The Big Fresh November 18, 2017 Grounded

I wish you a craft you can never learn — but can keep learning as long as you live.

Don Murray

The older you are, the more the quick passage of time can startle you. I was reading through one of Don Murray’s books this week, and was stunned to realize it’s been more than 10 years since he died. I guess one reason is that his advice still lives with me every day I write. And because of Don, I try to write every day.

Don was my mentor in graduate school. He said a few things that were true about writing like mantras when he conferred with me, over and over and over again. If you read his books now, you discover it was the same advice he gave for decades to everyone he coached, from Pulitzer Prize–winning reporters to 18-year-old freshmen scared to death at being away from home for the first time.

Nulla dies sine linea. [Never a day without a line.]

Lower your standards till you can get something on the page.

Take the time to write it short. Long writing is often poor writing.

Look for the surprise in your writing.

Don taught me that the best lessons aren’t necessarily new, and that the best advice has to be repeated often if you want it to stick. Only then does it become ingrained in the fabric of a writer’s life. That’s why I usually give Choice Literacy writers who are struggling similar guidance:

What’s the most interesting thing that happened today? Write about that.

When your writing time is up, stop in the middle of a sentence (or even a word). That way you can easily pick up the thread of your writing the next day.

Collect artifacts that remind you of events or incidents. Don’t worry about writing yet. If the image or student work is interesting to you, there eventually will be a story to tell.

Don Murray’s advice still grounds my life as a writer, and I’m certain it always will. In electrical terms, the  ground wire is the one that provides a conducting path to the earth. It is independent of the normal circuit-carrying paths in any appliance. It’s for safety — in the event of a short circuit, it ensures any current can return safely to ground.

Don’t worry about giving brilliant specific counsel when you confer with young writers. Don Murray’s advice reminds us all that the writing will come with daily practice, get better if you’re willing to pare it down, and stay fresh if you’re open to new territories in it. Sometimes what writers need most is that grounding — no matter how all over the place the writing seems, or how unfocused our routines, we need to be reminded by someone who knows us and cares about our writing that the path forward is simple, even if it isn’t always easy.

What advice do you give over and over again to young writers? Will it be worth remembering long after they’ve left your classroom?

This week we look at the power of teachers writing. Plus more as always — enjoy!

Brenda Power
Founder, Choice Literacy

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