Seven Valleys Writing Project

HOW WE THINK

Why canned prompts usually fail

Those who contribute to the Seven Valleys Writing Project, or any National Writing Project site, don't study writing under a microscope; we're not scientists. Instead, we study writing by doing it alone and with others (often, our students and colleagues). We compose the very subject we study, making us deep participants in our subject matter (compare this to a the way a statistician is involved in studying literacy or hunger).

One implication of our subject matter and the social nature of writing is that there are few "timeless" ways to write and lots of contemporary ones. Shakespeare never spelled his name the way I just did, for instance; the social conventions of how to spell--indeed, of how to create a "voice," identify a topic, sustain an argument or be "creative"--have all changed and will continue to change. That doesn't mean writers can ignore the way that words are spelled in 2008 or that they can plagiarize. We can agree on a lot. But it does mean writing has a lot of variables. There is no "one-size-fits-all" assignment, test, or poem. As the NWP puts in in a brochure, "writing is not a skill that can be learned on the spot....Writing is complex adn challenging, even for the most accomplished writers." Personally, I am glad for that. It makes writing vital and powerful, yet it also means there's always a certain amount of risk built in.

NWP folks write a lot--it's a social convention. When Brian and I went to the National Convention in November (2007), the NWP had the entire assembled group there spend a few minutes writing on a very interesting prompt. And it worked for all 950 NWP site members gathered from around the country.

When we use writing in our smaller groups--at meetings with our Teacher Consultant meetings (the teacher-leaders who have been through our Summer Institute) or in school, it's important that we feel free to invent new prompts that help the group develop impressions and ideas to work from. Again, there is no "one-size-fits-all" prompt for any meeting. They should always be fresh, and there is always some risk built in.

But how does one use a prompt with a group?

You'll note that they all require people to write on the spot and they are never graded nor are the writers required to hand them in. They are used only for making knowledge and breaking down stiffness about an idea. These prompts are also usually opportunities to collaborate. The writers get to explain, read, and skip over parts that don't fit the train of thought the group seems to be developing. Prompts are not to develop facts, but rather to develop talking points, and to this end one person summarizes or presents the group's observations while you, the leader, copy them down for all to see. Note that after you have developed a body of impressions and ideas, you will need to link them up to the topic at hand. It may be fun for people to talk and write, but the leader will help summarize and sketch out the span and anomolies in the big group's discoveries. At this point, there is always (if you have time) room for more writing. The goal is for everyone in the room to have used writing to discover, and to leave with new ways of thinking about the subject that they can use in future writing.

Examples of some prompts with potential

*Identify as many strategies as you can for getting started with your writing (or warming up again after going "cold" on a topic). Write for five minutes, then the meeting leader will have you share your findings with your group members. After identifying the five best ones, your small group will list them on the board (or wiki or overhead, etc.) The meeting leader may choose then to categorize them, lumping them into types of strategies. Then, you'll be asked to name which one of these strategies you'll use to begin (or revive) your upcoming paper. Use that strategy tonight and report back tomorrow on what you found about what strategies for beginning work for you.*

*How does a subject or idea your studying change when you write about it? [time for writing and sharing].*

*Why is writing so often hard for writers?*

*Give a specific example of a "threshold" moment in your writing, where you experienced a breakthrough or realization (even the realization that you didn't didn't understand the topic you were writing on!). Share your "threshold moment" with your two partners. They are listed on the board by the meeting leader. Discussion: what causes these moments to happen? How can writers induce these moments?

*Who is the best editor of your work? Give an example of why you chose that person. Compare your list of the qualities of your "best editor" to the other two writers in your group. Choose one person to present your group's discoveries of what makes a good editor. [time for sharing as a large group]. Now exchange the essays you brought to class and practice being the best editor you can. [time for editing, either in writing or discussion]. Writing: Identify one claim about what you do well as an editor; likewise, make one claim about what you wish you did better as an editor"