One of the best things about my job ...

Here is a cool article about Spanish novelist Rosa Montero's visit to BYU in March. I had the awesome opportunity to give a little talk alongside my dear friends Juan Carlos Martín and Dale Pratt at one of the events Rosa did. I was even able to take some of my students up to hang out with Rosa for the day. Stuff like this makes me love my job.

http://humanities.byu.edu/writing-more-than-machines-rosa-montero-and-the-modern-author/

The Protagonist Podcast #016: "Last hope." Superman/Clark Kent in All Star Superman (Comic 2005-08)

This week, Joe and I talk about Clark Kent/Superman in All-Star Superman (well, most of it, they run through the Bizarro issues pretty quickly). The mini-series by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely was an instantly classic take on an iconic character (one that you all knew we'd talk about at some point).

Check it out at protagonistpodcast.com

The Protagonist Podcast

Over the past several years I've come to really love listening to podcasts. They are an awesome source of information and entertainment. It's radio you can listen to anywhere you want with no commercials.

Now I've started a podcast of my own. Every week I sit down with my great friend Joseph Darowski, who has a PhD in Comic Book Studies from Michigan State and is one of the smartest people I know, and we talk about great characters in great stories. We call it The Protagonist, and It's one of the highlights of my week.

If you are new to podcasts you can click here for an article that I wrote as an introduction. What is a podcast? How can you listen to one? etc.

To listen to the podcast, you can start by going to our website which is here.

If you listen, I'd love to hear any feedback you have. It's a labor of love and we want our show to be the best.

I hope you enjoy!

What IS Critical Thinking?

I appreciated this article the other day from The Wall Street Journal that highlights an issue that I have been thinking about recently, namely “What IS critical thinking?”

We talk about this skill all the time at the academy, especially in the humanities, but we don’t often discuss what it actually is. Some people define critical thinking as meta-thinking, others as problem solving. I think that I agree with those who see it as the ability to evaluate and sift through information in order to make decisions or to craft and present an informed opinion about something.

Give the article a read, I think it’s worth the time (and it’s really short).

Using Dungeons and Dragons Classes to Think about Character

Yesterday in 3210 we used Dungeons and Dragons character classes to come up with types that might be helpful in thinking about characters in our short stories.

In D&D, the first step is to create a character. This is done by first determining ability scores (the strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma) for you character. You then pick your character’s race (dwarf, elf, human, halfling, half-orc, half-elf, and gnome). The next step is to pick a class for your character.

A class in D&D is a character’s profession, and in the game there are 11 classes. Here they are, along with a brief description of the character:

Barbarian

For some, there is only rage. In the ways of their people, in the fury of their passion, in the howl of battle, conflict is all these brutal souls know. Savages, hired muscle, masters of vicious martial techniques, they are not soldiers or professional warriors—they are the battle possessed, creatures of slaughter and spirits of war. Known as barbarians, these warmongers know little of training, preparation, or the rules of warfare; for them, only the moment exists, with the foes that stand before them and the knowledge that the next moment might hold their death. They possess a sixth sense in regard to danger and the endurance to weather all that might entail. These brutal warriors might rise from all walks of life, both civilized and savage, though whole societies embracing such philosophies roam the wild places of the world. Within barbarians storms the primal spirit of battle, and woe to those who face their rage.

Bard 

Untold wonders and secrets exist for those skillful enough to discover them. Through cleverness, talent, and magic, these cunning few unravel the wiles of the world, becoming adept in the arts of persuasion, manipulation, and inspiration. Typically masters of one or many forms of artistry, bards possess an uncanny ability to know more than they should and use what they learn to keep themselves and their allies ever one step ahead of danger. Bards are quick-witted and captivating, and their skills might lead them down many paths, be they gamblers or jacks-of-all-trades, scholars or performers, leaders or scoundrels, or even all of the above. For bards, every day brings its own opportunities, adventures, and challenges, and only by bucking the odds, knowing the most, and being the best might they claim the treasures of each.

