Lately I have been reading several blogs about the art/craft of writing, and have been fascinated. JE Fritz writes so well about etymology. You are one smart lady, JE!
Another blogger (name lost in brain fog—sorry) wrote about character development, and what drives it. Another blogger wanted suggestions for names for the M/C, S/C, and sidekick. I selected Dakota and Skylar (from a great list with name meanings) for the first two, but drew a total blank for the third name. I may have suggested ‘Loki’.
This has led me to write about my own methods of character development.
I have been writing all my life, literally. Reading and then responding to literature were hand-in-hand for me. That is how I taught every student, that is how I write. There is a great series, Great Books, using ‘shared inquiry’ and ‘guided discussion’.
Go to this site for further information.
Teaching writing also forced me to examine, and I do mean really examine the how and why of my own writing. The most effective teacher of writing is a teacher who writes.
I was blessed enough to pursue improving my writing by interviewing with the San Diego Area Writing Project at UC San Diego in La Jolla, CA. I was chosen to participate in an in-depth, in-your-face, no-holds-barred writing program called SDAWP.
Every day, at least six hours a day, I wrote. Oh my, I wrote so much. Other teachers wrote. We shared and critiqued others’ writings. We also taught each other about writing.
It was humbling to stand in the front of a room filled with 25-30 talented and gifted teachers, and to teach them about my own passion for writing.
It was humbling to stand in the front of a room filled with 25-30 talented and gifted teachers, and to teach them about my own passion for writing.
Go to this site for more about the program:
So, I will write more on this, tomorrow.
p.s. I hope the YouTube link thingy works. I am dismal at stuff like this.
