My blog has more posts in draft form than it has published posts and I'm glad it does. This strategy has served me well. Before beginning this post I saved and closed a draft of another post. This early in the writing of this one, I'll probably do the same here and probably begin another.
The funny thing is that we don't have only one thing to say during a day or week. We have several, but often without the time to put the words on paper or in this case digital prose. The ideas are expressed much more eloquently if they are left alone for a while just like a fine wine. Tomorrows thoughts blend and enrich our past in the present.
English teachers often use a strategy to deepen original ideas and make them more meaningful and creative. Imagine being asked to take a walk and note what you see in short notes and drawings. Once the short journey is complete, you return and list three of the most important things you saw in a very special way.
The teacher asks you take one of the ideas and write about how the idea made you feel, how it touched you personally, and how it connected to something in your past. You are given three minutes to pen your ideas. Once the time is up, the teacher asks you to highlight the three ideas and select one that makes the greatest connection to you. Once again you write and highlight three important ideas and select one to repeat the process again.
What comes next often shocks students. The teacher asks for you to take all of the drafts and ideas and crumble them before throwing in the trash can. The moral of the story is that creativity is not on the paper, but in your mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment