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catalysts for writing
catalysts for writing
Check out Kirsten Bakis' blog series. The exercises are designed to take a half hour, some are just 10 or 15 minutes. When you finish them in order, you should have a rough draft of a new story. Or you can do any of them with a story you've started and need fresh perspective. Anyone want to try it?! I'm throwing down the gauntlet on a new challenge! Who is with me?? :o)
For the first exercise, The Hand Fate Deals You, using a random number generator, I got the numbers 41, 16, & 24. So the first sentence must include "something burning." The middle of the writing should include "something buried in the ground." The last sentence should contain the phrase "a woman's arm." Intrigued? For the character number, I went with my lucky number 5, so my main character is "a thief." Sweet! Now I must write for 15 minutes. Figure out your numbers and join me!
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based on Notebook Know-How by Aimee Buckner (p. 15-16) Here is a professional example!
"My Name" from The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting. It is like the number nine. A muddy color. It is the Mexican records my father plays on Sunday mornings when he is shaving, songs like sobbing. It was my great-grandmother's name and now it is mine. She was a horse woman too, born like me in the Chinese year of the horse--which is supposed to be bad luck if you're born female-but I think this is a Chinese lie because the Chinese, like the Mexicans, don't like their women strong. My great-grandmother. I would've liked to have known her, a wild, horse of a woman, so wild she wouldn't marry. Until my great-grandfather threw a sack over her head and carried her off. Just like that, as if she were a fancy chandelier. That's the way he did it. And the story goes she never forgave him. She looked out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow. I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she sorry because she couldn't be all the things she wanted to be. Esperanza. I have inherited her name, but I don't want to inherit her place by the window. At school they say my name funny as if the syllables were made out of tin and hurt the roof of your mouth. But in Spanish my name is made out of a softer something, like silver, not quite as thick as sister's name Magdalena--which is uglier than mine. Magdalena who at least- -can come home and become Nenny. But I am always Esperanza. would like to baptize myself under a new name, a name more like the real me, the one nobody sees. Esperanza as Lisandra or Maritza or Zeze the X. Yes. Something like Zeze the X will do. Here's an example: 18 November 2014 Boston: A Wicked Good Time A year ago today, according to my Facebook timeline which now serves as my memory, I was packing for a trip to Boston for NCTE and ALAN. I had no idea how amazing this trip would be and how it would impact my life in big and small ways. It was wicked good! For one, I had yet to discover the most amazing food in the history of the universe: the Florentine cannoli from Mike's Pastry. Where ya been all my life?! Seriously, somebody please ship me a box! I had not yet discovered the place I want to live if I ever leave Iowa. Oh, Boston! You had me when the sun magically appeared as I stumbled down the wrong street from the hotel and discovered Fenway! See the angelic presence in the center of the picture? My whole trip had that halo effect. And I got to wander around this most charming of historical cities with several of my favorite people: Brenna Griffin, Abby Hendrickson, and Kirstey Ewald. A year ago, I had not heard my childhood hero Judy Blume's genius advice on getting kids to read books you love: "Tell them they aren't ready for it yet. And walk away." All my teaching life of twenty years, I have revered the name Nancie Atwell. She has been the shining light of reading & writing workshop in my classroom. Her work In the Middle is amazing. I have every versions. A year ago, I had not met my teaching idol.
I attended the Adolescent Literature Assembly at NCTE, also know as ALAN, for the first time a year ago. I heard amazing talks from so many wonderful authors, it was almost overwhelming. I had yet to hear the most inspirational thoughts on hope from Joan Bauer. I had yet to hear the wisdom of real truths from Laurie Halse Anderson. I had yet to meet Rainbow Rowell, Bill Konigsberg, Chris Crutcher, Swati Avasthi, and a host of other wonderfully literate humans. I had not yet heard Natalie Lloyd's awesomely delicious read aloud of her novel A Snicker of Magic. Could anyone love words more than she does?! A year ago, I had not had an author respond to my Facebook posts WHILE I was reading his book, resulting in a meta-reading experience I will never forget and turning into an unforgettable school visit from the incomparable Matt de la Peña. I have been to NCTE multiple times, but this was a halcyon moment. I'm so thankful to my school district and to ICTE for supporting this trip and my professional development.