Cleric

In faith and the miracles of the divine, many find a greater purpose. Called to serve powers beyond most mortal understanding, all priests preach wonders and provide for the spiritual needs of their people. Clerics are more than mere priests, though; these emissaries of the divine work the will of their deities through strength of arms and the magic of their gods. Devoted to the tenets of the religions and philosophies that inspire them, these ecclesiastics quest to spread the knowledge and influence of their faith. Yet while they might share similar abilities, clerics prove as different from one another as the divinities they serve, with some offering healing and redemption, others judging law and truth, and still others spreading conflict and corruption. The ways of the cleric are varied, yet all who tread these paths walk with the mightiest of allies and bear the arms of the gods themselves.

Druid

Within the purity of the elements and the order of the wilds lingers a power beyond the marvels of civilization. Furtive yet undeniable, these primal magics are guarded over by servants of philosophical balance known as druids. Allies to beasts and manipulators of nature, these often misunderstood protectors of the wild strive to shield their lands from all who would threaten them and prove the might of the wilds to those who lock themselves behind city walls. Rewarded for their devotion with incredible powers, druids gain unparalleled shape-shifting abilities, the companionship of mighty beasts, and the power to call upon nature's wrath. The mightiest temper powers akin to storms, earthquakes, and volcanoes with primeval wisdom long abandoned and forgotten by civilization.

Fighter

Some take up arms for glory, wealth, or revenge. Others do battle to prove themselves, to protect others, or because they know nothing else. Still others learn the ways of weaponcraft to hone their bodies in battle and prove their mettle in the forge of war. Lords of the battlefield, fighters are a disparate lot, training with many weapons or just one, perfecting the uses of armor, learning the fighting techniques of exotic masters, and studying the art of combat, all to shape themselves into living weapons. Far more than mere thugs, these skilled warriors reveal the true deadliness of their weapons, turning hunks of metal into arms capable of taming kingdoms, slaughtering monsters, and rousing the hearts of armies. Soldiers, knights, hunters, and artists of war, fighters are unparalleled champions, and woe to those who dare stand against them.

Monk

For the truly exemplary, martial skill transcends the battlefield—it is a lifestyle, a doctrine, a state of mind. These warrior-artists search out methods of battle beyond swords and shields, finding weapons within themselves just as capable of crippling or killing as any blade. These monks (so called since they adhere to ancient philosophies and strict martial disciplines) elevate their bodies to become weapons of war, from battle-minded ascetics to self-taught brawlers. Monks tread the path of discipline, and those with the will to endure that path discover within themselves not what they are, but what they are meant to be.

Paladin

Through a select, worthy few shines the power of the divine. Called paladins, these noble souls dedicate their swords and lives to the battle against evil. Knights, crusaders, and law-bringers, paladins seek not just to spread divine justice but to embody the teachings of the virtuous deities they serve. In pursuit of their lofty goals, they adhere to ironclad laws of morality and discipline. As reward for their righteousness, these holy champions are blessed with boons to aid them in their quests: powers to banish evil, heal the innocent, and inspire the faithful. Although their convictions might lead them into conflict with the very souls they would save, paladins weather endless challenges of faith and dark temptations, risking their lives to do right and fighting to bring about a brighter future.

Ranger

For those who relish the thrill of the hunt, there are only predators and prey. Be they scouts, trackers, or bounty hunters, rangers share much in common: unique mastery of specialized weapons, skill at stalking even the most elusive game, and the expertise to defeat a wide range of quarries. Knowledgeable, patient, and skilled hunters, these rangers hound man, beast, and monster alike, gaining insight into the way of the predator, skill in varied environments, and ever more lethal martial prowess. While some track man-eating creatures to protect the frontier, others pursue more cunning game—even fugitives among their own people.

