For the month of March I will be participating in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by The Two Writing Teachers Blog. Each day I will be sharing a Quick Write as my way of slicing. The idea is to offer a SPARK that will kindle thinking and then write as quickly as you can for 5-10 minutes. No filters, no revisions. I’ve been curating a collection of Sparks and will share some with you all month. It’s a great way to ignite your writing life.

COUNTERPOINT SPARK: Yesterday I wrote about quick writing to current events or the day’s headlines. For some students it might be a great idea to ask them to respond with a viewpoint that differs from their own. “Imagine you are someone with a totally different viewpoint from your own. What are you thinking, wondering, feeling?” It’s not proving difficult for people to share their own thinking, but I believe our world would benefit from those who can acknowledge that there is a diversity of thought that exists and people holding differing views are not our enemies. It doesn’t mean we have to agree with them, only that we seek to understand them if we want a more civil society or community. I try to do this mentally from time to time, so I challenge myself to do that thinking on paper.

Here’s my quick write:

Though I am friends and family with many, it was hard to put myself in the shoes of a Trump supporter and I realized I only had  the ‘talking points’ that I’ve heard over and over to respond with. Maybe that is a sign I need to listen for what those words mean down deep to those who say them. What are their hopes and fears that lead them to these thoughts or statements? I’ll bet we share many of those same hopes and fears, that is the common ground I need to seek and not conceding my beliefs or principles. I have to admit it is a bit agonizing to write them as though these were my own true thoughts. Counterpoint quick writes might not be for everybody but we can’t build this skill without practice.

For the month of March I will be participating in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by The Two Writing Teachers Blog. Each day I will be sharing a Quick Write as my way of slicing. The idea is to offer a SPARK that will kindle thinking and then write as quickly as you can for 5-10 minutes. No filters, no revisions. I’ve been curating a collection of Sparks and will share some with you all month. It’s a great way to ignite your writing life.

Headlines Spark!

I remember as a child we used to bring in and discuss current events. What I wouldn’t give to remember what some of our conversations were around the day’s news cycle. Each day we are living what will become history for someone else. We treasure primary sources that reflect on the personal meanings extracted from world and local events. We could help our students (and ourselves) be creators of those primary sources. We can document not only the current events, but our unique personal perceptions at this moment in time. This can be tricky because of our polarized society, so if national news is too controversial for your students, give it a try with local news (although that’s not free from controversy) OR remember quick writes do not need to be shared, so invite students to reflect personally on events without the fear of judgment or reprisal from others.  Use newspapers, magazine covers (Time or Time for Kids are great), or a news video clip to SPARK our students’ thinking.

Here’s a headline quick write I wrote recently:

I want to remember important stories, but also document in real time how I felt about events. Our thoughts and reactions can change over time as we gain perspective or more information comes to light. I think it would be fascinating if we helped our students understand that they are living through history and encouraged them to connect with it. A 5 minute quick write could be that first step.

For the month of March I will be participating in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by The Two Writing Teachers Blog. Each day I will be sharing a Quick Write as my way of slicing. The idea is to offer a SPARK that will kindle thinking and then write as quickly as you can for 5-10 minutes. No filters, no revisions. I’ve been curating a collection of Sparks and will share some with you all month. It’s a great way to ignite your writing life.

Gratitude to Fellow Slicers

None of my slices will be stories( in a strictly small moment way) this month. Perhaps they are more pieces than slices and I may have to reconsider future participation in the story challenge.  Because even though I love that genre, I am on a bit of a mission to expand our definition of writing so that every one finds a place at the writer’s table. There are many ways to tell a story.  I am also passionate about encouraging fellow writing teachers to be teachers who write. I want them to find their voices and share their ideas creatively, authentically, and passionately. The Slice of Life has been such a great way for teachers to do this and share with one another and I am filled with admiration and gratitude for everyone who shares.

I have learned so much, and continue to learn so much each time I click on the permalink to a blog post and enter the world of that slicer for a few moments. I love that we support one another without judgement or an assessment of our abilities, but with appreciation for our courageous acts of writing and sharing. As we hit the 12th day I wanted to share 12 Pieces of Gratitude for SPARKing my writing life this month. I’ll try to quick write them if I can!