Did I mention the life-changing properties of the Florentine cannoli? Sometimes we run across tidbits of wisdom that make us think. Write from one. You never know what kind of story will appear! Here's an example:
Atticus Finch--Mentor Teacher "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it." ~Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird There have to be a hundred quotes I choose to live by on any given day and I'm always finding more. Like my mother and grandmother before me, I've been scavenging for and collecting quotations in notebooks nearly all of my life. Words are how I make sense of the insensible and express the inexpressible. Many quotations surface from the deep recesses of memory when I need them. Sometimes they are jolted loose at random, or become new again in a fresh context. Today, I tried to pick the one that's had the longest and strongest impact on who I am as a person, as well as who I am as a teacher. When I first read these words from Atticus to Scout as an 8th grader, I knew immediately how powerful they were, for Atticus is the finest of teachers. These words have echoed in my heart and mind ever since. Understanding others is probably my biggest barrier to success in the classroom. I just don't get some kids. When I find myself irritated or at odds with a student, I try to figure out what walking around in their skin would be like. At the beginning of the year, I wasn't sure I could like a young man who was very negative. Everything we did was stupid or boring. When writing their on-demand narrative, he tossed his hair out of his eyes and asked, "Does it have to be good?" Everyone laughed and his neighbor fist-bumped him. "Does your best work have to be good? You tell me, Charlie." (Not his real name.) My voice dripped with venom. He flinched and hunched over his keyboard, painfully pecking out one word at a time with just his index fingers, mumbling about his best work never being good enough. Why did it take me nearly 24 hours to process the fear in his statement? To recognize the odds of his success in a timed, typed writing task were greatly stacked against him? When my anger receded, when I crawled into his skin, I realized how so much of his negativity was a mask. When I put myself in his place, I shriveled at the negativity in my own voice. I couldn't change his negativity maybe, but I could change mine. The next day, I sat with him at his table and asked some curious questions about his blog and his interests. When he dropped the mask and shyly chattered away about movies and football and his friends, he glowed with joy. I was determined to help him find that glow when reading and writing. Today, he sat in the blue leather recliner, deeply lost in The Sea of Monsters. He has finished two Trent Reedy books and The Lightning Thief. When I asked if anyone needed help with "The Tell-Tale Heart" or their Notice and Note blog posts, he wandered over with his Chromebook, sat down next to me at my table and said, "I need some help. I don't understand what to do with the quotes." I marveled at the change. Here he was, of his own volition, articulating his uncertainty--no mask. As we talked through the first paragraph of "The Tell-Tale Heart," and wondered together about the "you" the narrator is addressing in the line "you fancy me mad," I watched his fingers flit around on the keyboard. He was on home row! It was still slow going, but the improvement was marked. I complimented him on his progress and was treated to the same sunny smile I got for complimenting one of his touchdowns. (Turns out, he's quite good!) Then he said, "For the second quote, I was thinking maybe the line about the Evil Eye. Don't you think that shows being compelled by irresistible force?" If I had a football, I would've spiked it right there in the end zone and then performed some silly dance moves. I settled for a high five, said, "You've got this, Charlie." And I walked away. Writing is still hard work for him. And he has a long way to go before he masters elaboration and craft. But he's got a growth mindset about it. He's no longer defeated before he starts. He's not afraid he won't measure up. He's confident he can build his skills. "Mrs. Paulsen, can I have the blog post checklist? I want to make sure I meet all the requirements. The notice and note part can be a tough question, right? Because I noticed Percy is asking some tough questions here." He plops the book open, flips the hair out of his eyes, and points to a page where Percy does indeed ask himself some tough questions. Inside my head, the crowd goes wild. Create a page in your notebook to collect 100 things you love. Pick one and then write! You'll never be at a loss for writing topics! Source: http://cathyzielske.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c5c3753ef016302c052f1970d-popup What does Christmas mean to you? What memories do you have of Christmas? What sensory details remind you of Christmas? What objects? Take it wherever you wish!
