Reflections on writing...

About 3 years ago I decided to write a novel.  A historical novel for children set in and around Norwich Cathedral.  At this point you may be wondering 'Why?'  There are a number of reasons but basically I had an idea and I fancied pursuing it.  I have some time on my hands, it is purely for my own pleasure and it allows me time to drop out of the hectic day to day running of The Literacy Shed and sit quietly.  It also allows me to visit as many cathedrals as I possibly can which is a secondary pleasurable benefit. 

These are some of the key points that I have learned during the VERY slow process. 

- No one needs to read this writing in order for the process to be enjoyable.  
- Not everything that I write will be published anywhere except in my own private notebooks. 
- Not everything will go as planned because ideas ebb and flow as the ink runs across the page. 
- There is no need to stick rigidly to planned structures at the sentence level either.  They are fluid and     will change through the process. 
- The quality of the writing isn't dependable on a narrow set of grammatical conditions. 
- It is useful to write in small chunks and add them into the narrative. 
- Characters come alive once the writing begins and take on a whole new personality sometimes. 

The biggest lesson really is that it is OK to start again.  The story has been set in Middles ages Norwich, which at one point became the fantasy city of Nearwich. I experimented with the same story being set during the industrial revolution and then in a strange 'steam-punkish' industrial/medieval landscape and now me and Tom (main character) are back in the medieval period. 

How does this affect the teaching of writing?

- Remind the children that their writing may not be published but give them the choice whether to have people read it or not. 
- If you have a great idea you do not need to stick to the plan. 
- Experiment with language and grammar structure and go with what sounds best. 
- Write in small chunks and build up towards a finished piece. 
- Allow time to go back and add in more small chunks (or even big chunks) into the narrative. 
- It is ok to start again! 

Writing like this has really given me an insight in both the processes we force the children to go through and the way in which we help them to build narratives around given characters and themes. 

I will continue to reflect upon this process and blog about how this can aid the teaching of writing.