1. Generating Ideas 3: Writing from Personal Experiences
How Writers Work Unit 1
8th Grade ELA Writers Workshop

2. Rationale The best writing comes from within ourselves.
Everyday experiences, challenges, and emotions creates a connection between writers and readers.
Some writing truly touches people not necessarily because of their artistic value, but because the events relate to people at a deeper level.
These common experiences tie us together, and writing about them is a way of connecting with your own feelings as well as with the emotions of others.

3. “Confessions of a Columnist”
Examples from Authors
“Confessions of a Columnist”
“Disappointment”
Sally Friedman discusses how writing lets her “live out loud.”
“Writing has allowed me to share my life with others, and to remind them that they’re not crazy or lost or alone.”
Her writing about her personal experiences and emotions has touched others, and that has made all the difference.
Sara Holbrook has written about the experiences that occur in the lives of middle school and high school students.
“Disappointment” describes what if feels like to look forward to something, only to have your hopes dashed.
Being disappointed is something we can all relate to, and Sara takes a step further by starting with trivial disappointment – nuts in her ice cream – and ending with extreme disappointment – the betrayal of a friend.

4. Time to Write Open your Writer’s Notebook.
Write about a time when you were disappointed about something.
You can write about one experience or make a list of experiences like Sara did in her poem.

5. Share Get out the “Writing Conversations” handout (appendix 10)
Remind yourself about “Glows” and “Grows”
Choose a piece you’ve written in your notebook to share with your shoulder partner.
Trade notebooks.
Prepare “Glows” and “Grows” on a post-it.
Share with your partner once both of you have had a chance to read and write ideas.