Carlstrom 1

Dean Carlstrom
683
Dr. Hartman
5/4/16
Writing Phil.
Philosophy of Writing

The secret to becoming a writer is to write, write then keep on writing, stated Ken MacLeod.
Writing is a difficult task that only reveals itself through practice. It is an exercise in patience and
persistence that only comes to fruition through effort. Recognizing the difficulty of the task is
critical to teaching the craft. We should embrace the ambiguity.
In my classroom, I attempt to create an environment that invites students to explore their
identities as writers where they take chances and experiment with various techniques to delve
inside to generate their best work and deliver messages of pride and accomplishment. To
establish such an atmosphere, I share my writing with students and write with them, so they can
witness the process and struggles as I write. Building a rapport with students enables them to
freely express themselves and comfortably take some chances with their own writing--an
absolute essential if they are to truly challenge themselves and push their own limits. Donald
Murray in Write to Learn succinctly articulates this sentiment by stating, You still have to write to
learn to write (1). This may seem obvious but the effort of writing commences with just that
effort.
Students must build upon their prior knowledge and experiences through connections; this
integral step enables students to tap into what they know and value. One way for them to utilize
these connections is by writing often. I will continue to expand writing opportunities and
incorporate some daybook writing, a hard-backed book where students experiment with writing
by pieces and log thoughts without fear of reprisal. They let go of the perfectionism...and view
mistakes as potential successes (Brannon, et. al. 12). Generating ideas, pictures, and multiple

Carlstrom 2
drafts enables writers to work through the process of writing. Again, Donald Murray profoundly
professes, The writer is constantly learning from the writing what it intends to say. The writer
listens for evolving meaning...The writing itself helps the writer see the subject (Murray, Writing
as a Process 7).
Small groups and peer revising will also provide new perspectives and feedback for writers.
If I demonstrate this process and show them my struggles as a writer, they are more apt to
actually re- see their drafts. I will continue to give specific, pointed feedback to students and
meet individually to conference with them about their writing and the challenges therein.
Conferencing has provided my students with a forum to speak about their ideas, clarify them,
and in essence own them. By conversing with me about their writing, they must think more
about it. Since I spend my time outside of class (generally) with them, they see my conviction
and value of their writing. In a sense, it provides validity for them as writers and displays my
compassion for their success.
Including elements such as legitimate writing prompts that connect to life and readings
deepens the relevance of their efforts. An incorporation of grammar, punctuation and its usage
gives us a language to discuss writing and stylistic features to experiment with to impact the
audience. Understanding the complexities of writing and the new forms such as multi-modal
composition provides a forum for students to write and rewrite resulting in clear conveyance of
concepts as students prevail on the roller coaster of writing. Writing is a tumultuous ride filled
with self-doubt, worry, frustration, success, joy, and perseverance. I will walk beside them in this
journey.

Carlstrom 3

Works Cited

Brannon, Lil. Sally Griffin, Karen Haag, Tony Iannone, Cynthia Urbanski, and Shana Woodward.
Thinking Out Loud on Paper: The Student Daybook as a Tool to Foster Learning.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.
MacLeod, Ken. Ken MacLeod Quotes. AZ Quotes. Nd. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
Murray, Donald. Write to Learn. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2004. Print.
Murray, Donald. Writing as a Process: How Writing finds its own meaning. Eight Approaches
To Teaching Composition. Ed. Timothy R. Donovan and Ben McClelland. Urbana:
National Council of Teachers of English, 1980. 3-20. Print.