Story Challenge Day 17: Help Wanted

Thanks, Raivenne, for providing me with the inspiration for today’s blog post. (Maybe you should polish up that resume and put your name in the hat!)

VACANCY: Personal Muse

Position Type: Management

Date Posted: March 17, 2022

Location: Inside my brain (hazard pay included)

Date Available: Immediate

Job Description:

Lainie Levin is an aspiring writer, poet, and occasional hot mess. She is currently seeking an artistic muse to spur her into action and inspire her to push her boundaries. Lainie Levin offers a competitive compensation package, including love, adoration, baked goods and the occasional, reluctant thank-you.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The artistic muse assumes authority for the general artistic growth and creative welfare of Lainie Levin. Responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

  • Giving Lainie good ideas for writing
  • Giving her better ideas for when she doesn’t like the first ones
  • Nudging her to get writing
  • But being nice about it
  • But also kicking her in the rear when she needs it
  • Giving Lainie the space to find inspiration
  • Pointing said inspiration out when she needs it
  • Letting Lainie sleep, for heaven’s sake
  • But also helping her shape a story when she’s ready
  • And reminding her she has the skills to DO the THING

Minimum Qualifications

  • A thick skin
  • The patience of Job

Working Environment:

The usual and customary methods of performing the job’s functions require the following physical demands: pulling along, shouldering the burden, general nudging, doing the heavy lifting, and some amount of stooping to levels.

Interested applicants, please respond below.

Story Challenge Day 16: On Coffee Shops

Today, I was reading this blog post about coffee shops, and how at one point they were hubs for philosophical conversation and debate.

Which got me thinking (which sometimes gets me into trouble, but that’s the fuel for a whole other post). What if I were just sitting in a coffee shop, minding my own business, when all of a sudden a nearby table erupts into one of those conversations? What would I do?

And THAT got me thinking, and remembering. That DID happen to me, in a way.

Picture the scene: a neighborhood Starbucks, 6:00 am. I’m settled in to catch up on school work and grad work before starting work-work because it’s the only time I can capture (fuel, I suppose, for another blog post).

All of a sudden, a guy comes up to me. “You’re pretty smart, right?”

I don’t know this guy. But I know the guy he’s with, who just happens to be the parent of one of my former kiddos.

I reply, “Umm….well, it depends on the subject, or who’s asking.”
“This guy is trying to tell me that it’s OK to say that he’s ‘more busy,’ and I’m telling him that’s not a thing. He’s ‘busier.’ Right? You’re not supposed to say ‘more busy,’ that’s just not right.”
“Well…I suppose technically you’re right with the grammar, so that’s a thing.” I quickly check my sources before moving on. “You do only use ‘more’ or ‘less’ when the adjective is three or more syllables long.”
“A-HA!” he shouts, with a satisfied smirk to his friend.
“But.”
He stops smirking. “There’s a but?”
“But. Have you ever heard the word ‘pedantry?'”
“No.”
“Pedantry. It’s a great word. It’s the word we use for when someone corrects an error that doesn’t need to be corrected.* Did you know what he meant to say with ‘more busy?'”
“Yeah.”
“Well.”

A moment of silence sweeps across, followed by a moment of thought, then a moment of recognition.

“Pedantry. That’s a new one. I’ll have to use that one.”

And then the guys and I, we launched into conversation together that day. And many days after that, our chats extending towards all sorts of subjects about this world.

Since then a lot has changed. I finished my degree. COVID hit. The shop closed. But still, I find the guys hanging out together on a morning walk. We always say hello, chat, catch up on things.

So, to bring things full circle, I guess I can imagine what it might be like to be in one of those Paris cafés, enjoying a tasty beverage in the midst of philosophical debate and witty repartee. And I think it might not be so bad after all.

* Remember. I’m a teacher of gifted kids. The answer is yes, the talk around “pedantry” comes up probably as often as some of you might imagine. Classroom teachers and parents, you can thank me later.

Interested in learning more about the March Slice of Life Challenge, or wanting to read more great posts? Head over to the Two Writing Teachers site!

Story Challenge Day 15: Rambling Autobiography

I was born right after midnight on July 5, right after my parents enjoyed the last of the fireworks display, right after their police escort to the hospital through traffic, right after my dad went to park the car, only to come in to his newest baby girl.

I adore new school supplies, and maybe that caters to the nerd in me and I don’t care. I was nerd before nerd was cool. (Does that make me hipster?) “I bought” isn’t really a phrase that I use much for myself, because I’m usually buying for other folks: groceries, candy for the copy room, stuff for my boys – or I’m just buying stuff I need like gas or what-not. I have a problem, maybe, in treating myself to wonderful things, or maybe I’m just happy with what I have. Depends on the day. I never really want to use never, because there are so many nevers I’ve done. One of my favorite things to do is to bake, because it’s a creative endeavor that I can see the beginning and end of, and I pretty much know without a doubt it’s going to make other people happy.

