Without a Teacher

 Learning to write without a teacher may be effectively done and enjoyed.

                It has been done in groups of from 5 to 17 participants. Basically, the members each commit to reading the writing of a member then to coming together with the other members to share their feelings about what they have read. 

                Hearing what others have felt as they read your works has proven a great help to improving one's writing and a powerful experience in itself.

                Any Questions?  I'll clarify one doing without being asked.
Every member reads one specified piece of  writing of one member of the group. Then in a gathering of all the members each member tells about how she felt as she read the piece. This telling of feelings is done at nearly every meeting of the group.

                The bit below is about what I have learned from my experience and from Mr. Elbow. It is something that I might offer at an appropriate moment in the gathering of my group.

                On the horizon, a Final Draft 

                Once you have some writing from which it seems you can coax some coherence, you may be close to the point at which to edit and turn out a final copy.

            Take 15 minutes to make your meaning clear to yourself.

                You might let yourself consider an outline or plan.

                Sum up what you have into a genuine single assertion of what your meaning is. Not easy, but possible. Remember that your assertion must actually assert something that can be quarreled with.

                You have grown your meaning and specified it to yourself clearly. Good for you. Your efforts and good thinking will give you a good chance to do some truly powerful writing.

                                                                            by Richard Sheehan
                                                                            or Mago Bill

Writing Without a Teacher

               This essay has been enjoyed by many readers at our Mago Bill Blog.

               Learning to write without a teacher may be effectively done and enjoyed.

                It has been done in groups of from 5 to 17 participants. Basically, the members each commit to reading the writing of a member then to coming together with the other members to share their feelings about what they have read. 

                Hearing what others have felt as they read your works has proven a great help to improving one's writing and a powerful experience in itself.

                Its fair, and often useful, to ask questions here.

                Every member reads one specified piece of  writing of one member of the group. Then in a gathering of all the members each member tells about how she felt as she read the piece.

                This telling of feelings is done at nearly every meeting of the group.

                The bit below is about what I have learned from my experience and from Mr. Elbow. It is something that I might offer at an appropriate moment in the gathering of my group.

                On the horizon, a Final Draft 

                Once you have some writing from which it seems you can coax some coherence, you may be close to the point at which to edit and turn out a final copy.

            Take 15 minutes to make your meaning clear to yourself.

                You might let yourself consider an outline or plan.

                Sum up what you have into a genuine single assertion of what your meaning is. Not easy, but possible. Remember that your assertion must actually assert something that can be quarreled with.

                You have grown your meaning and specified it to yourself clearly. Good for you. Your efforts and good thinking will give you a good chance to do some truly powerful writing.

                Let me add that a very great deal of writing skill can be learned without a group. Even so, groups have often proven a great aid to great writing.

                As I am doing some reminding, let me remind you that this blogsite is meant to be interactive. There are connections here to other sites. Also from here you can connect to me and to other readers here.

                Thank you for reading.

                                                                            by Richard Sheehan
                                                                            for you.

Imagening a Final Draft

                   Review the brief reminders below.
                You may be well on your way to a solid draft.

                You have probably grown your meaning and begun to specify it to yourself. Good for you. Your thoughtful efforts are giving you a good chance to complete some powerfully effective writing. 

                You have reached the point where at it is time to consider the steps to take to complete a great draft. Now can be the time to move forward toward publishing a darn good piece. 

                Calmly consider the foll0wing suggestions:

A: Now you are likely to have written that from which you can coax some true coherence. Great! From here you can complete this draft and begin the next one.

B: Take some time to see that our main meaning is clear to you.

C: Let yourself do some growing and cooking.

D: Sum up that which you have written into a genuine assertion central to what you have to say. Perfection is not necessary, but do remember that your assertion must assert that which can be quarreled with. Done? You may be more than half way to a fine finished work.

E: You can let yourself reconsider an outline or overall plan. It may not be necessary, but it could be a useful consideration.

                You are well on your way to submitting a meaningful piece of work to publish. You can be nearly ready to put your name to a good post or essay. Congratulations!

                Keep writing.

                                                                                                            rcs

You Can Express That Meaning

Write With RCS: Your purpose can be to express your true meaning so that your readers can really understand it.            

 

            Our writing gets so stuck that it doesn't seem worth fighting that stuckness. When that happens talk out-loud. Keep talking out-loud as though someone were listening. Talk about comparing words to meaning, about "cooking" and "growing." If that doesn't work quit.

            I don't mean we should quit forever; I mean just lay your work aside for a time. You want to write and there are actions you can take to start you writing and keep you writing until you write something good. You might take some time to consider what is going on with you. Are you hungry? Is there something in your life that needs doing?

            Do you have notes? Look them over calmly. Keep your notebook  and a writing implement at hand. You can review some of the other writing posts on Mago Bill. Sit down and complete a writing cycle. In ten minutes of focused and involved writing, then by stopping to see what it all ads up to or is trying to add up to. Your focus might be your topic or your theme. Your involvement might be to sincerely write what you feel. For example, "I'm suck, stuck, stuck. It sucks. sucks, sucks. It might not be very deeply sincere, but it might be a approach to your feeling.