Rogue

Life is an endless adventure for those who live by their wits. Ever just one step ahead of danger, rogues bank on their cunning, skill, and charm to bend fate to their favor. Never knowing what to expect, they prepare for everything, becoming masters of a wide variety of skills, training themselves to be adept manipulators, agile acrobats, shadowy stalkers, or masters of any of dozens of other professions or talents. Thieves and gamblers, fast talkers and diplomats, bandits and bounty hunters, and explorers and investigators all might be considered rogues, as well as countless other professions that rely upon wits, prowess, or luck. Although many rogues favor cities and the innumerable opportunities of civilization, some embrace lives on the road, journeying far, meeting exotic people, and facing fantastic danger in pursuit of equally fantastic riches. In the end, any who desire to shape their fates and live life on their own terms might come to be called rogues.

Sorcerer

Scions of innately magical bloodlines, the chosen of deities, the spawn of monsters, pawns of fate and destiny, or simply flukes of fickle magic, sorcerers look within themselves for arcane prowess and draw forth might few mortals can imagine. Emboldened by lives ever threatening to be consumed by their innate powers, these magic-touched souls endlessly indulge in and refine their mysterious abilities, gradually learning how to harness their birthright and coax forth ever greater arcane feats. Just as varied as these innately powerful spellcasters' abilities and inspirations are the ways in which they choose to utilize their gifts. While some seek to control their abilities through meditation and discipline, becoming masters of their fantastic birthright, others give in to their magic, letting it rule their lives with often explosive results. Regardless, sorcerers live and breathe that which other spellcasters devote their lives to mastering, and for them magic is more than a boon or a field of study; it is life itself.

Wizard

Beyond the veil of the mundane hide the secrets of absolute power. The works of beings beyond mortals, the legends of realms where gods and spirits tread, the lore of creations both wondrous and terrible—such mysteries call to those with the ambition and the intellect to rise above the common folk to grasp true might. Such is the path of the wizard. These shrewd magic-users seek, collect, and covet esoteric knowledge, drawing on cultic arts to work wonders beyond the abilities of mere mortals. While some might choose a particular field of magical study and become masters of such powers, others embrace versatility, reveling in the unbounded wonders of all magic. In either case, wizards prove a cunning and potent lot, capable of smiting their foes, empowering their allies, and shaping the world to their every desire.

In class yesterday, I had my students break into groups of three, read the description of a given class, and then try to pull that character outside the fantasy world of the game and into real life. I mentioned in a previous post that most strong characters will be consistent regardless of the context in which they are placed, and I believe that the D&D classes make for a good starting point when one wants to think about character.

At first, this exercise was pretty tricky for my students. They wanted to just think of examples from fantasy books and movies of these characters. So I posed the question in a different way. If you were writing a story about your own life, who would play the role of the wizard, or the rogue, or the fighter, etc.?

This opened up a pretty interesting discussion about the roles that people play (or that we project onto people) in our own society.

Think about it. Who are the Barbarians in our society? Well, what makes a barbarian a barbarian? Or, from where do barbarians derive their power? The answer: Rage. Students immediately started talking about how recent scandals with pro football players like Ray Rice have led to the perception that many of these professional athletes are barbarians. How about the Bards? Their power comes from art, which they can use to inspire their companions. Do you know anyone in your life who fits that description? How about the Druids? Hippies. Their energy comes from a deep connection with and desire to protect nature. Sound familiar? What about fighters and paladins? You would think they are the same thing, but Paladin serves a higher cause and fights against evil. Fighters, on the other hand, are only interested in honing their skills. You might say that the paladin wears a uniform (police officer, soldier, firefighter, missionary??) while the fighter does not (private military contractor?). The rogues are pretty easily identifiable as the fast talkers, the manipulators, the resourceful. What about the clerics and the monks, or the sorcerers and the wizards? Again, the difference lies in their source of power. The cleric derives power from religion, the monk from philosophy, and the wizards and sorcerers from magic. What are the sources of magic in our day? Science? Technology? Perhaps …

While some characters in the books we read and the films we watch will be a composite of different classes, I think it is worthwhile to think about these different character types either when we want to create new characters, or appreciate the creations of others a bit better.

What class are you?