When I was 21, the same age as my older son, I thought I knew so very much about life, but I really was just a puppy, which gives me perspective, perhaps, on how he sees himself, sees me. My favorite place is somewhere outside, like on a mountain trail or in the forest or on the beach with my toes stuck in sand. I can still feel the cold early-March waves of the Gulf of Mexico as I body-surfed with my dad on that one trip to Florida when I was in junior high. I dated sparingly in high school, and I think it’s a combination of 1) not being tremendously dateable and 2) being completely oblivious to the signs of anyone who may actually have wanted to date me, and 3) yes, I see the irony in the combination of my first two reasons. I fainted once, I think, in high school, when I was at a dance, because I felt myself go down and then opened my eyes to a bunch of people standing around, and I was so embarrassed that I just got up and pretended like nothing happened, although if I really fainted, I probably should have gotten looked at.

I gave blood for the first time shortly after my first son was born, realizing, after having given birth, that being stuck with a needle is really not as big of a deal as I had originally made it out to be. I once had a need to have people like me, but now that’s faded in contrast to my desire to live as my authentic self and let other people figure out what to do with it. I am my best version of myself every single day as I’m waiting to fall asleep, thinking about all the ways I can improve myself the next day, which is coincidentally why I gave up writing New Year’s resolutions.

I want to keep living in a way that lets me learn more about myself, that lets me bring light to other people, that brings me to new places and lets me try new things.

Thanks, Fran Haley, for bringing this writing form my way! She got her inspiration from Denise Krebs. Here are the starters, if you want to give it a try.

I was born…
I adore…
I bought…
I have…
I never…
One of my…
When I was (age)…
My favorite place…
I can still (sense)…
I dated…
I fainted…
I gave…
I once had…
I am…
I want to…

Interested in learning more about the March Slice of Life Challenge, or wanting to read more great posts? Head over to the Two Writing Teachers site!

Story Challenge Day 14: On Letting Things Marinate

I’ve had a lot more writing time with my kids, and it’s one of the things I’m proudest of this year.

It’s something kids look forward to, because they get to spend time writing whatever it is they choose. It’s a class session I really look forward to, because I get to be eyeball-deep in my kids’ work. That, and I get to see a bunch of kids all jazzed up about things.

There is, of course, a catch. I review work each week, keeping tabs on how the students are progressing towards their goals and what skills and strategies I think should be in their pipeline.

Most of the time, I can get a pretty clear direction about how help a kid move their writing forward. Perhaps we can work on punctuating dialogue, fleshing out a story, or keeping a balance of narration so a story makes sense.

Yet each week, there are one or two pieces of writing I just can’t get a feel for. For one reason or another, I just can’t think which direction I’d like to push a writer. Usually, it’s either because the writer has demonstrated exceptional skill, or because there are so many areas that need improvement that the whole thing seems overwhelming.

In those cases, I have sometimes just…not done anything with that writing. I’ve not written down any notes for further instruction or improvement. Just let it pass of until our next session, where I can see what develops further.

Until now, I’ve beaten myself up for letting that writing go. I’ve held the mindset that I owe it to my students to give them feedback or something to work on with every turn.

But what if that’s simply not true?

What if a bit of separation and time would make things clearer?

What if I let that piece of writing go one more week to see what develops, and look at it anew? Would I be letting my kids down?

Judging by how that strategy has done so far? Surprisingly, no.

Surprisingly, it feels good to relieve myself of that pressure.

It’s not an every-kid-every-week sort of situation, but it’s nice to know sometimes that a bit of patience pays off from time to time. And payoffs in this time of year? I’ll gladly take what I can get.

Interested in learning more about the March Slice of Life Challenge, or wanting to read more great posts? Head over to the Two Writing Teachers site!

Story Challenge Day 13: Two Years

Two years.

It’s been two years since we packed up our loveys for a couple of weeks of online learning before spring break.

Two years since kids, backpacks stuffed to the brink with textbooks and worksheet packets and iPads and school supplies, flooded the hallway with the same kind of excitement and anticipation that usually greets winter break or summer vacation.

If only we knew how lasting this would be, we might have insisted on more closure. We might have brought our children together for one last circle time, lingered extra long in the hug-and-handshake line.

For the rest of that year, the only student contact I had came by way of a few work check-ins, and some optional game times on Fridays.

But I did post lots of videos for my students. Here was my very first one, encouraging students to “find their cozy place and write.”

