[Notes from a session with Varian Johnson, Kate Messner, Jennifer Serravallo, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, Sarah Weeks, and Kat Yeh]
What’s a strategy?
- Series of actionable steps
- Helps to break down the work of a skill
- “Generalizable” (teach the writer, not the writing)
- Authentic
- Something to outgrow
To develop writing strategies:
- Spy on yourself as a writer.
- Notice what writers do in mentor texts.
Prompt: Think of a strong emotion. Make a list of a couple memories that connect to the emotion. Pick one and write a scene.
Think about kids who don’t write when you ask. Rather than consider punishment, think of it as an opportunity to help the kid with engagement.
Spy on yourself: During the quickwire, how did you stay focused and write for the entire time?
Sarah Weeks:
Photo prompts really works for starting a story.
What do you notice? What do you see? What do you think they’re thinking? How does it make you feel?
Make a Story Arc
Decide where you want your story to start.
Decide where you want your story to end.
Then worry about the middle.
Kat Yeh:
All writers get stuck. Getting unstuck:
- Dare to be dreadful.
- Let loose.
Let go of rules & expectations - Start with how you feel THIS SECOND
- Make it personal
Kate Messner:
Structure:
The structure needs to serve the story.
The structure of a story can be used over and over to create a series!
Amy Ludwig VanDerwater:
In order to write, you have to do things. What are you doing that gives you something to write about?
Take pictures of things that just strike you. When you need it, go back onto your ipad, find a picture, and help yourself think of what to write.
Keep a notebook. Think about the importance of keeping a writer’s notebook.
No comments:
Post a Comment