« October 2018 | Main | March 2019 »

November 2018

The Time & Place of a Writer

   How to be a Writer

Screen Shot 2018-11-07 at 10.31.23 PM

“Who wants to become a writer? And why? Because it’s the answer to everything. … It’s the streaming reason for living. To note, to pin down, to build up, to create, to be astonished at nothing, to cherish the oddities, to let nothing go down the drain, to make something, to make a great flower out of life, even if it’s a cactus.”

—Enid Bagnold

    This is the time—the dog days of summer—when writing can become more of a chore than a pleasure. The hot days and humid nights don't always lend themselves to creative and articulate thought; plus, the day is always full of enticing and entrancing possibilities. Because writing is part and parcel of my daily life, I need to create a time and a place to write that works for me no matter where I am or what I am otherwise doing.

Continue reading "The Time & Place of a Writer" »


The Power of Hard Times

Getting through and learning from a hard time...

Screen Shot 2018-11-07 at 8.52.00 AM

Many days I have lingered beside the cabin door;
Oh, hard times come again no more.

-Hard Times, by Steven Foster

Download Design Writing Prompt: The Power of Hard Times

      Success polishes character; hardship builds character. The true measure of a person is how he or she acts and responds when times get tough, when values get tested, and choices--if there are any--range from bad to worse; in short, hardship is both a teacher and a test, and, if we don’t learn from hard-times and rise up to challenge hard times, we are destined to fail the greater tests of life: we do not grow or adapt or evolve. We will leave the earth with barely a ripple to be remembered by, a fleeting shadow of what once was possibility.

Writing Prompt....

Write a 300-350 word narrative paragraph using the Design Writing Prompt: Power of Hard Times that explores when you went through a hard time or when someone you know went through a hard time.

  • Introduce the theme of hard times and narrow that theme down to a specific experience in your life--or in a friend or family member’s life.

  • Describe the experience in your Setup & Smoking Gun.

  • Reflect in your Head & Heart on the lessons the experience continues to teach you.

  • Exit with a thoughtful conclusion that Opens the Door for a reader to continue thinking....

The maximum length is 350 words, so follow the details of the plan with focus and certainty, choose your words carefully, craft your sentences with clarity and conciseness, describe your scene with images and actions, reflect in thoughtful ways, and create a single paragraph that is compelling and memorable—and reflects the best effort you can give!

Due at the end of the third class period!