How to Create Strong Characters

I am not an expert creative writer. In fact, I haven’t done much creative writing at all since I was a kid. But I have always wanted to be a novelist, and this year I have decided to do something about it. I see my 3210 class as the perfect opportunity to do so.

My students are now fully focused on their short stories (I am also going to write one), and the other day we spent class discussing how to make a great character. I think that most great literature holds our attention because of great characters. I also think that when many people (myself included) think about writing a story, they don’t think enough about characters, and they also don’t realize how vital any character they create will be to the success of their story.

As I was researching the topic of how to create a compelling character, I came across [this article]that I felt gave a pretty good pattern to follow. I adapted a bit, and this is what I came up with.

Context

Every character has to live somewhere. This point is not at the top because it is the most vital to a character (in fact, great characters would still be great characters regardless of where and when they live), but I put it at the top because I think that it helps get students into a creative frame of mind if they can start to imagine a world that their character(s) might inhabit. I have had great authors tell me that they have created a character for one story only to have that character refuse to participate until the author could find a better context for them, so context is definitely subject to change, but it’s a decent place to start.

Type

Going back to the [hero’s journey from last week], as the hero progresses through the steps of the monomyth, they will often find a cast of characters along the way. When creating a story that will follow the hero’s journey, it makes sense to identify the role of your characters while you are creating them. Is this character a sidekick, or a villian, or a messenger. Could it also possibly be a trickster or a shapeshifter.

Feeling

Now the rubber is starting to hit the road. When readers are reading about your character, what do you want them to feel? There may be no greater indicator of the success of a character than this. People may forget what your character does, but if you do your job right, they should never forget how your character makes them feel. Do you want your hero to make people feel happy, or tenderness, or rage? Do you want your villian to make people feel dread, or anxiety, or empathy? If you can nail this down, you will be moving in the right direction toward making really memorable characters.

Goal

Last night, I took my son to watch A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and I was struck by how clearly in the first lines of the play Shakespeare clearly identifies the goals and motivations of all of the characters. This is crucial, and probably the lynchpin of all of these steps. Good characters have clear motivations. Weak characters do not. Actors are taught to identify the motivation of their characters because once they know what they are supposed to want, they will know how to act in any situation. Conflict (a crucial element of any good plot) very often revolves around an obstacle in the way of a hero’s goal. Identify the goal, and you are halfway there.

Likes and Dislikes

This is a great way to flesh out some details about your character. Everybody has things that they like and dislike. The whole Facebook ecosystem revolves around people liking things. Try thinking about if your character were creating a Facebook profile. What would they put as their interests? What kind of music would they listen to? What kind of food would they like to eat? On the other hand, what would they hate?

Unique Traits

Does your character possess some defining characteristic? The superhero genre is LOADED with examples of this, but a unique trait does not have to be a super power. Think about Don Quijote’s hat, or the awesome way that Jed Bartlett puts on his suit coat. Is there something that would make your character stand out in a crowd, or something you could use to identify him or her against an imposter?

Fears, Secrets, Weaknesses

Is there something that your character fears above all else? Do they harbor a dark secret? Do they have some kind of achilles heal? Fears and secrets are sometimes associated with goals and motivations, but not always so, and they almost always make for more compelling characters. Batman’s power comes from his childhood fear of bats. Dumbledore intrigues us because we know that he is keeping secrets from everyone. Superman is only interesting as a character because we know that kryptonite can do him in.

Think about your favorite characters from literature, film, or TV. I am sure you will be able to identify their goals, and you can also certainly identify them with a feeling. You will most likely be able to identify some of their likes and dislikes, but especially their fears, secrets, and weaknesses. They might even have some unique trait that makes them special. I guarantee that if you can answer these questions about the characters in your story, you will be on your way to creating something awesome.

I'm very interested in hearing what you all think. Am I missing something vital here? Have any of you had success teaching students how to create strong characters? Let me know. I'm in very new territory here.

