Great news! We’re creating a Writer Membership, exclusively for students and teachers contributing to the Journey through the Capitol series. This membership will address genre and background content for the lessons, to better support your assignment work and projects. For all our new students – if you’d like to join our free online writing group,…
Where I’m from ~ this is the title of a poem written by George Ella Lyon. The poem captures moments in the poet’s life that begin to tell us something about her history, her values, her cultural background. You may not understand all the terms she uses, because they come from a particular time and…
Professional writers, university students, ESL students – regardless of their background – everyone struggles with writing at some stage. These problems are often called ‘writing blocks’. Sometimes they can be so daunting, they become a nemesis rather than a simple block. They stop you every time you try to be creative, or enjoy the writing…
The Teacher -Writer by Christine M. Dawson, Robert P. Yagelski For those teachers struggling to add creativite writing into their lives, this book is invaluable. Very much a professional development resource, it describes the writing journeys of five colleagues and makes practical suggestions for developing your writing practice. Here’s an opening quote from Chapter 3:…
HIGH FLIGHT Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there, I’ve chased…
[Even]before the invention of the airplane, some people imagined flight as one of mankind’s potentially greatest achievements. Flight would not only free people from the tyranny of gravity and its earthly chains, but it would liberate them mentally, socially, and spiritually. This linkage of the airplane and freedom was prevalent in much of the literature…
I can’t create believable characters – they seem to lack their own voice. Here’s a practical exercise that can help you get started: Picture the last time you felt a strong emotion. Now write for 15 minutes about that experience. Don’t correct your writing. Don’t criticize yourself. Don’t change words to make yourself sound smart,…
I’m terrible at managing my time. I don’t know how to get started and I don’t have a writing routine. Time management and motivation are learned behaviors. There are many ways to build these habits. Here’s something you can try: Block off large spaces of time in your week, so you can re-center yourself and…
What will people think? I’m not a good writer, never got A’s in English and I’m constantly making mistakes. Writing is hard work. There’s no magic pixie dust that settles on the author’s desk, signalling a period of inspiration. Hang on there! Are you saying there’s no such thing as talent? Not at all. But…