Strangely enough, the second location is still where I go to work…

Story Challenge Day 12: How to Get Around Tough Stuff

In case you are wondering, I am providing – for YOUR experience and benefit, and not at all for my own perverse need for procrastination, this here following:

Guide to Letting Yourself Put Off Tasks that are Difficult, Uncomfortable, and a General Pain in the Patoot

  1. Get yourself a dog. The needier, the better.
  2. Pet that dog. Even if they’re asleep and calm. They still need you.
  3. Hop on Facebook. Maybe there’s something good.
  4. Pour yourself a Diet Coke. You could use the caffeine.
  5. Bring up the document you need to work on.
  6. Close up all your other browser windows.
  7. Work on the document until your brain wanders.
  8. Make yourself a snack.
  9. Hop on Facebook again. What did you miss?
  10. Do the Wordle.
  11. Do the Quordle.
  12. Do the Octordle.
  13. Do the Jewdle.
  14. Click back on the tab you really need.
  15. Promise yourself you’re going to work this time.
  16. Open up Spotify and get some good work music going.
  17. Work on the document until you want to trash it and start over.
  18. Go to the other room and watch TV. You need something else to look at.
  19. Pet the dog again. Poor neglected thing.
  20. Make some lunch. You can’t work on an empty stomach.
  21. Open the computer again.
  22. Hop on Facebook. Still boring and dumb? Yep.
  23. Get back to that tab and start writing.
  24. Start over with what you REALLY want to say.
  25. Cut and paste it with what you started before.
  26. Erase it.
  27. How’s the dog? Better check.
  28. Make some boba. Throw some instant coffee in there. You need FOCUS.
  29. Hey. It’s been a while since you’ve checked email.
  30. Pet the dog again.
  31. Click back on the tab. Type.
  32. Nope. Don’t click away. Keep going.
  33. Keep going.
  34. Keep going.
  35. Finish your draft.
  36. FINISH it already.
  37. Make sure Facebook hasn’t self-destructed while you were away.
  38. Read your draft again.
  39. Shrug your shoulders and know that it’s probably good enough.
  40. More than.

Story Challenge Day 11: The Important Thing

Note: Inspired by Margaret Wise Brown’s The Important Book, I’m working on these alongside my students. Enjoy!

FRIENDS
The important thing about friends is that they are friendly.
They talk to you,
And they go for coffee.
They give you things
And go on walks with you,
And they show you the good and not-so-good
Parts of yourself
You hide from yourself,
And they make you a better person,
And they tell you the truth,
But the important thing about friends is that they are friendly.

SONS
The important thing about sons is that they are tall.
They are messy,
And they eat everything in the fridge.
They make you laugh til your cheeks hurt
And smile til your heart bursts
And worry til your hair turns gray.
They park their cars on the street
And spend lots of time on their phones,
But the important thing about sons is that they are tall.

HUSBANDS
The important thing about husbands is that they are strong.
They take naps on the couch
And clear the driveway of snow
And mow the lawn.
They hold your puzzle pieces together
When they fall apart.
They remind you that you are human
And wonderful
And awful
And amazing
All at once.
They watch boring TV with you and listen to your work stories.
But the important thing about husbands is that they are strong.

Interested in learning more about the March Slice of Life Challenge, or wanting to read more great posts? Head over to the Two Writing Teachers site!

Story Challenge Day 9: Signs of Spring

As a teacher, I can pretty much count on there being a day in February or March when I look at a group of kids and realize, “Oh! They’re not third graders anymore. They’re fourth graders waiting to happen.” Or, “Yesterday I was looking at fifth graders. Now I’m looking at middle schoolers.” Really. It happens in a day. They just…turn, transform, evolve.

I haven’t had that experience this year. Maybe it’s the masks. Maybe it’s the lack of interaction. Maybe it’s the sum total of all the trauma that we’ve been through. But I’ve yet to look at any of my ten groups and say, “Wow. These kids look like they’re _____ graders.”

In the meantime, I’m catching signs of growth that make my heart smile, some proverbial crocuses poking their heads up from the earth.

This week, I’ve seen my kids…

talking about how word pairs might be cousins, twins, older brothers or sisters, parents, grandparents of one another

deliberately trying craft moves for their readers – and being happy when others notice

reading other comments on a blog post, then forming their own response and incorporating others’ ideas

highlighting one another’s work, showcasing and building upon it

engaging in conversations about how this world and the people in it need to be better

And these things I will gather in a bouquet, place in a makeshift vase, set on my counter, and admire each time I pass by.

Interested in learning more about the March Slice of Life Challenge, or wanting to read more great posts? Head over to the Two Writing Teachers site!

Story Challenge Day 8: Broken Brain Blues

My thoughts are jumbly,
Tumbled around. I can’t
Pin them down, and
My brain hurts…

My hair is pulled back,
To help me think better,
And it usually works, but
My brain hurts.

I’ve scheduled and rescheduled,
Checked and re-checked,
Emailed and emailed, and
My brain HURTS.

I’ve played whack-a-mole
With all my to-do lists,
Trying to get through but
My brain HURTS!