The Hero's Journey

Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey

My 3210 students turned in their essays today, and I’m really interested to see how they turn out. I would love to build some kind of mechanism in so that they can take another shot and fix these essays up, but I’m not quite sure how to make that happen yet.

Anyway, now we are moving on to talk about the short story. We spent the day yesterday talking about what is probably the most important literary principle I have ever learned: the Hero’s Journey. I say that it is the most important because it was only after I learned about this theory that I started really being able to analyze pieces of literature and to see patterns. It is something that can be taught relatively quickly and the payoff for students is huge. It can truly change your life because once you learn to identify the pattern, you will see it everywhere. Films, TV shows, and books will never be the same.

So what is the hero’s journey?

There are lots of variations of this, but the most complete description is found in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Campbell, who was a student of the great Carl Jung, was fascinated by the similarities between stories across time and across cultures. As he studied every story he could get his hands on, he began to see a pattern emerge. His analysis of that pattern became The Hero of a Thousand Faces, in which he describes a process or structure for stories that he calls the hero’s journey.

Campbell goes into remarkable detail. I like to keep my version a bit more simple.

Status Quo: The hero starts out as a regular person in a regular world. They might be bored with their existence (Luke Skywalker), or somewhat downtrodden (Jean Valjean), or just dissatisfied (Belle).

Call to Adventure: Along comes a herald that calls the hero on an adventure. This could be a letter (Harry Potter), or a tornado (the Wizard of Oz), or a starship captain who challenges the hero to join Starfleet (Star Trek).

Departure: The hero leaves his boring or oppressive world and strikes out on the adventure.

Threshold: At some point the hero crosses a boundary or border that clearly separates his world from some other special world. In theory there is just one threshold, but in reality we often see lots of them. Sam stops Frodo in The Fellowship of the Ring and tells him that if he takes one more step he will be the farthest from home that he has ever been. But then later they have to cross the Brandywine bridge. Then even later they leave their friends behind and cross the lake in order to strike out on their own. Then they cross a threshold into Mordor. Then they cross another threshold at Mount Doom! Each threshold takes them into a land that is darker and scarier than the one before.

Challenges, Friends, Mentors: Along the way on this journey (sometimes before the first threshold, sometimes after it, sometimes as part of crossing it), the hero encounters challenges, but is also joined by friends and mentors who help him on his way. Harry meets Ron and Hermione after crossing the first threshold (platform 9 3/4), but Bilbo meets the dwarves before he leaves on his adventure. Frodo has Sam and (to a certain extent) Gandalf before he leaves, but the fellowship of the ring is formed only after he reaches Rivendell. Katniss Everdeen doesn’t get her mentor, Haymitch, until after she has left home and crossed the threshold into the big city (but before she crosses another threshold and enters the arena).

Descent: Much of the first part of the hero’s journey can be thought of as a descent. This might not always be the case, but symbolically the hero has to reach some (usually) dark, (often) cold, and (frequently) wet place. So Luke Skywalker ends up in a garbage dump in Star Wars but then in The Empire Strikes Back (an entire film dedicated to the descent) he starts on an icy planet, gets thawed out in a tank of water, then ends up going to Degoba, a swampy, dark, mucky world … interesting. Jim Kirk in the new Star Trek film is an interesting case. His call to adventure looks like an ascent into space. But his real descent starts when young Spock kicks him off the Enterprise and he ends up on (what!?) an icy planet. But then he has a series of descents on that planet in order to end up at his lowest point in an icy cave where he meets old Spock (a mentor) who will teach him how to ascend again.

Crisis/Death/Mystical Union: When the hero reaches their lowest point, they have to die — at least symbolically. This VERY often means that they drown or nearly drown in some way (Pinocchio), or they face and kill their father (who is really a version of themselves) (Star Wars), or they might end up making out with an opera ghost (Phantom of the Opera). If you are ever watching a movie, and they film a scene in the rain, you can usually bet that you are watching some kind of crisis (Batman getting torched by Scarecrow in Batman Begins, or The Battle of Helm’s Deep in The Two Towers), or a mystical union (the rainy kiss in Spiderman or the kiss-while-standing-in-the-underground-watery-dungeon in Phantom of the Opera).

