Tips on Preparing for Class Discussions

"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors."
               —African Proverb

To recap what we discussed during class (and to aid those who are not in my class or missed the session), these are key points for preparing successfully for class discussions:

• Read the assignment before class and write down any questions you may have about it.
• Ask questions based on critical thinking skills:
• How can I use this information?
• How does this information compare with what I already know about the topic?
• What ideas, concepts, or points of view from the reading did you not understand?
• What is the source of the material?
• Is the material fact or opinion?
• What is the author’s purpose? Is the author biased?
• Has relevant and sufficient evidence been provided?

Formal and Informal Communication

This topic invariably comes up in my writing workshops and classes. It doesn't matter the age of the group or whether they are taking the class for personal enrichment/lifelong learning or for college credit. When we communicate---whether verbally or through writing---the outcome is always the same: to convey thoughts. Knowing your purpose and audience determines HOW you will communicate your message.

Informal communication is among friends or people we know personally. We let our guard down, use slang and colloquial phrasing. Because it's informal, we know they'll "get the gist" of our message and that's all we are aiming for. Examples include text messages, phone calls/voicemail, and friendly banter. Informal communication may use non-standard English.
Formal communication on the other hand always follows the rules for standard English. When we are writing for our jobs – creating memos, reports, business letters – we use standard English. Are there times when we might use informal English in a work situation? What are examples of formal writing? What are examples of informal writing?
Whether we communicate formally or informally, the writing process is followed. First we collect our thoughts, then we decide how to share those thoughts, finally, we deliver our message. In formal writing, however, ideas and thoughts are focused before delivery. This ensures our message is clear. This is why correctly using words that are frequently misused is so  important.
Focusing our thoughts.  Planning is the first step in the writing process. It allows us to explore a topic before focusing it. We then consider our purpose and audience before we plan (or outline) and then draft. How many ideas can you generate about the differences between high school and college? Now, brainstorm ideas on this topic: What 3 tips would you give to a new college student?  You will write your first paper to turn in on this topic.

Know Your Learning Style

Thought for the week:

"You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, 

for this thing that we call failure is not the falling down, 

but the staying down."

—Mary Pickford

NOTE: Learning Style Tips gleaned from exercises in our College Writing Skills textbook and MyWritingLab.com (I LOVE that program!) and recapped in the weekly course newsletter. 

Your learning style guides how you study and the best ways for you to learn and retain information. So, it's important to consider these questions:

What kind of learner are you? What strategies can you use in your classes to meet your learning style?
• If you are an applied learner, use case studies, examples, and practical applications.
• If you are a conceptual learner, organize information into main ideas and examples.
• If you are an auditory learner, tape record lectures and form study groups to discuss lecture content.
• If you are a visual learner, create visual aids such as maps, charts, and diagrams of course content.
• If you are a social learner, take courses involving class discussion and form study groups whenever possible.
• If you are an independent learner, take courses that use a traditional lecture –exam or independent study format.
• If you are a spatial learner, use outlining, visualization, and mapping techniques.
• If you are a verbal learner, discuss steps, processes, and procedures with classmates or instructors.
• If you are a creative learner, take courses that involve exploration, experimentation, and discussion.
• If you are a pragmatic learner, write out a list of steps, processes, and procedures.

Create a Routine

A version of this entry appeared on January 19, 2013 at "Wonderings & Wanderings," my blog about living the writer's life. 

A regular writing routine sets a career in motion. Finding time is tough at first, so once you've set a schedule, it’s frustrating when life messes with it. It’s okay if the schedule is sporadic from time to time. It will settle back into place when the timing is right. Until then, try to write everyday – for at least 20 minutes. For several years this was the only way I accomplished any writing. I call it "writing in snippets of time." The time adds up. So does the writing. In six days you’ll have 2 hours’ worth of work. You’ll be amazed what you might accomplish. 

If family interruptions stifle your writing plans, it’s even more important to set a regular writing schedule. Not only will it help your family realize you're serious about your writing (and if you want to receive payment, it is at least a part-time job) but it helps you take your writing seriously. 

One woman I know posted “office hours” to help family get the point. Another made a “mailbox” by taping a file folder to the door. If the kids wanted to ask her something, they wrote it on a slip and put it in the mailbox, which she checked several times a day. Only emergencies warranted interrupting. 

If you have small children, they won’t understand that you’re “working” so you may have to focus on adding up paragraphs instead of minutes. Target writing one paragraph during nap time. They’ll build to a story or article in a few days. Every little bit helps. 

Play it Again, SAM: Setting Goals instead of Resolutions

The new year is upon us. Have you set your resolutions yet? I hate resolutions. Declaring your purpose for the new year doesn't make it happen. I resolve to lose weight, exercise more, and get more done, but without a plan my enthusiasm waivers and I find myself drowning in my own resolve.

