Writing Teacher

Many “21st century thinkers” say that we live in an age of “we” and not an age of “I.”  The “digital natives” who’ve grown up sharing their lives with others via technology — and who are now Web 2.0 in their communication — are in tune with this thinking.

In this collaborative age, writing can be a dual — or even group — effort.  Tools such as Google documents and wikis allow us to co-author pieces with others.

Perhaps you (as a teacher or student writer) might consider collaboration as an approach to preparing a submission to our contest.  Why not?  Our personal prompt invites and encourages such collaborative thinking and effort.   You might write from a “we” perspective that is truly a “we” of more than one author.

Have fun.  Surprise yourself.

How do you write from a first person plural perspective about a group to which you belong, or to which you once belonged?  That’s the challenge of our personal essay prompt!

In class the other day, my Creative Writing students generated some great ideas and, with their permission, I’m sharing some of those idea with you.  Maybe these will help you think about a way you might approach the assignment.  If you have other ideas, please share them by commenting on this post!

 Sarah

• Those who stayed after school because working parents couldn’t pick us up on time –
• Those who have really common names –
• Those who couldn’t drive junior year –
• Those who don’t know where/if they want to go to college –
• Those who have over supportive/involved parents

 Leah

• “people who are awful with technology”
• “people who can’t cry during movies”

 David G

• “After-school playground crowd”
• “People who unintentionally miss all the assemblies”
• “Kids who spent entire summers indoors, with Halo.”

 Odelya

•  we, the siblings who look so much alike we often get mistaken for twins –
• we, the friends who bicker but don’t fight –
• we, the ones who moved to this unheard of, undersized, northern New Jersey town in the middle of nowhere –
• we, the ones who have brown eyes and wished they weren’t –
• we, that compare ourselves to a melting pot of social groups –
• we, that can spend hours a day on facebook, minimally.
• we, the girls who turn another’s cry into a laugh –
• we, whose flag consists of two blue strips, top and bottom, and a perfect small star in the middle –
• we, who don’t mind losing tremendous amounts of water weight in the sun, just for that perfect tan –
• we, who breathe extremely deep when nervous/anxious –
• we, who were born with curly hair and only want straight –
• we, who always try to achieve excellence –
• we, who believe strongly in astrology -we, who are superstitious about everything –
• we, the “awkward stage” escapers –
• we, the old gang who played street baseball on Ridge
• Road’s(or any street’s) cul de sac

 David S

• -Those of us who drive Toyota Priuses-
• -Same Halloween group
• -Those who believe in ghosts

 Skylar

• -The writer of a group for example in a class and you are separated into groups and one person is designated to write.
• -people who drive to school
• -upperclassmen
• -short people
• -green eyes
• -OCD shopping
• -late sleepers
• -people who wear all black and are not gothic
• -movie haters
• -loss of a parent/single parent club
• -people who cannot survive without water
• -only child at heart
• -people who envision themselves living like a celebrity

 Max

• The Jews
• The Americans
• The Smith Schoolers
• The ones who don’t change their shirt in P.E.
• The mama’s boys
• People with short hair
• People who don’t drink coffee
• “Seinfeld” fans
• Television appreciators
• Those who still receive Nickelodeon Magazine without ordering it for two years

 Claire 

• Exchange students
• black sheep
• the strong and thick-skinned
• not be able to be one of them anymore

 Yael

• the students who love to danced
• the once who stayed up after 2am
• marching band geeks
• kids who have older siblings who have left for college, leaving you alone

 Diana

• people who can’t tan for their lives,
• the ones who wear rain boots specifically when it isn’t going to rain,
• Facebook addicts,
• big kids who still watch cartoons from the 90s.

 Maia

• The ones dramatically shorter than their younger siblings
• The ones who carry around mugs all day

You can find a copy of our contest flyer at the following link:  http://sites.google.com/site/danamaloney/njcte-writing-contest.  (I could not get the flyer to post to the NJCTE site, and after 10 attempts, I gave up.)

 Teachers, please advertise the contest in your classroom, department and school.  Thanks for your help!

New Jersey teachers and students alike are lucky to have the unique support and inspiration provided by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Poetry Program (http://www.dodgepoetry.org/).  The Dodge Foundation serves as a kind of magical friend to all NJ teachers and student writers.

Hurray and congratulations that Dodge has found a way to keep the wonderful, biennial poetry festival going:  They recently announced that a 2010 festival will be held at NJPAC in Newark.

Martin Farawell, the wonderful new director of the Poetry Program who is accomplishing the impossible by filling the shoes of the incomparable Jim Haba, has expressed lots of interest in offering support of NJCTE and the writing contest.  We thank Martin for this help, and we wish him and the rest of the Dodge Poetry crew a great year.  Can’t wait for the Dodge Festival to come to Newark! 

Thank you, Dodge, for continuing to inspire us all and for ensuring that the magic continues in New Jersey.

If you have any questions about the contest that you don’t see answered by posts on this blog, please submit comments.  We’ll answer you as soon as we can.