Resurrection: After the crisis and death (or near-death) there has to be a resurrection. Maybe someone finds some magical blood that they can inject in a certain starship captain, or maybe the opera ghost decides that he won’t kill your boyfriend, or maybe you don’t actually have to end up taking the poison berries.

Ascent: The hero, who has now completed the mission and been renewed somehow, begins the journey home. Maybe a giant eagle picks him up and takes him home, or maybe she gets back on a train home, or maybe she clicks her heels and ends up home.

Return: When the hero gets back everything is the same but somehow different. The hero has some new skills (Jedi, warrior, wizard) or some new knowledge (“there’s no place like home”), and they are usually able to make their world better. They are illuminated and they are able to illuminate the world.

So that’s the hero’s journey. If you are new at picking this stuff up, I suggest that you pay attention to two very common symbols:

Water: Think about it. Filming in water is never an accident. It takes time and a lot of money because the equipment is in danger of getting wet. Most directors, if given a choice, would wait out a storm and film when the sun is shining. If you are watching a scene and people are getting wet, ask yourself if this might not be a scene about descent or crisis/death/near-death.

Trains, Planes, Boats, etc.: Harry, Tris, and Katniss all ride trains. Jack Sparrow takes a boat. Jim Kirk uses a space ship. These vehicles move people from one world to the next.

If you are interested in learning more about this, you search “hero’s journey” on YouTube and you will find LOADS of videos with clips showing how it all works.

Now that my students are familiar with the pattern, they are going to have to write a short story about a character that follows the hero’s journey. I’m really looking forward to these.

Guillermo del Toro and Creativity

On Tuesday in class we were focused on creativity and the creative process. I showed my students the trailers for some of Guillermo del Toro’s films, and then I showed them this interview between del Toro and Jorge Ramos:

While they watched, I had my students write down what they thought contributed to del Toro’s monstrous creativity. Then we talked about it.

We discussed things like his wanderlust, his ability to recognize the symbols around him, his ability to tap into his childhood experiences, his and the fact that he always has a notebook with him where he draws and jots down ideas.

We also talked about his fear of anything organized. This led me into a quick explanation of Carl Jung’stheory of the unconscious. It is one of my most favorite things to teach because students catch onto the idea really well, and then they can see how writers and artists very often use their works to explore the process.

Great class.

How to Nail the Introduction of an Essay

Think about the last time that you read an amazing essay -- something that you knew you had to finish even after reading just the first few lines. It does not happen all the time, but I love it when it does. Frankly, if something does not hook me from the beginning, my chances of reading it plummet. I believe that most people are like me in this regard. Generally speaking we know what we like. And yet, despit that, most of us stll struggle to write anything that anybody else would be interested in. One would think that it should be easy to just tell people “write something you would be interested in reading,” and that they would. But it rarely happens. Why is that?

I surely don't have all of the answers, but I do feel like yesterday I was able to come up with something of a formula that I hope will help my students. I pulled some really great books off of the shelf in my office (Different by Youngme Moon, How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster, and The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene looked that their introductions. A pattern (maybe even a formula) quickly emerged.

So here it is:

A good essay starts with a story, which sets up a problem which then gets examined in the form of a question. The thesis then stands as an answer or possible answer to that question.

Go ahead. Pull some of your favorite non-fiction off of your shelf and take a look at it. I think that more times than not the authors of those books will begin with some type of illustrative story that presents a problem. They will probably then pose one or more questions associated with those problems. The introduction will probably close with a thesis that if you look closely will propose an answer to those questions.

The trick with something like a 1500 word (five page) paper is that you have to keep your intro quite short. But I believe it can be done.

How to Write an Essay that is NOT BORING

Today in my Composition class we talked about the essay. I asked students to tell me what the first words that came into their heads were when they thought of the word “essay.” They said things like “torture,” “suffering,” and “research.” I told them that the word that first comes into my head is “boring,” and that my goal in this class is to help them learn to write essays that are NOT boring.

