My own advice (#sol26 Day 24/31)

What would I say in a writing conference with a student who hasn’t written anything in three days? And… hear me out… what if BOTH the teacher AND the student WERE ME, considering I haven’t actually written or published anything in three days?

🤔

Teacher: Hi there, writer! I’m going to sit here with you for a minute and talk about your writing. How are you doing? Looks like you’ve been in a slump for a few days. You haven’t been writing or sharing – what’s up?

Student: Oh, hi. Yeah, I… I don’t have anything from the past few days. *looks down, dejectedly*

T: Ahhh. Yep, I can see that. Okay. Well, what’s been going on?

S: Well…

T: *provides adequate wait time, drawing out the silence juuuuuust past the point of comfort*

S: It’s just…

T: *smiles gently and nods a bit. Perhaps offers some slightly elevated eyebrows with the smile.*

S: I just had a lot going on and I kept forgetting to write every day.

T: Oh, I see. Things got busy and writing was the thing that got left behind?

S: Yeah. I’m really sorry.

T: Oh, that’s okay! It happens sometimes. The good news is that you always pick that pencil right back up again and jot down a little something. Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be true.

S: So even if it’s not a big drawn out piece that captures my audience on a professional and a personal level, I can still write it and share it?

T: Absolutely!

S: And it’s okay to start again if I forgot for three days in a row?

T: It sure is. The whole goal is to stretch your writing stamina! Sometimes that means longer pieces and sometimes that means more days in a row.

S: But I could do it all the other years I’ve done the SOL challenge. Why is this year so hard to stick with?

T: Every year is different! I bet you’re a different writer this year than you’ve ever been before, right? New perspectives? New life lessons? New knowledge from your classroom?

S: I guess so. And the things I’ve been doing have been really super fun so it’s not like I’m just staring at the wall and forgetting to write.

T: Even if you were, that would be okay too. How nice to hear that your distractions have been positive ones. Let me guess… fresh air, fun adventures, wild classroom, and maybe a cute boy and a fluffy dog?

S: *blushing*

T: Yeah?!

S: Yeah. Life’s really good right now.

T: That’s so great! I’m so happy to hear it. Just remember that anything you write can add to that feeling of contentment. Doesn’t have to be long, doesn’t have to be perfect, just has to be…

S: TRUE!

T: That’s it! You got it! Okay, before I go check in with the next person on my list, do you think you have an idea of what to write today?

S: Yep, I sure do!

❤️

See ya tomorrow!