Before submitting any work, please make sure that you have devoted time to the writing process.  Award-winning writing is usually writing that has gone through extensive drafting, revision, and editing.  We encourage student writers to solicit feedback from others, including peers. 

We also remind you to keep our judging criteria in mind as you draft, revise and edit.  You’ll find that information in other posts on this blog.

Each student is limited to one entry per contest category (poetry, short story, personal essay), and each teacher is limited to ten entries per category. 

Teachers may submit work on behalf of student writers.

Once you are ready to submit work, you might find it useful to consult these directions, provided by NCTE:

Steps to Get Started

Contribute Your Writing

1. Click the Contribute Your Writing button.
2. Complete the More About the Main Author and About the Piece pages.
3. After completing each page, don’t forget to click the Next button at the bottom of each page.
4. As you complete these pages, you will be asked whether or not you would like to share certain information. If you click the Share This button, the information will appear in the National Gallery of Writing.
5. After completing the two pages, you can always return to the page, make additional edits, and then click Update.
6. It is mandatory that a name be associated with each contribution. As the contributor, you can choose how you would like your published name listed. The system will default to using your real name as provided in your contact information, however you can edit your published name on the Writing Submission Information page. For minors, the published name established by their parents during the site permission process will be used.
7. Once you have finished making updates and you are ready to submit your contribution, you should click the Click Here to Complete Your Submission button.
8. You will NOT be able to make changes to your submission after you select this link.

Contribute For Others

1. Click the Multiple Pieces button.
2. A special permission statement will appear asking that you acknowledge that you have received prior permission to contribute for others.
3. After you acknowledge the permission statement, a new button will appear titled Contribute for Others.
4. It is mandatory that a name be associated with each contribution. As the contributor, you can choose how you would like the author’s published name listed. This can be a first name, nickname, pen name, real name, or any name that you feel comfortable being viewable online associated with the piece. Please make sure that you have received the proper permission from the author if you use his or her real name.
5. Follow steps 2-7 above.
6. Repeat this process for each contribution you make on behalf of others.

Thanks to NCTE and the National Gallery of Writing, we’re able this year to conduct a paper-free contest.  All submissions must be uploaded to the appropriate gallery:

·     Poetry Submissions:  http://www.galleryofwriting.org/galleries/735416
·     Personal Essay Submissions:  http://www.galleryofwriting.org/galleries/699259
·     Short Story Submissions:  http://www.galleryofwriting.org/galleries/725566

Judging will be conducted digitally as well.  Yes, we will eventually award prizes (following three rounds of judging), but we also like the fact that particiaption in our contest creates a way for students to publish their work online.  This online contest is in-line with our goals of supporting and celebrating ALL student writers.

In addition to the gallery sites, more information about the contest is available at www.njcte.org/writingcontest.html

Please spread the word about the contest to New Jersey high school teachers and students.  We want to reach teachers and students across the State!  Thanks in advance for your support and involvement.

Dana

Writing is a process!

Revise!

Don’t forget the importance of working on a piece across time.  Draft and re-draft.  Then revise and revise and revise — and edit and proofread and edit.  During the writing process, aim to deepen the meanings in, and the quality of, your contest submissions.

The pieces that win prizes in our contest are generally pieces that writers process over time.  Often these are pieces on which students have received teacher feedback. 

“I believe in impulse and naturalness, but followed by discipline in the cutting.”  — Anais Nin

Below are the criteria we share with our writing contest judges.  Keep them in mind as you prepare writing contest submissions.

Short Story

• writer shows vs. tells:  story happens before the reader’s eyes; reader sees, hears, smells, tastes, and/or feels the story
• writer makes effective use of storytelling tools – including dialogue, figurative language, imagery
• story takes place in specific scene(s)
• plot is driven by conflict; end of story conveys resolution to conflict
• characters defy stereotype; are round – and perhaps dynamic
• plot is not predictable; contains surprise, originality
• point of view is consistent and effectively serves to tell story
• writing expresses personal style
• story conveys meaning
• writer effectively begins and ends story
• title is well chosen and adds meaning to piece
• story reflects effort, thought, skill

As you teach and/or write personal essays, you might find it useful to keep in mind the following considerations.  These are the criteria we gave to our writing contest judges in 2009 as guideposts by which to read, and to evaluate, personal essay submissions.

• Keep in mind that personal essays do not require use of traditional essay structure (introduction with thesis, body paragraphs, conclusion).  The writer may convey thought and meaning via many possible structures, including a loose structure that might meander and imply meanings without directly stating them. 
•  essay responds directly and specifically to this year’s prompt
• writer’s voice is unique, clear and strong
• writer effectively uses imagery and other detail to bring to life a “world.”
• writer conveys thought and meaning connected to the world
• tone of essay helps convey attitude toward world
• writing conveys personal style and voice
• writer effectively begins and ends essay
• content of piece is original in the perspective it offers
• title is well chosen and adds meaning to piece
• essay reflects effort, thought, skill