Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Just Start

I attempt to motivate students to write all week long. It requires high energy.

I sweat.

I sip iced coffee to sustain me as I defend the semicolon. I stretch out and cool down in between lessons on sentence variation and mood.

I push my hair out of my face, catch my breath, and make wild gestures to remind them to eliminate weak verbs.

I detest weak verbs. They waste my time, people.

Finally, after I've left it all on the field that is the classroom, I offer my last piece of inspiration:

Just start.

None of this matters unless you start. You have to start. 

Isn't that how anything ever happens? You start? You just start?

So just start.

I don't care if it's one single measly word (but not a weak verb), just write.

____________________
I applied my motivational speech to myself as I stood before my bathroom with my cleaning bucket in hand. You just have to start, and soon, you've cleaned your bathroom. Spring is a great time to start.


4 comments:

Carla said...

Your post made me remember this article I read recently about weak and strong verbs...
http://pcwrede.com/blog/weak-and-strong/

Allison said...

"Spring is a great time to start." The exact words I needed to hear today to motivate me - Thank You!!

Janie said...

Thanks for your constant inspiration to ask your students to write with flair! I mentioned before I am one religious follower of your fabulous blog!

When I first started blogging, my friends said the verbs or descriptive words I used were weak; with much of your motivation to your students, I attempted to use your wisdom and try to start being bold with my description of words and friends said my writing is getting.

Just like to thank you for inspiration. Here are two for your marking ;p

The boring bare tree. ;p

http://janiecross.wordpress.com/2013/03/22/skeletons-of-trees/

And the neglected plain daffodils ;p

http://janiecross.wordpress.com/2013/03/31/march-magnificat/

Mark Allman said...

I often tell my children that the most difficult thing to do is to start. Commit to doing that and you will do well. Stay away from committing time.. just commit to starting today on whatever it is you need to do today.