' I was struck by King's sense of humour but also some of the difficulties he faced at different stages in his life. Here was the tale of an author writing demons whilst gripped in the fight against his own. I think most whom have a penchant for capturing what it is they see in the mind's eye for the page, or canvas, or other medium, know that the process of creating is an act of vulnerability but one that is inherently important - 'Come to it anyway but lightly. Let me say it again - you must not come lightly to the blank page.' I took my time with 'On Writing.' I added notes to my Common Place Book and spent time ruminating over the messages to determine what could possibly apply to my writing and the way that I set up the practice of writing in the classroom.

Here's thirteen extracts that resonated with me:

1. '...stopping a piece of work just because it's hard either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea. Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it...' - sage advice.

2. '...it behooves you to construct your own toolbox and then build up enough muscle so that you can carry it with you.'

3. 'Unless he is certain of doing well [the writer] will probably do best to follow the rules.' - this gem from William Strunk (The Elements of Style is on my 'To Read' list).

4. 'Paragraphs ...are maps of intent.'

5. 'If you don't like it later on, fix it then. That's what the rewrite is all about.'

6. 'At its most basic we are only discussing a learned skill, but do we not agree that sometimes the most basic skills can create things far beyond our expectations?' - I think this would make a great poster for the classroom.

7. 'If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.'

8. 'I like to get to ten pages a day, which amounts to 2000 words.' - routine and commitment a prolific writer makes.

9. 'One word at a time.'

10. '...you must be able to describe it, and in a way that will cause your reader to prickle with recognition.'

11. 'Talk, whether ugly or beautiful, is an index of character; it can also be a breath of cool, refreshing air in a room some people would prefer to keep shut up.'

12. 'The most important things to remember about back story are that a) everyone has a history and b) most of it isn't very interesting.'

13. '... you can, you should, and if you're brave enough to start, you will.'

As King states, 'Life isn't a support system for art. It's the other way around' for without art, what is there?