Last month I wrote 51,603 words as part of Academic Writing Month (#AcWriMo). This places me alongside more than 40,000 other people that completed 50,000+ word manuscripts as part of National Novel Writing. Here’s my daily breakdown of the writing I did last month:
As I mentioned when first discussing this, I split my time between several writing projects (you can see the third project got introduced later in the month once I had a chance to meet with two of my collaborators while in Boston).
So what do I have to show for my month of writing? I’ve got a lot of fragments. All three of these projects are likely books in the making and all are in varying degrees of progress (I’m working toward 2015 publication dates for the first two of these, so you shouldn’t exactly hold your breath in anticipation). I’m excited to have covered a lot of the initial ground on these academic projects and know that my RPG work needs to incubate over the next few months as several writing deadlines will pull me more toward the other two projects, manuscripts being revised, and final papers to grade. In that sense, #AcWriMo was a useful reminder of how writing is only one piece of the process of publishing and distributing knowledge with others.
And so, I’m less interested in breaking down what these days of writing yielded in terms of tenure-able writing stuff and more interested in discussing how these changed my writing habits and thoughts on pedagogy.
Kicking the Non-Writing Habit
I would like to first highlight that this was a habit-forming month. Though the past week has not been one filled with me writing as much as in November, I have felt comfortable jotting down words that may not be perfect and that will add up to something larger over time. Because I entered #AcWriMo with the acnknowledgment that my writing wouldn’t be pristine, it helped free me from the tension of that evil blinking cursor: instead of needing to get gems of knowledge captured on the digital page, this process reminded me of the habit of writing down lots of words and knowing that some will stick and that the rest are getting me to the genesis of the ideas and words that are yet to come.
I should add something here about how inconvenient #AcWriMo felt at times: once I’d gone a week of writing everyday, I felt compelled not to break the chain. On days were I may have been tired or have been busy with meetings at NCTE or teaching all day, it was not exactly fun to then sit down and generate words. The weary tapping of keys on a sofa as I only half-watched a movie with my in-laws, for instance, reminded me of how I felt anchored and chained to the work I’d set for myself. I guess the month highlighted for me the work involved in writing and generating text (and the next phase of work of editing, expanding, and clarifying this bulk of text).
And just as November was a race to get to an arbitrary writing deadline, the commitment to writing allowed me to see how I use my time. Sneaking in a couple hundred words in between lunch and teaching sometimes made all the difference in terms of getting the number of words I wanted.
As expected, the second half of the month was a challenge: with travel for NCTE and NWPAM and visiting friends and family back in California, there were days were even eeking out 500 words was a challenge. In fact, at the beginning of the month I’d pinpointed these as days where writing was unlikely and had set my own writing goals to adjust for these likely dates of less productive writing.
Public Accountability
Perhaps as important as the habit of writing everyday was that this habit was backed by public accountability. Though there were days where I lapsed, I generally posted everyday on Twitter my word count. These tweets were usually met with silence, but it was helpful for me to know that I was a part of a larger community of #NaNoWriMo and #AcWriMo. In this sense, I am reminded of my work with my Teaching Reading class at CSU. From the first week, I made efforts for (at least part of ) the students’ reflections to be public. I wanted my students to know that their comments on Digital Is and their comments on this blog (including the comments to this post) were a part of a public conversation. How do students’ reflections change when they are public? A part of their irreversible digital footprint?
And so, as I wrap up this post, I am encouraging my students to look back on their semester of reading inquiry. What thoughts and ideas have you seeded in the digital world? In what ways can you continue your own online dialogue beyond the required weekly musings here and in other spaces?
I think the idea of making conversations public can be useful, especially if at some point people outside of our class started to comment on the things we were commenting on as well. I think that just having an opportunity to write in a non-graded, non-pressurized scenario can lead to some good reflection and thought about whatever is on the mind at the time. To answer the other question about how I could continue my participation in the online world, it would be very easy to comment on any number of blogs, or even make my own blog. But being realistic I know that neither of those things will happen and I am sure that if I were to stay connected at this time it would have to be assigned in class or as another responsibility.
Posting online makes me feel like I need to reread what I write and make it sound more intelligent. Writing for my professor is one audience and one audience who will be judging me while online I feel like I have a much larger audience that I do not know how to write for. I know what my professor expects to read but not the random people who are reading this blog. I think it is important to develop the skill of writing online since everything is online now and our future students need to know how to write online to a broad, random audience. I do not believe I will create a blog or have a twitter account as a teacher but I will keep an updated website for students and parents. I really like the idea of creating discussion among different groups of people using online resources because there would be so many diverse opinions but I am unsure how to initiate this. I would like to try to write more on public forums to better develop my own online writing skills and get over the intimidation of it being so public.
