I started teaching again July 2- back from maternity leave. My first day reminded me of how much I love teaching, being in the classroom and talking writing and literature with the students.

I found myself thinking: If they need to know one thing today about writing, what should it be? Of course writing is better than talking about writing, but students need encouragement and inspiration on the first day. A few days later, as a way to keep up and spread the inspiration of writing, I asked my PLN for their #1 Writing Advice:

I am trying to adopt: Write like no one is reading. That way, you do not let your thoughts and words be influenced by what others might think. You, as a result, begin to write from the heart.

I was not surprised by the great pieces of advice that followed:

To many, that’s the hardest part. The actual act of starting seems like a mountain to overcome. But Kevin is right, when you actually just sit and write, thoughts will shape, words will form, and sentences will take place.

Janet’s words resonated with me, as there is one thing that we seem to forget about writing: it is a form of art. Being inspired by your surrounding forms your narrative. In fact, writing should not be written for the sake of writing, it should come from experiences that you encounter. Forming your thoughts into a narrative is simple when you’re storytelling.

This one is awesome! Sometimes when we write we miss sharing important parts of our visualization, hence creating gaps in our writing. We need to go back and see whether our image/picture is complete through our words.

Shawna is spot on! I think this can be applied to all levels. Authenticity, purpose, and choice build inspiration but also allow students to see that their opinion, interest, choice, and voice is important. Writing as a result will be much stronger and student driven.

Editing can sometimes hamper and stall writing before it’s complete. Leave editing to when you're completely finished that way editing will not work as a distraction.

Worrying about writing in order is concern that many of my students have. I think it’s so important to allow time for writing in the classroom, which will allow more students to be comfortable with putting their thoughts on paper, as opposed to putting them in order. Order will come with edits once writing is complete.

• Writing is art
• Writing is free speech
• Writing is thought expression
• Writing is work
• Writing is a right

Writing is powerful tool, use it.

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