Although I may not be spending quite as much time blogging this year, I’ve been finding myself far more active elsewhere online, and in my travels, I’ve found much to recommend. I’ll still be reflecting on what I’m learning and discovering here, but much of that is happening on the ground inside of the classrooms that I get to work in and in some of these spaces: The WNY Young Writers’ Studio is about to…
…for my kids to get home from school …for the laundry load to finish spinning out …for the teachers that I am working with to return from their lunch break …for the next episode of my favorite television program to begin …for my materials to finish printing …for the next item to appear on my never-ending “to do” list This is what I’ve learned as a participant in National Novel Writing Month this year: if…
Well, if you are at least thirteen years old and you’ve written a young adult novel, you are invited to participate in this first-ever Young Adult Novel Discovery Competition. It’s hosted by Gotham Writers’ Workshop, Serendipity Literary Agency, and Sourcebooks.
What is the NaNoWriMo Young Writers’ Program all about? Program Director Tavia Stewart-Streit shares portions of their inspiring manifesto right here:
Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this month? Are your students? I’m in! So are the writers of the WNY Young Writers’ Studio. We’re connecting around this inside of our ning and hoping to support each other along the way. If you are a member and want to participate, head over there and join our group. Need some tips for getting started? Here are four for the opening week:
At NYSEC last week, I had the good fortune to drop into Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski’s session. Listening to these men speak to the joy they were able to reclaim for themselves as they worked on a project that made them feel 13 again was beyond inspiring. I took away something much more important though–I was provided some guidance around my own work with writers, based upon their varied experiences. As you might imagine,…
I was introduced to peer review many years ago, when I first began seeking feedback on my own writing. The protocol we used was a lot less formal than the peer review we currently participate in at Communities for Learning though, and as a result, I don’t feel it was nearly as effective. Many people find that adhering to a pretty tight protocol elicits better feedback, and while it’s not uncommon to approach peer review…
Harnessing the enthusiasm that many young writers generate during prewriting and helping them navigate the transition that turns that energy into writing they feel really good about can be tricky. Each time I’ve led a workshop or a Studio session, all of the excitement that kids have for their new project often begins to evaporate when they dive into drafting and realize how hard it can be to make their vision a reality. During Studio…
Nancie Atwell was the first person to influence my thinking about the power of writing workshop. It wasn’t until I began college myself that the whole notion of a writing territories list began to take shape inside my writer-mind. I can still remember how odd it felt to tote around my first list of budding ideas, relieved at last to have a container for the ones that would easily escape me, but uncertain about how…
Friday marked the final day of our summer Studio sessions, and I am still basking in the glow of two great weeks with incredible kids, teachers, administrators, and parents! Ironically, it’s when I have little time for blogging that I seem to have the most to share, and while I haven’t been able to capture many of our experiences here over the last few weeks, I plan to do so in the weeks ahead. Deciding…