Living the Writer’s Life

Living the Writer’s Life

“I’ll hear a fragment, or a phrase, a stanza, a line. I just write them down. At some point, they start to crystallize, start to look like material. And then over months-or years sometimes-I go back and try to work more consciously.”-Franz Wright, Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet

Journaling vs. Notebook

• Paragraph length• Feelings• Record of life• Done at home or

school

• Notes• Thoughts• Feelings• Ideas• Travels with you

Lemon Activity

Fire Drill

• You will be given one word

• You will need to free associate in a given amount of time

• Then, you will take your word list and work it into a poem.

Exquisite Corpse

• Students will write in groups of 3 or 4, each taking turns writing the line of a poem/short story and then passing it to the next person

Five Questions

• Write down 5 questions you carry with you

• Then, choose one question to respond to: reflection, thoughts, “pick at it”

Focused Free Writing

• Write for 20-25 minutes on one specific thing you see. Draw your focus.

• You may write what comes to mind—just keep the pen moving!

ACS Writing Prompt

• Ideas, Organization, Word Choice

• Respond to the following quote: “If you are not a wolf you will be eaten by the wolves.”

Free Write

• What have you lost?

When In Doubt, Take It Out!

*You can use this as a revision technique• Remove adverbial phrases• Remove adjectives• Remove words that are not pulling their

weight

At what point is it still a sentence? When is it not meaningful?

Reflection

• What have I gained by my experiences?

• What do I want to continue to do well?

• Where do I need more support or instruction?

Keep It Simple

• Write an essay or poem on a topic of your choice

• You may only use one-syllable words

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words (and dollars)

• Write a reflection or structured essay about the image you see

• Know that all words have value

• Action verbs $100.00• Sentence variety $10.00• Passive verbs $1.00• Garbage words $.01

Crots & Lists

• A type of revising technique for pace

• They are both slices of writing yet can fill a page

• No need to pay attention to transitions but should connect in the reader’s mind

Sample Crot

Not all writing has to be the same:

Quick, easy, neat.

Behind the desk the students scurry for pens.

On the wall—rules

In the textbook, rules

Following the rules: everything is the same.

The book says so

The teacher says so

Everything is the same

My writing…well, not all writing has to be the same.

Sample List

Not all writing has to be the same.

Quick, easy, neat

Following the rules

Teacher

Textbook.

So, unfortunately

Everything is the same.

Labyrinthine Sentences

• A purposeful run-on sentence

• Used for pace & style-for example, to show confusion of a situation (voice)

• The idea should still be clear

• You do not want to over use this

Fragments

1. A sentence broken off for emphasis

2. Often a single word or phrase

3. You do not want to overuse this

Concrete Word Choice

Abstract

• Affection• Hatred• Violence• Anger• Fear• Joy• Freedom

Concrete

• Making love, fondle, embrace, longing gaze, caress

Writing That Shows

Smith’s old car is the joke of the neighborhood. He should have gotten rid of it years ago, but he insists on keeping this “antique” despite protests from his family and friends. The car is noisy and unsafe. What’s more, it pollutes the environment.

Imagery

• Write about your experience of getting to school today

• Use only one of your senses to describe the experience.

• Then write about that same experience, but from a different sense.

Who Are You?

• Make a list of 5-10 key events from your past which you think have had an affect on you.

• How would/did people describe you in the past?

• How would people describe you now?

• What changed you?

Invent a past for yourself…Who are/were you?

-Imagine you weren’t actually the person you claim to be.

-Perhaps you are in the witness relocation program, or you are an international spy working undercover.

-How did you end up in Jordan? -Who were you before you took on the role

you’re playing today?