I once read about Jerry Seinfeld's writing process. Seinfeld uses a wall calendar with the entire year on it. For every day he writes, he gets to mark off the day with a big red X. He says, "After a few days you'll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every … Continue reading Why Word Count Goals Matter
Flooding students with ideas is not enough to empower them to write. In fact, having many ideas without any direction can be just as overwhelming as having no ideas at all. This is why the second part of students having something to write is to help them find vision for their work. If they can … Continue reading Having Something to Write, Part 2: A Vision
In my last post, I wrote that empowered writers have something to say. In order to have something to say, you must have an idea, or even better, many ideas. Kelly Gallagher, educator and author, encourages creating a book flood (i.e. a robust classroom library) to get students excited about reading. By providing plentiful book choices, all … Continue reading Having Something to Write, Part 1: The Idea Flood
Jennifer Brinkmeyer 