This week we started reading Bird by bird by Anne Lamott. At first I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not, but as I started to get into it I began to enjoy the book. I felt like she was talking to me and I enjoy books where I feel the author is interacting with me. It’s a nice change from our traditional textbooks.
On the first day of fall quarter, we read a quote on blogging. To paraphrase, the quote said blogging gives a person the opportunity to reflect and then write in a cohesive way for a reader. Lamott says to write about yourself, “remember that you own what happened to you” (1994, p.6), but many people sit down to write and begin to feel anxiety, that they have a whole autobiography ahead of them.
Lamott, says to begin with “small assignments…write down as much as…[you] can see through a one-inch picture frame” (p.17). In my dyad placement, my third-grade class is learning to write five-paragraph essays. My master teacher had the student bring in three items that are special to them, and is having the students write one paragraph at time about one object. This keeps the assignment small and the students only have to focus on writing one paragraph about something they’re experts on and not an entire essay.
One thing I’ve noticed while watching the students write their paragraphs is that many struggle with perfection. They want their first draft to be their final draft. One student asked for a new piece of paper because she didn’t want to have any mistakes. I explained to her the concept of a messy-first-draft, that this is where we get our ideas down on paper and that first-drafts are jumping off places for future drafts. She said, “OK”, but I know she still has her need for perfection.
I remember when free writing was first introduced to me a student. I had to write for five-minutes straight. I wasn’t allowed to erase or cross out anything, it was just a constant flow of ideas from my brain to my finger. This is a great exercise that writers of all ages can benefit from, and one that can help writers get past the block of perfection.
I like free writing too. It is my best drafting tool. Setting the kitchen timer for 20 minutes helps move me past that awful blank page. I actually look forward to drafting now -and this is a major change. I also found that regular free writing helped my second graders learn to generate text - an important task at that level.
ReplyDeleteLamott says that "perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor and the enemy of the people." Lots of people experience this. Where do you think it comes from?
Nancy