About a decade ago affirmations and intentions were the latest thing at the new year. Both are more positive forms of new year's resolutions. You state that you will do something. I will trim down. I will incorporate diet and exercise into a healthier lifestyle. I will organize to achieve more. While positive and presented with the mood that we all have the power to make these intentions happen, again, if enthusiasm waivers the positive crumbles into negative inaction. Before long I’m beating myself up for blatant laziness. Not exactly positive and affirming. So, I like to focus on goals. Some creative people freeze up at the thought of setting goals. It’s so . . . business oriented. If you fall into this category, think of goals as stepping stones toward achieving your dream.

Like task management, goals take the bigger picture and break it into manageable pieces. Each smaller task or goal leads to accomplishing the bigger task. Many of us do this without realizing it—during the holidays, for instance. In order to get those holiday cards in the mail, there are steps involved. You need to create the list of people you’ll send them to, make labels (or address the envelopes), write notes and/or sign each card, stuff the envelopes, stamp, and drop at the post office. Each step might be done in 5- to 15-minute segments as your schedule allows. In the end, the cards are in the mail and on their way.

Goal-setting is the same. Set a goal, a time frame for achieving it, and then create action steps (or small goals that lead to the larger goal). Use S-A-M as a guideline. The goal should be specific. Select a target and set a deadline such as trimming 2 inches off your waist by summer, losing 15 pounds, or sending out 20 manuscripts by December. It should be achievable. This means you need to make it happen; you cannot rely on what someone else does as a step in the process (such as an editor accepting just 1 manuscript to launch your career). You need to find an exercise you enjoy doing if you are going to trim 2 inches off your waist. You will need to write a manuscript in order to reach that goal of submitting 20.  Finally, your goal needs to be measurable. Notice that these three goals include a specific number. This helps you track your progress as the year progresses.

I had a writing friend who decided to set of goal of receiving 10 rejections in a year. She was working to fit writing into a busy life as a mother, wife, and office manager. She had heard me speak and a comment I made about taking the plunge and getting over the fear of submitting really struck her. She knew that manuscripts left in a drawer would never become books. Setting a goal to get rejected took away her fear of rejection. It is part of a writer’s life after all. Her goal was specific and measurable. She knew she had to send out a MS a month to reach that goal. That was achievable given her busy life.

When the first MS was returned, the sting of rejection wasn't so bad. She sent it out again. And again. She had nearly reached her goal of 10 rejections by summer when she received an acceptance. Then a second. Now she was forced to write new material in order to reach her goal. She did. But she also had credits to list when sending out those new MSS. By the next year, she was ready to “play it again, SAM” in setting new goals. No floundering in good intentions or vague resolutions. Just specific, achievable, and measurable goals with action steps toward reaching them.

Here’s wishing you all a happy and productive 2013. Happy Writing!

How Writing is like Cooking

NOTE:  I'm trying to fix glitches with links between my different accounts. This blog, originally posted at Wonderings and Wanderings was supposed to also post here. I've posted a condensed version that focuses on the writing connection. 

I usually spend a good portion of my weekend in the kitchen making meals for the coming week. This weekend, however, none of my recipes turned out. I tried to blend two muffin recipes to create a "harvest fruit" muffin. Dud! I think I needed more baking powder or perhaps some baking soda. And, I plain forgot to include an ingredient in one dish until it was in the oven. Too bad I couldn't pull it out and add it (which is a wonderful revision technique for writing but doesn't bode well with step-by-step instructions).

But, in the end, I wasn't upset. First, not all the kitchen mishaps were inedible. Second, the time spent perfectly links with writing. Like these failed  recipes, sometimes we need to write scenes in stories, only to discard them later. It's not that they are awful; it's that they don't work with the other "ingredients" in the story for the most tasty outcome.

I think this is one of the hardest things for newer writers to understand about revising. Sometimes we need to write a specific scene with a character but its purpose is to help us further develop that character. It doesn't necessarily need to remain in the finished story. And sometimes, we need to add a scene (or ingredient) to boost suspense or keep the reader hooked. In the end, the reader doesn't need to know all that you had to accomplish in the kitchen---or even how many attempts it took to get the "recipe" right. The reader only cares about how tasty the end result is.

So, test your ingredients and don't be afraid to toss the "duds." Happy writing!

Winds of Change Blowing

Southern Florida is getting ready for TS Issac. Since I've just emerged from an intense summer that has left me working hard to carve out writing time, the last thing I wanted to deal with was battening down and preparing for severe winds and rain at the least and a full-blown gale at worst.

I haven't posted much since spring because I promised myself I'd devote this blog to writing. But, I did learn some things out of this experience that I do feel are writing-related. It helped me put a positive spin on my personal life, so I can continue generating energy toward my writing. (I'm making baby steps, but at least I'm making regular progress!)