First of all, can I just comment that I find it a bit odd that we are doing our writing about writing when we are in a reading class? While, I know that reading and writing go hand in hand I think it may be more beneficial to talk about the reading we are doing or how we can motivate others to read rather than talking about our contributions to the writing world. Also, I recognize that I did have to read this post in order to respond to it, therefore what I am saying seems a little silly, but that was my first thought in response to this blog.
Now, on the topic of writing in a digital space, I think it is important to keep yourself accountable. What I mean by this is exactly what you said about your tweets, you may have not received responses but at least you were writing for a specific audience. I agree with Aliza that writing online seems more daunting because you are not entirely familiar with your audience, you don’t know what to expect and so you feel as though you have to read and re-read before posting to double check your intelligence level in a post. I have written my own blog and felt that way many times.
I am glad to see that you met your goal last month for your writing plan. They say it takes 21 days to start or stop a habit, so hopefully if that is indeed something you want to continue, you’ve got a great start. I just wanted to update you with my totals as well. I am trying to finish the last several chapters of my manuscript but I ended up with 130.042 words for the month of November (plus the few days in October when I started on the 28th). I also did some work on a new manuscript that I began over break. I ended November with 19,284 words on that one. I have actually used some of your words of wisdom to create my own goals and motivation! Your blogs are helpful and I have found that I now reflect on similar topics more frequently. Reflecting has helped me discover where changes should be made in my practices as well as provided me insight into new strategies that I would like to utilize. Keep it up and thanks for sharing your wisdom!!
I think one of the most important things to keep me musing in the digital world is to be in dialogue with someone else who will continually build off what I are writing and will act as immediate audience for your writing, even if nobody else in the online world reads your writing. I think online conversation like the continual dialogue between Tom and Hank Green is particularly effective in developing ideas and generating interesting online media. Sharing a space with someone seems to make the practice of creating your own blog or other kind of media less infinitesimal within the larger online community. So even if your writing doesn’t reach an enormous audience, it would at least be interesting to that other person you’re sharing it with (maybe) and anyone else who stumbles upon your writing is nice added audience.
Its hard to say what ideas I have brought to the public space through my online reflections on Digital IS because THEY ARE GONE. That loss might deter me from making any online statements ever again (facetious). But my ideas have “seeded” in this digital world numerous times in the last year. This goes for my own that I have presented in this space, and those that have fruited out of the topics of others that I would not have been exposed to had I not explored these spaces in the process. Last semester, the discussions and topics have led me these ideas.
–Alternative grading/assessment strategies based on ideas of process, engagement, and growth rather than individual assignments.
–Using the experience of the “third space” to develop instruction and learning
–My understanding of the whats, whys, and hows of reading for students
–Developing curriculum based on cultural relativity over standardization
These are just the ones that come to mind at the moment. But what is interesting is how these ideas come up. If I read, watch, or listen to something and then write my own reflections and ideas, I move in small steps forward toward creating effective change. But when I do the same thing but look at the perspectives of others through discussion, and their comments online, it is so much more.
This reminds me of horticulture. I can take a seed, plant it, water it and put it in a nice window so it can soak up light. But when I plant it with a root stimulant, a nitrogen-fixing bacterium, put a solid 1000 watt light on it, fertilize it and document the methods, my little seedlings flourish. (Note: I adapted to these methods based on the influence of others much like the online forums around education). Adding the step of reviewing my cohorts’ ideas and perspectives on the same readings, gives me enough to take my own reflections from perspective and theory into significant methods and application.
The only seeds I’ve planted in the digital space are those small blog posts on Facebook. Why, yes! You can blog on Facebook! They are mostly my own musings on faith and my everyday (I think there are only 6 or 7). I would like to participate more actively in online media, but I fear that my writing will not be received well due to lack of readers. I think that is truly what is holding me back from participating. In fact, this blog post has now inspired me to go open a tumblr and start musing.
So here I go…off into the vast seas of chatter to hopefully be read. Perhaps it is a silly ambition, but it would certainly be neat to have a few hundred people actively engage with some of my many ideas. What will this new world of blogging grant me? Maybe nothing. But that is alright because I will be practicing my awesome writing! Thanks for the awesome semester!
I’m not convinced I want a digital presence as a teacher. I certainly believe I’ll follow other teachers’ blogs and search for recommendations for lessons and things like that. But I feel that I don’t engage well on message boards. If I’m complaining or making an off-hand quip about education, sure I might Facebook it or post a message on a blog somewhere, but for serious, professional discussions, I simply prefer face-to-face. Online, I favor the lurk approach. There are many great educator-bloggers out there and they seem to do it well, but I would prefer to wait until I have some experience to try to start any sort of dialogue. I feel like it’s hubris at this stage for me to presume that I have something unique to say. We spend our time in our education classes talking about what our classrooms MIGHT look like, what our students MIGHT say or think, how we MIGHT want to assess them, but I want to wait until I know what my classroom REALLY looks like, what my students REALLY say and think, and how I REALLY want to assess them.