            Start putting words and sentences on paper and keep writing for ten minutes without stopping. Use a timer, but do not be much concerned about quality. Try to include something that you know about what you wanted to write about.  When you complete your full ten minutes stop for a minute and then look back over that which you have written. Then try to write a sentence or two or even a short paragraph of what it seems to be trying to add up to. So you are reviewing what you have written. When you come to a thought, feeling, perception, or image you can gather up into one sentence or assertion, do so. Write it down.

            You wrote. You are writing. Don't be squeamish about letting yourself write badly. You are a writing writer!

            In your next writing project you might let your purpose be to cook and grow and not take your work as a disaster to be stamped out. Keep Writing.

            You may try to see cooking and growing a a global task: seeing all your writing as inter-dependent; seeing that no parts are done until all parts are done; seeing that you want to get your material to interact; seeing that the important interaction is writing and summing up; and in seeing what it means to alternately work in words and meanings.  

 
            Its about the cooking and growing expressed in other of our posts on writing. Understanding all  your writing as interdependent is worth cooking and growing in your mind. Understanding that no part of your writing is done no part is done is worth cooking and growing. Understanding that you want to get your material to interact is worth trying. Understanding that the important interaction is between writing and summing is important. Understanding what it means to alternately work in words and meanings may make you a great writer. No need to do it all today. Cooking and growing usually takes some time and are best done with your cooperation.

            You can let your goal be good writing. Your best writing is probably mixed up with your worst writing. You can find some excellent parts in what you have written. Some of your best sounds, rhythms, and textures, and even some of your best insights may come from  your most careless writing.

            Your purpose on a final draft and editing might be to get your meaning straight and to use  the best words you can to express that meaning.   

            Keep writing





                                                        by Richard Sheehan




 

 

 

 

You Can Write: Stuck? You don't have to fight to get unstuck

Write With RCS:  It Seems we can all feel stuck. It can feel so bad that one may feel like giving up. When it gets that bad you can do this:

 

 

            Talk out loud. keep talking out-loud as though some one were listening. Talk about comparing words to meanings. Talk about cooking and growing. If that doesn't work or you can't do it. quit.

            

             I don't mean that you should quit forever, I mean just lay your work aside for a time. You want to write and there are actions you can take to start you writing and keep you writing until you write something good. You might take some time to consider what is going on with you, Are you hungry? Is there something in your life that needs doing other than your writing.

            

             By the way, "talking out-loud" and the rest of that little paragraph above could prove helpful.

            

             Do you have notes? Keep your notebook and a writing implement handy. You notes can help your writing. The little essays I've posted about writing here are not much more than my good notes. Check out the other pieces available on this blog. They are intended to be helpful.

Right now you might try sitting Comfortably and completing a writing cycle. What's a writing cycle? Its easy if you have a timer, watch, or clock.  I have a little timer I like. If you have one, set it for ten minutes. You are about to do ten minutes of focused involved writing and then stopping to see what it adds up to, or what it is trying to add up to. Your focus might b your topic or theme. Your involvement might be sincerely writing that which you feel. For perhaps a worst case example, you might have written, "I'm stuck, stuck stuck and it sucks, sucks, sucks!" It might not be deeply sincere, but it could be an approach to your feelings.

To complete a writing cycle start putting words and sentences on paper and keep doing that for ten minutes. A timer is useful. No need to be much concerned about quality yet. Try to include include something that you know you wanted to write about. When you complete your full ten minutes, stop for a minute and then look back over that which you have written. Then try to write a sentence or two or even a short paragraph of what your cycle seems to be trying to add up to. So, you are reviewing what you have written. Good for you. When you come to a thought, feeling, perception, image you can gather up into one sentence or assertion, do so. Write it down.

             

            You wrote. You are writing. You are a writer. Do not be squeamish about letting yourself write badly. You are writing. You are a writer.

            

             In your next writing project your purpose could be to cook and grow and not take  your work as a disaster to be stamped out. Keep writing. Self-development and growth are occurring as you write. Such personal growth and development is not a waste of time. It is a big deal, an important happening. When you cooperate with the process it is a great doing. Keep writing and keep growing. 

            

             You might at some point try to see cooking and growing as a sort of global task; seeing all your writing as interdependent, seeing that no parts are complete until all parts are done, seeing that you want to get your material to interact, seeing that the important interaction is writing and summing up, and seeing what it means to alternately work in words and work in meanings.

            

              little warning; I can imagine one of us trying to do all of the above at once and so doing experience a sudden and extended case of crossed eyes. There are some valuable suggestions above that which may best be considered one at a time, beginning, say, tomorrow.

            

             Understanding what it means to see your writing as interdependent can better your writing. No need to do it all today. Cooking and growing take time and can be better done with your conscious  cooperation.

            

             You can let your goal be good writing. Your best writing is probably mixed-up with with your worst writing. You can find some excellent parts in what you have written. Some of your best sounds, rhythms, and textures, and some of your best insights may come from your most careless writing.

             

            Your purpose on a final draft and editing might be to get your meaning straight and to use the best words you can to express that meaning.

             

            There is a reason for the "comment" page below. I love to read  comments on specific posts. I read them and try to answer each one.

 

            Keep writing.

                                                                                RCS