tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post4840927484764408409..comments2024-03-26T07:00:11.620-05:00Comments on Wisdom of the Hands: overcoming writer's blockDoug Stowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13003845322415622289noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post-13464497895733579992011-05-09T12:44:41.173-05:002011-05-09T12:44:41.173-05:00This is a beautiful and touching post. It handsome...This is a beautiful and touching post. It handsomely ties the child you were to the adult you have become. <br />I empathize with your inner child and relate strongly to your desire to write non-fiction.I had to find my own path by way of my hands and a small how-to book.Cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16647343846657324417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post-45024347560741033922010-02-21T15:12:35.529-06:002010-02-21T15:12:35.529-06:00Nathan, it is never too late to practice cursive, ...Nathan, it is never too late to practice cursive, and I believe it can help writing skills. In 7th and 8th grade in Omaha, Nebraska, we were told very specifically what kind of cartridge pen to buy to help our flow of words on paper. Still, to this day, I can't stand ball points, as they cramp my style.<br /><br />It took me a long time to get over my early reticence to write. But you can go back to the beginning. Before attempting to write in cursive, do air writing with a pencil, or better yet, a self-carved kindergarten pointer. Form your letters using your larger motor skills and then work toward pen on paper. Developmentally, we work from gross motor skills toward fine, and I think as you point out, we aren't all ready to do the same things in school at the same time.Doug Stowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13003845322415622289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post-19759284288277093892010-02-21T15:01:40.516-06:002010-02-21T15:01:40.516-06:00I listen to my students as they work on projects a...I listen to my students as they work on projects and their conversations are almost always about movies they've seen or games they play, completely un-unique experiences that few could find anything significant to write about. Too often, they don't have anything significant to say about themselves.<br /><br />John Grossbohlin told me about taking his sons hunting, and having the other kids in school disbelieving the stories they told. So now they keep their real adventures to themselves.Doug Stowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13003845322415622289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post-504143001582749832010-02-21T13:13:54.205-06:002010-02-21T13:13:54.205-06:00Hard to believe you were not a natural writer! Ia...Hard to believe you were not a natural writer! IainAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post-71288615863407569322010-02-21T12:49:35.104-06:002010-02-21T12:49:35.104-06:00Thank you for this post. I am still overcoming my...Thank you for this post. I am still overcoming my own personal reticence to place my thoughts on paper, something that for me started developing in second grade when I started learning cursive. At that point I did not yet have the motor skills to properly form the letters, and so I failed my worksheets upon which I had poured seemingly, to me, endless amounts of time and energy. This was in the early nineties and my dad had a computer for work, I figured that since I couldn't write the letters properly and would therefore fail any composition assignments we were given based solely on my childish penmanship I should type my writing instead. Alas, I was not given the opportunity to submit typed papers until my schooling had squashed that last of my desire to ever commit anything to paper. Since then I have been struggling to overcome this handicap. I had to retake English classes in summer school 3 times in high-school, and I failed my college freshman level english 3 times before I found a professor who was capable of inspiring me to actually turn in any of my assignments. I left that class having reduced my utter loathing of writing that had permeated to the very core of my soul to a mere dislike that I can overcome when I have a topic that is dear to my heart such as your post. Thank you for the time you spend writing this blog; it means much to me as I study wood working at Oregon College of Art and Craft. And thank you for a post that comes so near to one of my own personal struggles within the educational system we have.Nathan Bealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06359103717311418107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post-84139638763103488392010-02-21T11:31:52.258-06:002010-02-21T11:31:52.258-06:00Absolutely WONDERFUL post! The parents of my stud...Absolutely WONDERFUL post! The parents of my students always ask me "What can I teach my child at home?" and my answer is always "Give them real-life experiences so they'll have something to write about, other than Princess Barbie or Transformers." Thank you for letting me know that my answer is on the right path, and that experience has served you well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com