I love the online forum. The lack of pressure about perfection and an emphasis on participation has really drawn me in. I find myself posting to journalist blogs when I’m reading through the Huff Post and I know it’s because of the engagement here. I am determined to start my own blog one of these days. I think it would be a great way to stay in touch with all of my future teacher friends from CSU.
I agree with what Aliza said about how posting on a public space makes you re-read what you wrote to make sure it sounds good. I think it also takes some of the graded pressure off, because it isn’t something that you’re turning in for credit so it makes it more of a reflection. I think that it will help for us to understand how to use internet and social media for our classroom since students will be very connected in that way, and it will be more exciting for them. They might be able to think more critically or reflect more if they know that anyone can read what they are writing and it isn’t just something they turn in to their teacher.
Anything I’ve ever blogged about or posted online feels just like a reflection. Instead of carefully considering what I should write or comment on, I often use blogging as a way to debrief, sum up, or sometimes even word vomit onto the page. With the ability to type quickly and the relaxed way that blogs are set up I feel like I can just sputter out what I want to say or how I feel, it takes the pressure off. I also feel that a space like this is great because you can bounce off other students ideas or concerns. Regarding teaching reading, I’d love to have something like this be a part of my classroom–a place online where students can reflect on the reading and share ideas. I’m not sure how far my blogging will go outside of the “required” element, but I have found it to be a rewarding experience and a good tool for teaching in the future.
I definitely agree with Rachel. These are quick responses and I feel like I do sometimes just end up word-vomiting on a page. But then I wonder if that’s not such a bad thing. I like that you make us constantly write, even though it’s not always extremely challenging. But I think that’s important. It helps us find our voice when we can spill out words and sometimes I think that’s what these responses are about. Also, knowing that I will often have a response on reading, it makes me think more in depth while I’m reading so I’ll have something to say. I know that some people will be reading these, and I honestly don’t consider it much. But I think that blogging and online discussion can be beneficial. Better than all of these responses getting turned into you. DISCUSS 4 LYFE.
Any thoughts or ideas I have “seeded” into the digital world have been through Digital Is or other class forum/blog sites. Most of the time I do put some serious thought into what I am writing in a post, but sometimes it just turns into random thoughts on a page. Either way, I think responses and discussion posts are great ways for students to put ideas into stone and make sure they can see them clearly. By having students make their writing digital you get rid of all the papers you have to grade. The only way I can think of continuing my writing in the digital space is to create a blog but I don’t really care to share everything I write with the entire world.
I think for me it has created a space where I feel like I can start to develop a voice in the world of academia and writing in general. With the possibility of someone else commenting on something that I write in either a positive or negative way has made me think about what it is that I need to say and how. As I look back on the semester I am reminded of Third Space, what reading is, and how writing is incorporated and needed. We make sense of our world through the words or sensations that we know and learn from those around us. This has provided a space where it is relatively professional, fun, and engaging. I also think this provides a space to actually see what it is that our fellow classmates and perhaps others have written as opposed to our response simply being for you and to prove that we read whatever article or book it is that we were required to read.
I think that writing in a digital space is a double edged sword. I understand that it can be beneficial to write in a digital space because it allows the world to access personal ideas and experiences, while at the same time being able to receive instant feedback from your audience. Another way writing in a digital space can shape the way a person writes is because it is a less confrontational space which lets students express themselves more honestly. This is crucial in building confidence in young writers because from this confidence comes a motivation and enjoyment for writing.
The negative part about writing in a digital space is that it is a less personal and professional space where people write. I think the lack of vocabulary and grammatical skills in younger generations have been created because of these digital spaces. As I’ve mentioned throughout this whole semester, I think that teaching the fundamentals of reading and writing are the most important part of young learners instruction because this teaches them how to communicate with the world. Once these fundamentals have been mastered, I think that teaching students how express themselves in a digital space can help students mature as writers.
Bringing new insight to something is difficult. Maybe it is because I am noticing that most of what I say, and some of my colleagues say is smart word vomit. We heard it from some one else and want to share that knowledge. I think bloging and using other multi-media sources is a great way to get this knowledge out into the hands of the rest of the world. Like Jenna, I don’t feel like I have much new material to offer. However, if we all just read others posts and don’t comment we are not helping to form the knowledge into something new.
