Tuesday, March 7, 2017

A Peek into My Writer's Notebook #sol17


I believe being a writer is one of the biggest gifts you can give to your students. ~ Stacey Shubitz

This month I am participating in the Slice of Life Story Challenge.  Thanks to Two Writing Teachers for creating a space for me to share my corner of the world.

Notebooks.  This word haunts me.  It taunts me.  It terrifies me because I want to live a writerly life, and I have this idea that "writers" keep notebooks.  I have tried keeping them.  I have tried many different kinds and sizes.  I have tried narrow ruled, regular ruled, and blank ones.  I have tried writing with fun, colorful pens and markers and colored pencils.

But I have failed each time.  I think I need to toss out the window the expectation that it has to be perfect.  Setting these expectation so high are only setting me up for failure.

There are so many metaphors for notebooks.  One of my favorites is from Ralph Fletcher in his book, What is a Writer's Notebook?  He tells a story about a ditch that was being dug at his house when he was a little boy.  He describes his writer's notebook as, 

"a ditch, an empty space that you dig in your busy life.  A space that will fill up with all sorts of fascinating creatures.  If you dig it, they will come.  You will be amazed at what you catch there."

Well, I am digging my ditch once again.  I want my students to keep a notebook, so I must model this important part of living a writerly life.  This month I am going to share bits and pieces and pages from it with all of you.  

Maybe this will turn my "haunts" into "hunts" and I just may be surprised at what I catch.


This heart map was inspired by Georgia Heard's book, Heart Maps and Shana Karnes at Learning, Love, and Literature. 

11 comments:

  1. Leigh Anne, thank you for sharing your thoughts and your notebook page (it's beautiful, by the way!) I say and think these exact words: "I think I need to toss out the window the expectation that it has to be perfect. Setting these expectation so high are only setting me up for failure." It does me good to hear I'm not alone. I love your blog so keep writing and keep sharing! ~Amy

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  2. I am reading Ralph Fletcher's book, Breathing In, Breathing Out. I will be writing about my notebook soon. Rather than not use one, I have several. I never fill one before I go on to another one. Love the heart map. Your heart is full!

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  3. I love Ralph Fletcher. A ditch-what a great metaphor for life. Thanks for the inspiration! Keep on! You will unearth discoveries in that ditch.

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  4. This page looks beautiful. I 💗 Heart maps.

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  5. Thank you for the peek inside your notebook. I think writers always go through a process of starts and stops. I think it's all about making it a routine. I now write every morning while I drink my cup of coffee. Caffeine and a pencil. I don't let myself drink a sip until I've written a line. And now it's just a habit. :)

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  6. I love that you are being persistent! You are digging a ditch again! It's going to be wonderful seeing your pages fill up during the SOL challenge!
    You are inspiring!

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  7. Perhaps if you write when your students write and show them that it doesn't have to be perfect? I love this heart map, & wish you lots of fun exploring, what I think the notebook is. Good for you for trying again, Leigh Anne!

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  8. I'm with you in the notebook category. I'm sure I'm not doing it "right," but then I believe there is no "right" way. So I carry a small notebook in my purse that gets transferred from one purse to the next. There are pages with writings I've copied from books that I thought needed to be saved, savored, and reread. I've had the same notebook for years. You give me encouragement with your notebook.

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  9. I carry a notebook all year, but it gets the most use during the month of March. I scribble notes, ideas, seeds, thoughts, words ... just about anything that could be a slice-to-be. Sometimes when I'm sitting a my girls' soccer or gymnastic practice, I write out my slices using that time to play with words and the story before I sit down to type it. It's not pretty. It's not neat. It is my way to live a writerly life. Anything goes, my friend! And you are doing it "right" your way!

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  10. Notebooks. I've started keeping them in my ottoman. I wish I could live up to my expectations too. But I love Heart Mapping! That has really helped with my writing and gathering of ideas. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. Thank you for the inspiration to start a writer's notebook! I love this page from your life. My problem is the few times in life that I've tried, I usually misplace it under one of my many piles. I will try again, and I'll be back here to see your progress, as well.

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