Summer Is Here

Summer is here. Well, it officially arrives tomorrow at 5:43 P.M. But for me, it started yesterday. I'm taking the rest of the week off. But when next week begins, I'll start my summer writing plan. 

Having a summer writing plan is another gratitude I could have listed in my last post. When the stay-at-home order first began in Massachusetts, it wasn't clear the first two weeks what my teaching responsibilities were. So, I found myself with a ton of unstructured time. I was determined not to spend it writing. I found that setting the timer for two-hour chunks really made me poductive. 

The funny thing is a friend of mine, who is a full-time writer, was also having trouble concentrating during the pandemic. I told her about the timer trick, and it worked for her, too.

Until I head back to the classroom (fingers crossed), I'm going to split my day into three two-hour chunks. Each chunk of time will be dedicated to one of three tasks.

The first task is to finish a sixty-four page nonfiction picture book draft that I'm working on. Think, Ick!, by Melissa Stewart or What a Waste by Jess French. 

The second task is to finish a draft of a middle grade novel. Depending on how you look at it, this is a fifth draft or a first draft because this draft is completely different than the first four drafts.

Finally, I'm working on developing a podcast called Chalk and Ink-many thanks to Loree Griffin Burns for the name. Chalk and Ink will feature teachers who write and writers who teach. I'm looking forward to this new venture.

Have a wonderful summer, and I'll see you in the fall. Happy writing, reading and creating!