I think creating my own blog would be beneficial as a teacher. It would be a great tool to connect with other teachers and share stories and advice. While I will consider this tool in my future, I’m not really a big fan of online writing right now. I don’t consider it my best writing, or writing I look forward to. There are times when I feel like an online post was really well written, but I most enjoy my own personal writing that doesn’t have to be public, or that doesn’t follow a specific prompt. I think the online community is a really interesting and great tool in order for people to communicate with one another and share ideas. However, I’m not in that place yet where I feel entirely comfortable to share my writing in that way.
One of the most important aspects of my future classroom will be having some form of writing implemented every day. With the pressures of being 21st century ready and hitting the standards, I often feel that today’s students lack reflection skills. Because I have had these required writings for this class, it has expanded my belief that reflections like these are imperative to learning. I know that for me, doing these blog posts and reflections has helped me make my musings feel a little more concrete. Not only does it make my thoughts seem more permanent, it makes me feel more supported as a student to see my peer’s thoughts as well. It gives me a chance to learn from others when I usually don’t have the time or means to have these conversations with them. It puts us all on the same playing field, and through their reflections, I have felt intrigued and inspired. Generally, the thoughts I have seeded into the digital world have been about my questions and experiences with my teacher candidacy process. It has been about the questions I have and, less often, the answers I have established as well. Everything moves so quickly during the semester that I don’t write or reflect as much as I like to, but having an outlet in the digital sphere makes my musings seem more worthwhile.
After having these assignments, I have taken my other online postings into more consideration, because it has made me more aware of have a digital presence. I know feel more inclined to make sure my online dialogues are appropriate and represent myself well. I enjoy these weekly posts, and I know I will miss them, so I plan to create my own blog where I can expand on these musings I have had throughout the semester.
With public writing, there’s more of a drive to create something that’s worth reading, or that at least doesn’t suck. Knowing that more people than just my professor have the ability to read whatever it is that I write makes me reread and rewrite almost everything before I hit the submit button (I restarted this whole post four times before I got this far). As a result, I like the idea of public writing: it makes it a process rather than a willy-nilly kind of deal.
I think that, as previously mentioned, the knowledge that what is being written is for a public forum rather than an enclosed environment either online forum or other class-insular platform is generally given more thought and effort. While I prefer online courses or forums for additional comments, questions, it is also when I am most likely to contribute to class “discussions.” It seems to me that, whether a blog or other more anonymous interaction, online or otherwise, people are more likely to be open and honest in ways that may be more uncomfortable in face-to-face interactions.
I believe that the writing every day for a habit-forming month is an awesome idea! I wanted to ask if there are any websites that you can recommend that I would be able to do this type of writing project for my future writing/teaching career. It seems to help with the creative process, and I would like to continue my series of novels that has been collecting some dust ever since last spring (not my most proud moment there, but there you have it) if any of you are able to recommend a site that I can write short stories, blogs, fanfictions, or otherwise just WRITE for an audience, I would appreciate it 🙂
I think the aspect of having writing public is similar in many ways to the anxiety that students have about public speaking, yet goes a step further in the sense that it is permanent. The permanence of a public text is debatable, and could be relatively short. That said it is a concern of students to be proper, accurate, and intelligent when preparing a text to be viewed publicly. I think as social media and other forms of public forums develop the similarities between public speaking and public posting will decrease significantly. That is to say, as the youth explores and masters new forms of public forums; it will become more comfortable attaching their name to their publicly displayed opinions. So in short I think there is heightened sense of awareness that a student attaches to the act of posting an opinion; this can lead to self-censorship and the prevention of intelligent and thought-provoking opinions.
I feel like I do a horrible job bringing reading to a public place. Like some previous answers, I feel the pressure to make it perfect and more intelligent. I feel like people will judge me for being human and making a mistake in my writing here or there. I am trying to make my work as a future teacher more public. I am trying to participate in this online culture world, but it is hard work! It is easier for me to get a piece of paper and write! Your files do not randomly shut down. You do not have to worry about slow internet connection, etc. But, I know it is the “new” and “cool” thing to do….so, I am working on it!
Public accountability is in some senses an extremely important (and slightly new) part of this community of online discourse and it engages readers and writers in a different way then personal diary entries or even essay for schools or many other forms of writing that are either entirely private or are open only to a very small niche of the public. Twitter is a great medium for these kind of public exchanges, but as this is micro blogging it’s tough to say the immense amount of things that you want to say when you only have 140 characters available, so there are other websites like 750 words where an individual can create a profile and is encouraged to write 75- words every day. These 750 words posts are private in the sense that nobody who you don’t approve of can read your posts, but the website does award badges for consistency and quick pace and small amount of distractions which are all available to the scrutinizing gaze of the public eye. So it’s interesting to think of these different mediums that are available, albeit at varying level, to the gargantuan population of the internet, and how these different modes of public sharing can alter our writing our encourage us to write differently.