Literacy Blog #4

So part of our graduation requirement is that we write about our reading.  I have truly come down hard on reading the past 6 months to the point that I would tell you I detest the thought of sitting down and preparing to read one more article about "pedagogy".  What I do love to do though is write about it.  Which ironically has me feeling a little out of place when reading Bird By Bird because I am reading about writing...and now I am writing about reading. 

I just finished a chapter which led off with the line "A writer is someone with whom nothing is lost, (he says) while looking for his glasses as they sit upon his head".  I took it as never take yourself too seriously.  My thought was somewhat validated when the main idea of the chapter was to help organize your thoughts using something as simple as a note card.  The author, Anne Lamott, makes it clear she likes them because they make her look less "bulky".  Either way you look at it, writing thoughts down as you have them is a great way to remember them later on when you have a chance to decompress, exhale from the day, and let your brain catch up with the rest of you.  This made a connection with me in that I used index cards for a couple years in High School to help study.  I forced myself to write down main points as I heard them in class and then went home and rewrote everything in detail that I had scribbled onto my card.  Amazingly I don't remember having to ever study for tests during this period because I was so well prepared. 

Our current assignment has us writing drafts that we will turn into digital story vignettes.  We have written two drafts in which we have a writing group offer feedback to us once a week.  After receiving the feedback we move forward with the upgrading process until we can take the final product to the big screen.  Lamott touches on this topic as well in her book.  Writers are emotional beings, where all of them get something out of feedback;  be it validation their ideas make sense, or critical praise, critical analysis, or just needing someone else to read it aloud.  Having someone else look at your work allows the emotions begin to show and help the writing solidify itself in the goal it is attempting to accomplish.  The writing groups act as this crutch for us on the small scale vignettes.  So far so good.  I'm looking forward to adding some music and voice overs to my story.