When I first started writing, I didn’t know what I was doing. I wasn’t sure what genre I would end up writing or the ins and outs of writing each one. I only became a writer because my Grandma’s history needed to be written.
The task was daunting, in part because it was so important to me. Then, at some point, my teacher voice showed up. Write every day, I’d told my students. Brainstorm lists of things you’d like to write someday. Create webs of connected ideas. Write how you’re feeling. Use your five senses.
So, I did. And now I have a lifetime’s worth of material and ideas.
Choose one of those seeds and start growing it. Draft, draft, draft. You can revise and edit later.
Through the entire writing process, my teacher voice told me exactly what I needed to do. Along the way, I’ve attended really informative conferences and learned from experienced writers, but what they shared is essentially the same information that I’d been giving my students for yea
If you are a writing teacher, you have the tools to be a writer. Take those lessons from Lucy Calkins, Ralph Fletcher, Jennifer Serravallo and our other writing teacher heroes and turn them on yourself. They work for first-graders and they’ll work for you, too. It’s a journey you won’t regret.