Two Simple Rules for Writing

I was a late reader. My military dad's career bounced me from Oklahoma to Arkansas to Minnesota by first grade. When we landed in Minneapolis, every other student in the classroom could read. That was back in the day of tracked reading groups. I earned the status of sole member of the red group. I was just six, but I distinctly remember the embarrassment of being the only one in the group. Fortunately, I had a great teacher (Mrs. Tagee) who didn't let me flounder in that group for long. The next year I was in a blended second/third grade class. By the end of that year I was one of the top academic performers in all areas except math.My first big book was Little Women. I'd already read all the Little House books and my fourth grade teacher, Mrs Baumgardner, wanted to challenge me. She picked the perfect book. I couldn't wait to read about Jo and Meg and Amy and Beth. I loved Jo and hated Amy. In my opinion, Aunt March was the most evil villain ever. My heart broke when Beth died. I never really connected with Meg, but that was okay. Without her, I'm not sure what the other March girls would have done. I already loved books, but Little Women deepened that passion. It always surprises me when students tell me they want to write, but when I ask them what they're reading, they don't have an answer. In my classes and workshops I tell my kids if they want to be great writers, they MUST do two things: 1. Read 2. Write. I break the second step down into more pieces over the course of the class, but the first is pretty much a stand alone with an extra caveat. The required reading they do for English isn't enough.If we get a chance to talk more on the subject, the students who don't read usually tell me they loved reading until fifth grade. Something happens then that makes them hate it. Usually the something has to do with their required school reading, but sometimes it's just that they get distracted by other pastimes like video games. I'm glad I grew up in a time with fewer distractions. Books were my constant companions. The boring required reading didn't bother me. I just kept my copy of Tiger Beat or a Silhouette Teen Romance tucked in the pages of the book the teacher thought I was reading. I didn't have to check my Facebook notifications or tweet the latest fascinating tidbit someone passed along in class. I struggle with the distractions today when it comes to writing. If I log on to Facebook for a minute, that minute becomes two hours. My writing plans can get demolished by a Doctor Who or Buffy marathon thanks to Netflix. But distractions don't keep me away from reading. Not ever.I'll stick to my writing rules for classes: 1. Read 2. Write. And every day I'll quietly say thank you to the teachers who helped that love for words come to life.