First, as I battled all the items in my storage closet, trying to make room for some of the lanai furniture, I realized the struggles I've been plowing through are much like the trials and conflict characters face in a good story. Who wants to read about a character who gets everything she wants? I do believe that the struggles make reaching a goal more satisfying. 

Second, since I couldn't fit everything from the lanai in storage, I had to move the larger furniture and plants inside. That meant indoor furniture to make room for the outdoor furniture. Now I had to clean, too, and wipe down all the outdoor furniture before bringing it in. So, in the end, things are cleaner just because I gave attention to areas I've been too busy to attend to. (And, the empty lanai was swept and cleaned and will need the same again once the storm blows through.) Also, since I was cleaning and rearranging, I continued that energy into my office to see what I can move around for more space and efficiency. 

Finally, during the numerous trips to the store to buy supplies, fight with the crowds of panicking people, and acknowledge the sense of urgency everyone seemed to be feeling, I decided to tack on a few "errands" that would give me a feeling of doing something for my writing. I mailed copies of my book, Food for a Greener Planet: What You Can Do, to a reading association award program, submitted the opening of one of my novels to  a literary contest, and ordered promo materials for my latest book, Dealing with Stress. 

I'm determined that all these "life issues" will not get in the way of my goals. The baby steps are paying off. The winds of change are blowing, and not just from this tropical storm/possible hurricane. I feel this storm is (and will continue) helping me "clean out" and make changes. 

To all affected by Issac, may you stay safe and weather the storm! 

Too Busy Writing: Seeking Balance

Sorry, I haven't posted sooner. I know it's been a while. Too long in fact. But, I been so busy writing. Well, teaching and freelancing anyway. Those who know me know that I balance my time between teaching and writing, and between work with younger readers and adult learners. The adult learners are participants in writing workshops I offer locally (though I am taking a few of these workshops online soon).

Though summers are usually my time to write more and teach less since the seasonal folks have headed north to cooler summer temps, this year is unusual. Not only was I asked to teach at the local college for both summer semesters, but two of the venues I offer workshops for asked me to add a class. And they filled, which is unusual for summer. I don't mind because this is all a change of pace. I thrive and draw both ideas and energy from shifting up my scheduling. 

Enter a new issue: time for my own projects is limited, especially when I get through the hectic scheduling of season by promising myself time to work on my writing projects. I also took on a huge (as in equivalent to a large advance) client project. So, for a few weeks I was edging toward burn-out and wondering why I had agreed to any of it.

 Now that I've had a little time to re-balance, re-organize (mostly my office), and re-charge I'm ready to move forward again. As long as I keep my "life wheel" balanced between the teaching and the writing, between my projects and client projects, and between work with or for younger readers and adults, I seem to have the energy I need to make and meet my goals. 

Think about what demands are placed on your time. Is it balanced? If not, what do you need to do to put all those demands in equal portions? You will find yourself with a little more time for your writing and a lot more energy. Happy writing!

Out of Character

This morning I saw something unusual. Something unbelievable. It lasted only about two minutes, yet I've been thinking about it for awhile. I watched a duck, one of those large and ugly Muscovy ducks, land in a white pine outside my lanai. 

It was absurd. I usually watch squirrels and woodpeckers in this tree. But this huge bird tried to go where it is not designed to go. I watched this duck gingerly step across the branch, its webbed feet awkward on the bough. It looked up into the pine needles and nearly lost its balance. It looked down along the bark, moving cautiously, like a human walking a tightrope. It inched along the limb until its own weight caused the tree limb to bend and the poor duck fell. Instinct caused it to extend wings but it was surrounded by pine cones, needles, and tree limbs. So it made quite a racket as it crashed through the lower branches until it was able to fly away.

I wonder what caused this duck to attempt to waddle on webbed feet through the treetops? I sat in disbelief by what I'd seen. There was a lesson behind it, brief though the observation was. 

This is must be how the reader feels when we ask our characters to act outside their nature. We  create our characters and so know (or should know anyway) what makes them tick. When we drop them into a tree (or some other scene or situation in which they do not belong) it sticks out for the reader, much like this duck distracted me from what I'd been doing. I had to stop and watch this absurdity play out. 

In our stories, though, the reader may not watch in disbelief, rubbing his or her eyes and wondering, "Am I seeing things?" The reader may drop the story in disappointment, feeling let down by the writer. "Does he really think I'm an idiot to believe this would happen next?" "Where did this timid character suddenly find such courage?" 

Its okay to challenge a character, to give him or her flaws. These make the character real, just as real people face unusual circumstances and learn and grow from them. But remember to play fair. You created the characters after all, so you should know how they will each act and react in a given situation. Dropping them into conflict just to stir things up doesn't help the story--or endear the reader to you or your characters.