Saturday, March 2, 2013

Why I'm Slicing




I sliced last year and was thrilled to see how it made me a better writing teacher.  Today as I’ve written and deleted I’m less thrilled to recall how hard it is to write some days.  Maybe that’s why I need to do this again.  Next week when a student looks up at me with a blank look when I ask them what story they want to write, I will recall those paragraphs I wrote and backspaced away; trying to find something I really wanted to write. 

6 comments:

  1. It's always hard to get started, but once you do it becomes a wonderful habit to cultivate. And you are right about being able to truly guide your young writers once you've experienced the process yourself. You are brave to try!

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  2. I agree with Tara- it is hard to get started. I do think, though, that the more slices you write, the easier they become. And I totally agree with you- teachers who write know how it feels and can help their students when they encounter bumps in the road. Keep slicing!

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  3. I totally get that. May your tomorrow writing flourish.

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  4. Such a great point! I've often felt the same way when I look at students staring blankly at the page in front of them. Struggling through writing myself, I'm better able to help those little friends work through those moments!

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  5. Yes...this is exactly why you needed to slice. :) Thanks for sharing with such honesty.
    Ruth

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  6. Your dedication to writing - even when it's painful and may feel like a pointless exercise - is heartening! Sometimes the perfunctory writing we merely push through becomes exactly what we wanted/needed to write all along, only our conscious mind wasn't aware of it yet.

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