Month: August 2022

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30 Day Writing Challege: Battling Fatigue

I am a writer, but I am also a teacher. After a long day of professional development and a long evening of working on my syllabus, the last thing I wanted to do was sit down and write. I’m tired and achy and I just want to relax, but I can’t build my students’ identities as writers without building my own. One thing I learned this summer is that to teach writers I need to be a writer — not a once-in-a-while-when-inspiration-strikes writer but a sits-down-and-writes-even-when-she-is-ready-to-drop writer.

A writer shows up and writes. Every day. No matter what, even if it is just for five minutes. To call yourself a writer, you have to write, even when you don’t feel like it — especially when you don’t feel like it. It doesn’t matter if you write brilliant prose or crap as long as you write — every damn day.

So, here’s to writing crap after a long day of teaching. I am a writer, and a teacher of writers.

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Coffee Klatch

Start slow to go fast. I forgot this saying when I started my 75-day hard challenge last year. I made it a week and then, suddenly, writing felt a lot like work. My problem was that I tried to tackle too much at once. I had this convoluted writing routine that took me at least an hour to complete. By the eighth day, I was burned out. It didn’t take much to make me quit the challenge. I allowed myself one day where I didn’t complete everything in my writing routine. Then, the next day, I allowed myself to take a break, and then the next day and the next…you get the idea.

Start slow to go fast.

If I had taken on a workout challenge, I would never have tried the 75-day hard challenge. I would have started with a simple workout that fit where I was at physically. I wouldn’t have started with an hour run and then two hours of weightlifting. I would start with a short walk and then slowly build my stamina. If I kept up with the routine of exercise, then eventually I would be able to run for an hour. My progress might be slow but as I got in shape, the speed of my progress would increase.

Start slow to go fast.

I used to teach at a rough middle school. The principal would always tell us to take the time at the beginning of the year to develop classroom norms and routines. By taking the time at the beginning of the year to establish a well-managed classroom, we were able to increase our progress later in the year.

Start slow to go fast.

I am starting a 30-day writing challenge where I write five minutes a day for 30 days. It might not seem like much. What can I write in five minutes? I can write the introduction to a memoir that I would like to develop into a blog post. I can brainstorm new ideas. By the end of the month, I will have established a writing habit. Once the habit is established, I can increase the time I write. I can add other activities like reading until I can successfully complete a 75-day hard writing challenge. Wish me luck. I’m going to start slow and then watch me speed up.