Opportunities to Celebrate Writing

Special thanks this week, to Ruth Ayers

for hosting the #celebratelu

be sure to head over to her blog and 

link up your celebrations

too!

“If through your workshop, they (students) come to believe in themselves as writers, you have given them a gift that will sustain them for years to come.” 

~Fletcher and Portalupi, 2001

     This week, I celebrate the opportunities to profess the importance of writing...writing with students, every. single. day.  writing to walk in writer's shoes...I felt giddy with excitement over the opportunities to share with teachers what I know to be true as a writer!

1.  Writing is hard work.  Commit to growing as a writer by being a writer.  You can't get better by watching from the sidelines.  You've got to get in the game too!  Write, Write! write...


2.  Writing can surprise you.  I look back through some of my blog posts and feel so much joy inside when I re-read my thinking on paper.  Sometimes as you go back through what you have written, you may wonder...and ponder and feel compelled to write even more.

3.  Writing is for an audience.  Publishing pieces for an audience and thinking about how they might react to your work drives you to be better at it.  Writing can improve with grows and glows!  Feedback sustains more writing.  It's another key to success.

     I cherish the time I had to share with the professional learning communities in APS! Implementing the writer's workshop is truly a new venture for our district this year and I want to make sure we get it right. write. right?

I made suggestions on resources and people to follow...I celebrate the opportunity to link up with many writers here.

I also shared some of my favorite children's book titles about writing too...

You are authors!

You all have a story to tell!

So look closely at the world and notice the details...

I celebrate being thankful for teachers who are teaching kiddos how to write!

Got to go!

How does writing feel to you?  A question inspired by Rissa's end of the month post on slicing and Stacey's call for slices @ the Two Writing Teachers Blog Site...and the topic of today's slice.  I wasn't going to slice today-I've had way too many things happening personally and professionally lately...and then this week's call for Tuesday slices hit me like a brick wall...I had a moment-a reality moment and passionate thoughts began flowing through my head, into my fingers and onto the screen.

One day you wake up and it just happens.  You realize you can no longer fit in those jeans.  The ones you love!  The ones you live in!  The ones you just can't bare to give away to the Goodwill...and then you realize-you've got to take something off of your plate in order to get back into those jeans-the ones you just can't give up!  No more laying down flat and sucking in that belly thing on the bed to get the zipper up and the button latched!  You know the jeans-the ones you adore-the faded, tattered, almost-feel-like-jammies jeans.  Taking something off the plate will allow for a reduction in daily calories of things that don't fit your nutritional needs!  And then, maybe, just maybe-they'll fit again...

The jeans that I thought I was wearing so well were my "writing jeans"!   To fit back into them every day as I did in the month of March, I have to take something off of my plate and say goodbye to it-forever?

REVELATION!  I know what isn't fitting my nutritional needs now-I.really.know.  I've had a moment with a particular food item on my plate that is giving me no nutritional value whatsoever!  This revelation will allow me to remove the item and fill my plate only with what is needed so that I can begin to consider fitting back into those jeans-writing again-more frequently (maybe not every day-but close enough). I am now confessing...the thing that must be removed immediately is candy.crush.saga!  There I've professed it.  Now you know why I haven't been writing.  I want to beat it...but now I know that while I thought I was getting something from it-it has been getting something from me!  My free time!   NO MORE CANDY CRUSH!  GOT TO GO!

So, to fit back into my writing jeans, here is my plan:
1.  Write first!
2.  If time is left over, read
3.  If any free minutes are available-only then can I play it...I already know that I probably won't and shouldn't...it's so fun...may be just a little?

What has no nutritional value in your life and needs removed from your plate so you can fit in your "writing jeans"?

Thanks Stacey-for having me check my writing self...how does it feel?  Better now...because now I know what needs to happen.

Slice Advice-Family Travel Journal!

Two Writing Teachers, Slice of Life Tuesdays!

Before I even knew how much writing, journaling and slicing mattered to me, I crafted a special part of Rudd Family History.  The special part of Rudd Family History I am speaking of is our family "Travel Journal".  Regrettably, I didn't start it until 2003, even though we've been married since 1996.

The journal contains all of our vacation stories (where we visited, stayed, chowed, and played)!  I am so glad I recorded this little piece of our lives together so far.  

As I was  reading through the journal tonight, I found myself chuckling at some of the funny incidents that have happened in the past. Kam asked me what I was doing and I explained about the journal.  He decided that he wanted to write about his vacation experience too!  Yay for making writing fun!   And so I have some slice advice, keep a travel journal (if you don't already), you'll be glad you did!

What are you reading Monday

Growing as a writer by wearing different lenses as a reader!