Thank you for…

1. The book spine poetry to remind me how connected reading and writing can be.
2. The haikus that remind me how a few choice words can convey such big, bold ideas.
3. The streams of consciousness that let me walk around inside the head of someone who probably gets where I’m coming from but sees with different lenses.
4. The passionate posts of advocacy that raise my awareness about the concerns that others have, some that I share and others for which I am unaware.
5. The snapshot in words capturing special moments cuddling kids, caring for parents, or cozying up with pets.
6. The doodles and comics reinforcing that writing is, at its essence, a series of lines and squiggles that convey meaning to a reader.
7. The personal photos that remind us a picture IS worth a thousand words sometimes.
8. The Rules for life, love, and other meaningful circumstances.
9. The Recipes for life, love, and favorite family foods that tie tradition with narration.
10. The free verse poetry that liberates our lines from fixed convention and emancipates our ideas in free spirited fashion.
11. For quick writes that courageously put pen to paper or fingers to keyboards without filters or fears: often surprising writers with thoughts they didn’t know they ‘thunk’.
12. For any band-aid, format, or form that gets people writing and walking the talk of writing teachers. Voice and choice are at the heart of living a writerly life.

You have all re-affirmed for me the importance expanding our definitions for writing and legitimizing the many ways humans can convey their experiences in writing. I am so grateful for all of you, stepping up to take on this huge challenge this month. 

For the month of March I will be participating in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by The Two Writing Teachers Blog. Each day I will be sharing a Quick Write as my way of slicing. The idea is to offer a SPARK that will kindle thinking and then write as quickly as you can for 5-10 minutes. No filters, no revisions. I’ve been curating a collection of Sparks and will share some with you all month. It’s a great way to ignite your writing life.

Be Present

A simple quick write SPARK to encourage greater mindfulness is to stop and jot what you are experiencing in a given moment. Tap into your senses and notice where your mind takes you. This meditative quick write can be quite relaxing in a natural space or stimulating in a more chaotic space.

Yesterday I woke before my family (who hadn’t adjusted yet to the time change) and noticed the morning sky. I grabbed my bedside notebook and for 5 minutes immersed myself in the present moment:

This quick write is a lot like morning pages that I sometimes do, except that this is 5 minutes instead of 3 pages. I often can’t find the 30-40 minutes to incorporate morning pages, but I can easily find 5 minutes to quick write.

I get a very different emotional and sensory feel from a Present Moment quick write during my lunch break at school or even after I get home in the afternoon. The fun comes from not knowing where your mind will take you and what words will emerge as you put pen to paper. Sure I could do this on my computer, but there is something special about watching those words form from your hand and not feeling fully in control of what comes out! It’s kind of magical.  Give it a go this week and see what you discover in your present moments.

For the month of March I will be participating in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by The Two Writing Teachers Blog. Each day I will be sharing a Quick Write as my way of slicing. The idea is to offer a SPARK that will kindle thinking and then write as quickly as you can for 5-10 minutes. No filters, no revisions. I’ve been curating a collection of Sparks and will share some with you all month. It’s a great way to ignite your writing life.

Lift a Line

Though not a new idea, it is a powerful one that is worth remembering. Borrowing a line from another author and seeing where it takes you is a great way to realize the endless options that can spring from a few words. There are poems, stories, articles, even environmental print that can provide that spark. Here was a recent Facebook post from a friend.  I lifted the first idea and took off with my own quick write:

May we raise children who love the unloved things- the crows whose song isn’t pleasing to the ear, the toy that sits in the bottom of the toy box waiting for eager hands.

Children who see the marginalized and left out and never think twice about welcoming them to the center-and if that center is too hot will move to the cooler margins and and chill with them.

And one day if they find themselves sitting in those margins may they, too be welcomed by others, so

maybe their children will live in a world with no margins

Ok, clearly this needs some revision-it’s a bit wandering. I thought I was going to go off in more of a nature-theme but then toys crept into my mind as I remembered my brother when we were young and we tried to make sure our stuff animals didn’t get left out in the toy box. He was a pretty sensitive kid. I think that was a prelude to his way of welcoming others who might feel left out. So in 5 minutes I started to explore these ideas. Not polished, but somewhat perceptive.  Give it a go! Take any piece of writing and see where your thinking takes you.