Progoff's Intensive Journaling & Hybrid Writing Group
Today we journaled. Dave Arbogast stopped by today to lead us in some of Progoff's Intensive Journaling activities. It was an honor to introduce Dave, as he was my introduction to the NVWP through the graduate class I took in 2005. He's the reason I am part of this project and I'm so grateful! What an experience to watch the other teachers experience this for the first time.
Dave explained that the writing today was for us...as writers. The audience was us too. With intensive journaling, strong emotions bubble up through the words. I've participated in these exercises time and time again, yet the writing is always fresh and new. Amazing!
After our morning of intensive journaling, we broke for lunch and met up with our writing group. We've been meeting at a table in the cafeteria, as it's been quiet. Today it was busy, so we found a room. (Shhh, don't tell...it was marked Faculty. We decided we qualified. Some of us were nervous and outside of our comfort zones because we potentially broke the rules.)
Today in our writing group we tried something new. Natalina is a published fiction author and the rest of us fear fiction, (or shall I say fearED fiction) so we asked Natalina to bring a picture prompt and we would all write to the same prompt during writing group time and share that writing. This is risky for many of us and it's pushing our comfort zones. Natalina brought four pictures and we voted on the picture titled, "Under the Bridge". We started writing.
After the allotted time, we shared. Awed by what we produced in such a short period of time, we committed to revise and finish our pieces for our Thursday writing group. We talked about how we could use an activity like this with our students.
This hybrid writing group is an experiment. We meet face to face on Tuesdays and we share writing and give feedback asynchronously on Thursdays. I was nervous about only one face to face meeting a week. I worried that the personal connection would be lost. I was wrong. We gave effective feedback on Thursday's writing and we even discussed it today. I am so proud of all of us in our writing group. We are trying new things and pushing ourselves...I know I keep repeating that, but it amazes me how much trust we've built with each other so quickly.
Our writing group has already discussed plans to continue in the future. We are excited that we have the digital part set up and ready to go.
I can't believe I only have two days left. Each moment is precious to me.
Dave explained that the writing today was for us...as writers. The audience was us too. With intensive journaling, strong emotions bubble up through the words. I've participated in these exercises time and time again, yet the writing is always fresh and new. Amazing!
After our morning of intensive journaling, we broke for lunch and met up with our writing group. We've been meeting at a table in the cafeteria, as it's been quiet. Today it was busy, so we found a room. (Shhh, don't tell...it was marked Faculty. We decided we qualified. Some of us were nervous and outside of our comfort zones because we potentially broke the rules.)
Today in our writing group we tried something new. Natalina is a published fiction author and the rest of us fear fiction, (or shall I say fearED fiction) so we asked Natalina to bring a picture prompt and we would all write to the same prompt during writing group time and share that writing. This is risky for many of us and it's pushing our comfort zones. Natalina brought four pictures and we voted on the picture titled, "Under the Bridge". We started writing.
After the allotted time, we shared. Awed by what we produced in such a short period of time, we committed to revise and finish our pieces for our Thursday writing group. We talked about how we could use an activity like this with our students.
This hybrid writing group is an experiment. We meet face to face on Tuesdays and we share writing and give feedback asynchronously on Thursdays. I was nervous about only one face to face meeting a week. I worried that the personal connection would be lost. I was wrong. We gave effective feedback on Thursday's writing and we even discussed it today. I am so proud of all of us in our writing group. We are trying new things and pushing ourselves...I know I keep repeating that, but it amazes me how much trust we've built with each other so quickly.
Our writing group has already discussed plans to continue in the future. We are excited that we have the digital part set up and ready to go.
I can't believe I only have two days left. Each moment is precious to me.
I remember how precious the writing institute was for me. I miss that time of intense writing and exploration. It's hard to do it alone.
ReplyDeleteI love following along on this journey with you.
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