Ok, I have been very behind on my reading in the novel world. With The Hunger Games coming out as a movie (haven't seen it yet), I wanted to investigate what it was all about. I bought it on Thursday, started reading it on Saturday-didn't really want to put it down but had to at times and finished it tonight. I devoured it! I really couldn't get enough of it-keeping me so tensed up, I think my muscles hurt from it. As I was reading last night, I had to stop so I could get some sleep but it had me so wound up that it took a long time to finally nod off...

After spending so much of my time during the past month, observing author's craft, I read this book like I've never read before. I wondered a lot about the words...thought more deeply about how authors have their characters remember, or share memories and would wonder what or why this would be important for the character to share...envisioning this story through different lenses was valuable. It made me realize that I had become a couch potato reader-just sort of lazily meandering through books...I now hunger for a different sort of reading experience as I think more deeply about how authors filter the flow of their works.

I want to thank all of the writers from The Slice of Life Challenge for their posts as well as their comments for helping me to grow my thinking as a writer. I hunger for so much more...leaving the couch potato reading role behind...

The Important Slice

Slice 29 of 31 (almost done)

The Important Slice about the Slice of Life Challenge

(copy change based on the book, The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown)

The important thing about slicing is
That you are inspired to write! It’s good for you!
Slices make you think, feel and reflect on different things.
They can affect you personally.
But the important thing is that you write inspirationally every day.

The important thing about a slice is
That they can have deeply-rooted personal connections.
They are from the heart, genuine-not contrived.
The audience of readers appreciate how you set the scene of your slice
But the important thing about the slice is that it is personal.

The important thing about slicing is the community coming together.
You slice with a community of writers, thinkers and learners.
You offer supportive comments whenever possible, push for clarity if needed,
you ask more questions, you wonder!
You take a genuine interest in the stories of your fellow writers.
But the important thing is you’re with the writing community.

The important thing about slices is that they come from all sorts of places.
Whether you’re writing about the weather, soup, book spines, fears, phoetree, library trips,
Buddy Love, worms, books with personality, flowers
sand days, cleaning ladies, cigar box treasures or cars,
you’re writing from what you know.
But the important thing is that these stories
come from many different places.

The important thing about slicing is that you are inspired to write everyday
Some notes, a list, a story and even a word or two,
can be what you write because
The important thing is,
it’s good for you!!

This is dedicated to all of slicers who’ve participated in the SOLC this year. Congratulations on your accomplishments as you’ve written everyday…I have learned so much and am so grateful for this opportunity!
Amy

I need those KEYS!

Slice 21 of 31
As night quieted the neighborhood, I lounged almost statue-like on the couch except for the flicks of my fingers as I scrolled through blogs reading, "catching up" so to speak with those posting in the Slice of Life Challenge. I downloaded the digital notebook app and worked furiously to record thoughts that popped into my head from the day-busy, busy, busy!

After responding with some comments and clicking-over to extraneous links, I began tapping out some draft posts...
lego shoes...

mother daughter journal...

villanelle poem about school...

words just trickled and then it hit me! I developed cases of writers block with every draft and now I think I know why...I marched straight up to the office, sat down with the keys...

I need the keys to tell my stories like the pianist needs them to play his song! Something about the clicking of the keys and my digits striking out the words help me get my thoughts going...words just flowing...flowing through my fingers~~!
I just can't compose on the ipad...
I love it for many reasons
but
composing
isn't one of them...
MAYBE in time
but for now,
I need those KEYS!

Meet the Author Day!

Slice 16/31
Book Share...
Ok, I am officially a kiddie lit junkie. I love children's literature books so much. I am always in search of new books that answer a question or emphasize a professional development concept I need to share.

So I recently had an urge, especially with the slice of life challenge going on, to model a lesson using one of my favorite books about writing, Library Mouse.
I am so inspired by this story! So here's what happened...

I made a huge sign that said, "Meet the Author" day for the second grade class where I modeled the lesson. Now other teachers in the building who didn't know what I was doing thought a famous author was coming into the school...little did they know, we had a room full of famous authors. I even made a secret "Meet the Author" box...

I think the children thought the mouse was going to be in the box, but alas, when they looked in the secret box, just like in the book, the author they see is them. The joy from this lesson came when I had each child come up and look into the box, they giggled so happily when they saw their own reflection in the mirror! I also had them create little books, just like the mouse...we're going to file them among the books in the school library! WOOHOO!

Next week, we're also going to read Library Mouse A Friends Tale, and Library Mouse Worlds to Explore...

And now here's my Reading Rainbow moment, if you haven't read this book, check it out from your local library! Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk