Freewrite from Wednesday Morning
I'm always more ambitious the day after...maybe the goals set in, maybe I feel more in control.Ira Glass...teaching storytelling is a different ballgame. I wonder how it fits into avoiding assignments and aiming for teaching.
The building blocks are using an anecdote and sequential story and then raising a question or reflection. What is the bigger meaning? The traditional formula limits students to the guidelines and they worry about meeting their requirements...is this my topic sentence? 5 paragraphs to support? Storytelling is a narrative...a natural, magnetizing, intriguing story has suspense and a deeper thread connecting its parts. Thought goes into it. It is primal...it is so fascinating to me that telling a great story is still a necessary, valued, challenge that we attempt to master even in 2012.
What struck me when hearing Ira Glass speak about storytelling was the ruthlessness. I loved his honesty and curtness--he gives us a nugget of truth by telling us to "abandon crap." Loved it. We have to be tough on ourselves, and if we're not struggling most of the time, there's something wrong. If it came easily, I would feel like a great writer, but I would be oblivious to the fact that I don't have ambition or that I'm not pushing the limits.
So teaching failure is essential. It's OK to flop. Really! Non graded assignments and a lot of support will help build student's confidence and willingness to try all the time.
Figure out what's not working, that's the core of it. Be "ruthless to make something better live."
Starting with the action and providing suspense -- how do we teach this? Do we start with an image? Do we listen to great stories? Share great stories? Write and freewrite and repeat? I know we must avoid the typical format of the paper, but I'm not exactly sure where to go next.
They can't get stuck in the hows, but in the whys. And practice. Choosing the topic should take a long, frustrating amount of time. Setting up questions in the stories should take thought. Working on those questions...
Part of me thinks that for Glass, this is an innate talent. But I know he also crafted his work tremendously. Which makes it feel more powerful and makes me feel better that there is a lot that goes into writing--for everyone. So how do I...I...who struggles with authenticity during a freewrite...get over this fear and dive into the murky waters?
I totally agree with what you said: "They can't get stuck in the hows, but in the whys." This is so important. It doesn't matter how you do something if there is no purpose--or if the purpose is unknown. I think having or knowing the purpose of an activity or assignment helps students realize it is worth their time and effort. Great post, Allison!
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about that "teaching failure is essential." That's so true. I tell my students all of the time that you have to just throw stuff against the wall sometimes and see what sticks. Not everything sticks but what does is usually a keeper. We have to be comfortable and flexible enough with ourselves as instructors and writers to say "this worked and I'm keeping it" or "this totally failed and I'm tossing it". Our students do the same thing, so why shouldn't we?
ReplyDeleteI loved Ira's matter-of-fact tone and the fact that it takes alot of practice and luck to get anywhere. I found it interesting that he talked so much about luck being a part of this writing thing but the way he explained it made sense. You can't win if you don't play. Right? You can't develop great writing if you don't write a tremendous amount. And, like Ramey said, we've got to be willing to be okay with our failures.
ReplyDeleteIra Glass is my hero. Do you ever take in This American Life?
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