Are You a Writer?

As an elementary school teacher, I have spent eleven years teaching all content areas. Math, social studies, science, and of course reading and writing. Without any hesitation, I can say that teaching writing, to third graders was my all time favorite thing to teach. Seeing their eyes light up as I passed out the writer’s notebooks that I bought special, just for them. Seeing their brows scrunched together as they jotted down thoughts each morning in their notebook. Seeing their shoulders touch as they met with a peer to conference or revise. Seeing the pride in their face and in their body language as they sat in the author’s chair to share what they had written that day.


My angle was to immerse them in the life of a writer. Brainstorming, drafting, conferencing, revising, and understanding that a piece is not started and finished just because Writer’s Workshop time has ended. The idea that writers draw their inspiration from everywhere and anywhere. The notion that you can explode one single moment into a piece to evoke a feeling in your audience.


But now, as I prepare for a summer that I plan to use to re-evaluate myself as a blogger and as a writer, I wonder. Do I practice what I teach? Do I follow the suggestions of Ralph Fletcher, my favorite source on writer’s notebooks?


The short answer is no. I attempted a writer’s notebook of sorts on my iPad. I have an app where I take notes, jot down ideas. But not regularly. Sometimes I will even snap a picture of something inspiring. I have even been known to use the voice memo function on my phone to record an idea. The truth though is that I do most of these things so that I do not forget, since my brain has trouble remembering whether I took my medicine, much less an idea that I had while driving down the road.


In most cases, I end up not even going back to the ideas that I jotted down. Typically, the ideas just swirl around in my brain until I am able to get to the computer, hastily typing away, until a piece is finished. I re-read my writing, sometimes even out loud and edit (or try to). Occasionally I have even shared pieces with my TRDC writing partner, but usually at the eleventh hour.


So, does all of this mean that I am not a writer? Does one have to follow the process to consider themselves authentic?


I imagine that there are those that might debate this. And maybe, just maybe, I am naive or quite possibly presumptuous to consider myself a writer despite my lack of procedure. Maybe it is enough to participate in the act of writing to be authentic. To be considered valid.


Then of course I wonder. What magical ideas or thought provoking sentiment could I develop if I did truly spent the time, each day, jotting ideas down in a notebook. What would happen if I truly invested in the brainstorming, or the valuable process of conferencing for ideas instead of just mechanics?


I am not delusional enough to believe that doing these things would make emails from editors start magically appearing in my mailbox. Being a writer takes time. It takes effort. It takes love....love of words, love of the story, and love of oneself to believe that it can happen. But still, I wonder.


Do you use the writing process? What makes someone a writer?

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Elena is a mom. A wife. A teacher. A cancer survivor. A blogger. Life has always been a roller coaster, a bit of a magic carpet ride. There have been downs, like being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease at 23, having a bone marrow transplant, getting divorced, and suffering from depression. There have also been ups, like the birth of a daughter, successfully running two marathons, and meeting & getting re-married to the love of her life. Get to know Elena at Ciao Mom.

On Writing Memoir: Cheap Therapy

I am not a memoir writer. I prefer to create new worlds that are much more fun to visit then to revisit the world of my past.

My past…most of it escapes my memory anyway, except for the dark, the overly traumatic, and the dramatic. If it didn’t make an impact, chances are I won’t remember it.

At least, that’s how it used to be.

I don’t want to write the dark stuff. It’s painful. It hurts. It wrenches my heart. It makes me cry.

It’s painful for you to read. It wrenches your heart. It makes you cry.

This is not what I want when I write. I’m a ball of sunshine. I like to make people laugh, give them a nice little twist, a cliff hanger that makes them come back for more.

Happy endings.

I want to share life as viewed through the violet colored glasses my fairy filled imagination keeps on.

So, why do I hit that publish button?

Because I have to.

Because it does more for me then it does for you.

Because it’s cheap therapy.

At the end of the post, I have found peace. Forgiveness. A new resolve.

I have become a stronger person because I set it free.

I am not the same person anymore. I will not be oppressed. I walk a little taller, stand a little straighter, and my eyes are no longer watching my feet.

My heart is lighter, my eyes twinkle brighter, my smile is more genuine.

But most of all?

All those other memories are set free too. I remember that life wasn’t all dark, overly traumatic, and dramatic.
And that?

Is priceless.

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Today's guest post was written by Stephanie of The Scoop on Poop and My Write Side.

Red Writing Hood

This week's Guest Hosts are Mandy and Elena.  They have chosen the following Red Writing Hood Prompt for you...

You or your character find a forgotten letter or card from someone important in your life--whether good or bad.  What does it say?  How does it affect you or your character?  What is done with it?

Keep your posts to 600 words and come back and link up on Friday, July 1st!

RemembeRED - School trip

This week, Jennifer of Whispatory asked us to write a memoir based on a memory of a school trip we took.

Katie took us on a physics trip that was actually all about chemistry in how i met your father.

Cheryl revisits a post about a small moment in Brown bag.

It's time to link up - but only if you've done the prompt, please!

Finding My Space

I write in a little cubby that holds my computer and the printer. To my right, the hall opens up into the living room and kitchen. To my left, the bathroom and kids’ bedrooms punctuate the long space.

Most late afternoons, you can find me sitting cross legged on a folding chair, tapping at the keyboard while in the company of Lego mini figures and balancing a baby doll across my lap. The TV blares, the dog nudges my chair every time she passes and the kids race up and down the hall throwing Nerf darts.

My writing is interrupted after almost every sentence. More water, I’m hungry, I need to go potty, what’s for dinner, she hit me. I meet every demand. I referee the arguments. I soothe the hurts. And then I keep writing.

In my dream world, I’d have a writing space filled with light. There would be a large window looking out over an even larger garden to encourage daydreaming and plot planning. My desk would be white with splashes of color for inspiration. I would sit in a cozy chair that leaned back as I stared at a chain of paper cranes tumbling from the ceiling. The worlds in my head would spin out of my fingers. The stories would weave across the page in an uninterrupted line.

There would be a lock on the door.

But that dream isn’t my reality. The reality is I write. I need to write. I must write. To do so, I have to find a writing space inside - an internal room that mimics my dream and allows me to escape into my stories at a moment’s notice.

Sometimes I get frustrated with hallway desk. But, lately, I’ve decided to give it a positive spin. If I can write while my daughter climbs up my lap and my son “tattoos” my legs with permanent markers, I can write anywhere.

Where do you write? How do you find the space you need to expand and grow as a writer?

Today's Guest Host is Mandy from Mandyland. She also tweets.

Weekend linkup

It's time to link up a favorite post you've written. It's a great way to meet new bloggers and find amazing writers.

Try to visit as many as you can, or at least the one in front and behind you.

RemembeRED

This week's RemembeRED prompt is from Jennifer Dillon of Whispatory.

School trips. We all go on them. What trip do you remember the most? Where did you go? Who was with you? How did you get there? Have you ever been back?

Write a memoir post about a memorable school trip. Word limit is 600.

Come back to The Red Dress Club on Tuesday, June 28th, to link up.