at a loss

My syllabi are done. My home workspace is almost in order—the second filing cabinet arrives today and once it’s assembled I’ll be done with the thigh-high stack of paper on the floor. Next week advising starts and then I head to South Carolina to conduct research for Judah’s Tale before classes start on the 28th. But right now I’m at a loss for words. On Monday I met with Ed Spicer and he told me about an amazing, innovative activity he does with his first graders. For five minutes, the children are allowed to daydream—no prompts, no guidelines, just time to sit and dream. Then when the five minutes are up, the children share their dream with a partner and the partner suggests ways to extend the dream. I often tell people that writing is 70% dreaming. And most days, I’m fine with that. But when you want the words to come and they don’t…you have to take a deep breath, close your eyes, and keep on dreaming…