"They make you read something that's
acutely obtuse."
Friday, February 27, 2015
Monday, February 23, 2015
On Practicing
Everyone has
heard the old joke.
Q: How do
you get to Carnegie Hall?
A: Practice.
While practicing
improves the performance of any skill, many of us resent, postpone or even shun
practicing.
The ACT
college entrance exam is given early in March, so I’m in tutoring crunch time.
I tell my students that practicing on sample tests will increase their speed in
answering questions. As few things are as mind-numbing as ACT practice tests, it’s
safe to say that none of my students has ever done her homework.
Recently, I
asked my son, Jeremy, how to get students to practice.
“Scare them,”
he said.
“Um, what?”
I asked.
“My guitar
teacher writes a metronome setting, and I’m so scared, I practice until I can
play that fast.”
That
approach works for Jeremy because he owns the problem. He understands that
becoming a great guitar player includes the ability to play fast with clean
articulation. My students don’t see how recognizing an Oxford comma or a 3-4-5
right triangle will help them excel in college. Imagine that!
My mother
used to say, “Practice makes perfect.” But how do writers practice?
Trunk
novels: Few writers publish the first novel they tried to write. All those manuscripts
languishing on my hard drive have honed my writing skills.
Writing
exercises: I do fewer of these than I used to. Perhaps it’s time to revisit the
literary version of scales and arpeggios.
Free
writing: See above.
Revision:
Re-writing and re-envisioning are essential. It’s safe to say I practice revising
every day.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Happy Valentine's Day!
The begonias are blooming - inside, of course.
Catch the light.
These plants came from a cutting my father-in-law gave me about twenty five years ago.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Friday, February 6, 2015
Overheard #305
“Snowplow sludge is
residue from those rare days when Hell momentarily freezes over.”
Thursday, February 5, 2015
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