Writing to Write Right
Does anyone else have this problem where they have a million ideas about what they want to write about and have terrific, wonderfully articulated sentences that are both moving and whitty right up until the moment that they actually go to write them down? I feel like that is constantly my problem. Even when it is just me going to write down a few ideas for later. Or when I do manage to write those ideas down, I go to elaborate on them and am stuck. Total brain fart. Can’t think of a single word to add. I’ve attended a plethera of classes and workshops solely focused on writing and I still have this problem. Perhaps it is a battle that I will fight til I write my last word but if I, with all of that formal writing education, still struggle to write, then what must it be like for my young writers? Some of them have no problems starting to write at this point, uninhibited by concerns of perfection and the pressures that are put on themselves by themselves and others. Others seem to struggle with the dreaded white space right from the start. Helping students make that first mark, write that first word, draw that first line, is our job but where do we begin?
Writing prompts are a great way to start. They help writers begin by narrowing down a focus, giving them the safety to write within specific peramiters. Students don’t have to come up with the topic, idea about that topic, the words to convey those idea, as well as the grammar and spelling to allow those idea to be received by others. When you think about it, the task of writing while it sounds mundane can really be quite overwhelming! Writing is really pulling together a large variety of skills and knowledge. Here are a few writing prompt collections that we really like.