My daughter sat down with me at the kitchen table after dinner. My work materials were spread out and I was deep into work on my laptop.
“This next writing unit is going to be harder for me I think,” she said. She had just flown through the narrative unit in her Writing 121 course and grew some much needed confidence after a series of high level math and science courses.
“Ok,” I said, “what unit is it?”
She went on to explain that she will be writing an informative piece with narrative components. Her teacher had led them through a brainstorming activity and put them into breakout groups to share their brainstorms.
“When everyone shared their ideas, I felt unsure. They were sharing their thinking about large scale topics like ‘women in stem’ and ‘sports and mental health’. I realized that my brainstorm ideas were really simple, I’m not sure that I’ll have enough to write about.”
We talked about ideas that she cares about and knows more about than she realizes. We reminisced about some of the inquiry work she did in elementary school and which topics resonated with her. By the end of our conversation we had added to her brainstorm and she was ready for the next day's writing activities.
Similar to my daughter, finding writing ideas has been the biggest hurdle during these last twelve days of this writing challenge. But true to the challenge’s purpose, it is helping me grow strategies and to see story in my everyday life. Writing alongside my high school senior daughter is also giving me points of inspiration and reflection as a writer and as a teacher of writing. I think of the teacher character in Ralph Writes a Story telling Ralph and his classmates that "stories are everywhere". I'm learning to live this and will be better able to support and instruct my very young students.
What an amazing support and role model you are for your daughter as you both experience the ups and downs of daily writing. The dialog you include in this slice really brings her worries to life.
ReplyDeleteTo sit side by side, writer to writer, mother to daughter is something special. I am also having a tough time finding the stories - but I continue on!
ReplyDeleteIt was great to read the conversation you had with your daughter. Those brainstorming talks are great. I love that you reached back to work she had done in elementary school -what a great connection for her to see. - finding daily topics is hard and often I think of things that seem to small just like your daughter but as I begin to write they seem to grow into filling the page. Keep at it - it does get a bit easier! Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteLove the thinking and sharing here. And I really love the slice challenge for the same reasons as you. This idea that being able to write and struggle through the writing gives me such empathy for students!
ReplyDeleteYour helping your daughter find that she “knows more than she realizes” and remembering “which topics resonate with her” is the perfect advice. I agree with you- it is what we live during this writing challenge. I love turning into a person who thinks like a writer, each March. And we might think of some things we can’t bear to write about, or that aren’t our story to write, or that we think no one would want to read, but we keep at the work. I’m so glad you are doing it, and doing it so well!
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