There are a million prompts due to the magic of the interwebs. Here's a tumblr link for one I like: http://awesomewritingprompts.tumblr.com/. Clocking in at over 600 options, there's gotta be one to start your writing. I love the "three things" theme prompts like this masterpiece below: Not just a jazz band, a slightly incompetent one. Not just some plastic dinosaurs, a GROSS! And then, because it's already incongruous enough, a locket. Is this some lost, amazing Scooby-Doo episode?! My mind immediately turns to mystery, but it could be a fantasy, horror, or even historical fiction, assuming the plastic dinosaurs can time travel. Toy Story 4: The Time Warp. So much awesomeness!! Write a poem or short piece of prose in which the speaker apologizes for an imagined naughty deed, perhaps something have done wrong (or wish you could, if you only had the courage!) Think in terms of describing an irresistible temptation. :) Show how you are NOT sorry because you thoroughly enjoyed the experience by moving through your writing from image to image.
Here is a famous one you could imitate: This is Just to Say William Carlos Williams I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox. And which you were probably saving for breakfast. Forgive me They were delicious So sweet and so cold. Here's one I wrote: Rude Awakening Jennifer Cameron Paulsen I'm so sorry I awoke you when I slammed the door, but your pool of drool was spreading all over the classroom floor. I guess I didn't thrill you with my talk of metaphor. I didn't mean to drop the dictionary one inch from your head, but I was growing fearful that perhaps you were dead. You were supposed to write a sonnet but snoozed away instead. Please forgive me for disturbing your precious stolen nap but your tongue was lolling from your mouth into your lap It must exhaust you to read with your face jammed in your cap. Please accept my apologies for shocking you awake but your jackhammer snoring made the windows quake. Maybe five minutes of Macbeth was more than you could take. I'm really doing you a favor though I won't write you a pass. Now that you're finally alert You're going to miss your next class! (Not that it really matters, if it's anything like your last!)
Ever notice how many magazine articles have a list in the title? "10 Apps Every College Student Needs," "6 Songs to Play on Acoustic Guitar," "7 Body Myths Busted," "3 Rules for Real Strength." You get the idea. Make a quick list based on any topic. Ideas: Things you are an expert on, best/worst events, favorite words, etc. Then star or highlight the things you could write more about. Then write!
The best bonus to this strategy is that you can use it an any time in your writing process. I use it to get unstuck once I've run out of ideas. Most of my notebook drafts have lists in the margins for when I come back to the writing fresh to get my writing launched next time. Two of my favorite lists come from a favorite book, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. The main character Melinda shares the "First Ten Lies They Tell You in High School" and later "Ten More Lies They Tell You in High School." These lists give a clear understanding of Melinda's character. THE FIRST TEN LIES THEY TELL YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL 1. We are here to help you. 2. You will have time to get to your class before the bell rings. 3. The dress code will be enforced. 4. No smoking is allowed on school grounds. 5. Our football team will win the championship this year. 6. We expect more of you here. 7. Guidance counselors are always available to listen. 8. Your schedule was created with you in mind. 9. Your locker combination is private. 10. These will be the years you look back on fondly. TEN MORE LIES THEY TELL YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL 1. You will use algebra in your adult lives. 2. Driving to school is a privilege that can be taken away. 3. Students must stay on campus during lunch. 4. The new text books will arrive any day now. 5. Colleges care more about you than your SAT scores. 6. We are enforcing the dress code. 7. We will figure out how to turn off the heat soon. 8. Our bus drivers are highly trained professionals. 9. There is nothing wrong with summer school. 10. We want to hear what you have to say." — Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak) Another of my favorite lists is from an old favorite movie Ten Things I Hate About You, based on William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.
Taylor found another listing strategy that's cool: to write an alphabetical advice list. Check it out at http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/post/11306724617/270.
Mentor Text: Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar "The narrator, Scott Hudson, is a 13-year-old boy struggling to survive his freshman year of high school. When he finds out his mom is pregnant, it is almost too much to deal with and, since he loves to write, he decides he needs to write about all of his fears, frustrations, desires, experiences, etc. But since 'boys don’t write diaries,' he decides the format of his expression will be a 'high school survival guide, to his yet-to-be-born younger sibling. http://writingfix.com/Chapter_Book_Prompts/sleeping_freshmen3.htm Photo Credit: https://www.goodreads.com/work/editions/769644-sleeping-freshmen-never-lie
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AuthorMrs. Paulsen writes, reads, knits and shoots arrows. Archives
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