So how do you write an essay that is not boring?

First, you should write about something interesting TO YOU, THE WRITER. I stress that second part because your readers might have no idea how interested they are in what you are writing about, but if you as a writer can’t find why your topic is interesting you will have no hope of helping your reader to do so. On the flip side, if you write with passion about something you are passionate about, you will find that many people become interested in your topic.

Second, you should write something that is mechanically sound. This comes with getting a zero-draft out early and working it until it is clean. I am having my students hand write two drafts of their 1500 word essays before they turn in their final draft to me.

Third, you should have a good structure. I talked about visually planning out the essay by breaking it into 250-300 word chunks. If you can write 300 well-constructed, concise words, you can string those ideas into a paper that is much longer than 300 words. If you can’t write 300 words well, there is no way that 1500 or 15,000 will ever turn out for you.

Finally (and perhaps most importantly), I taught my students that every good essay tells a story. We watched the first few minutes of this talk by Jane McGonnigal and then discussed how she captures everyones attention because she is able to tell a great story. The way to get your reader’s attention, I tell my students, is not by making these huge blanket universal statements about how you are going to solve the world’s problems in 1500 words. You get their attention by telling a great story.

I’m excited to see what these kids come up with over the next few weeks.

50 Pounds of Writing -- My Advanced Spanish Grammar and Composition Class

OK, so the semester came, and I had to nail some things down for my Advanced Spanish Grammar and Composition class. You can see the entire syllabus here.

I wrote a few months ago about how I was trying to figure out what the writing equivalent would be to a potter turning 50 pounds of clay, and this is what I've come up with.

On the first day of class I had my students create a blog on Tumblr, and I told them that they would have to write 150 words in that journal EVERY DAY until the end of the semester. I will also have the students work on larger projects throughout the semester. They will write an essay, a short story, and a sonnet. In class we will rotate days. Some days we will talk about the creative process: capturing ideas, planning/outlining, drafting, and publishing. Other days we will talk about grammar. Yesterday was one of those days. I brought a concept (preterite vs. imperfect), and then we had a bunch of time to address questions. We will also have days where we talk about form. Depending on the project on which we are working, we will read and discuss poems, short stories, and essays. These days we will also have “workshop” time in which the students will work in small groups on their projects.

So far we have great energy in class, and I think that students are learning. There is a huge range of levels of Spanish in the class, and it’s a bit tricky trying to find the right balance, but I think we are getting somewhere. It’s going to be a really fun semester.

Some very good thoughts on focus

I have long admired David Brooks for his clear, moderate thinking on a number of issues. Recently I read this article that he wrote about "The Art of Focus." In the article Brooks challenges the age-old (and valuable) adage that we need to simplify our lives, stop multi-tasking, and focus on doing a few things well. The problem, Brooks points out, is that we just don't do well at following that advice.

So Brooks looks elsewhere for a model to follow. He looks to children. Brooks states:

The lesson from childhood [...] is that if you want to win the war for attention, don’t try to say “no” to the trivial distractions you find on the information smorgasbord; try to say “yes” to the subject that arouses a terrifying longing, and let the terrifying longing crowd out everything else.

While I believe that there is much to be said for simplifying life, I also believe that the real secret to success is to find something about which you can feel passionate.

First Day of Classes

I love the first day of class. Today was great. After having taught in a few different places for several years now, I’ve come to at least one conclusion about my teaching:

My classes will most likely always feel like a laboratory. I take the things that I like from semester to semester, and I get rid of the things that don’t work and try new stuff. This usually means that every semester I’m trying a bunch of new things. This semester I am having my students blog with Tumblr, and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m also using an XP system for grading in which students start the semester with 0 and will end with somewhere around 100,000 points. Neither of these are completely new ideas for my classes, but I’m using both of them in new ways. Maybe someday I will have everything totally nailed down. For now, I feel like my courses are in a constant state of evolution.

I like it that way.