owp05

Fourth Paper: Notes

My major challenge following a workshop is remembering to use what I learned.  The most useful project for me is a reference sheet outlining the ideas we covered during this project.  My final “paper” for OWP is a collection of notes about the different ideas and presentations everyone shared during these last four weeks.  I tried to organize the ideas into two main categories, “Ideas from OWP 2005,” and “”Peer Presentations.”  As the titles describe, the first is a collection of general ideas presented during the workshop and the latter is a brief summary of presentations given by each participant, excluding myself.  I plan to place this in front of my OWP notes to help jog my memory in the craze of the coming school year.  Please feel free to adapt, change, and/or use this in a manner most helpful to you.

Third Paper: A Work in Progress

 

The Last Day of School

    Alice had been dreading this day for weeks now. She wasn’t sure why because everyone else seemed happy, excited even. Wasn’t everyone supposed to feel happy about the last day of school? “There must be something wrong with me,” she thought.

Second Paper: A Life-Long Love

        Juli called, “Are you ready?” Although I didn’t want to go, I said I was. I was nervous, not knowing what to expect. Juli, her neighbor, and I got out of the car. The streets of downtown Eugene, by Café Zenon and Ambrosia, were lit with white twinkle lights. Our heels clicked on the sidewalk and we linked arms to keep warm. “Have you ever done this before?” I asked. “Oh, my family does in San Diego. You’ll get the hang of it, don’t worry,” Juli’s neighbor replied. I knew neither Juli nor I had been before. We could hear the music before we even got to the club. Loud, pulsing, rhythmic music that made my feet want to move despite my nerves.

First paper: Procrastination and First Lessons Learned at the Oregon Writer's Proejct

    It is Memorial Day afternoon. I just returned from hiking at Smith Rock State Park. The envelope has been sitting on my sewing table for a while. I glanced at its contents when I initially received it a few months ago. Should I just wait until tomorrow? Should I work on it today? I really want to watch Dr. Phil and read a good book but I know I should, at least, review what I am to do in a few short weeks. I sigh and resolve myself to doing some more work. I take out the contents – two white pieces of paper on letterhead, a yellow sheet, and a pink sheet. Four papers? At least 600 words each? A presentation? Do I have enough for my presentation? Will my presentation be good enough? Should I change it? What if someone else is doing the same thing? Do I want to do the Oregon Writer’s Project? Do I really have anything to offer? I just want to learn how to best teach my students how to write. What type of personal experience should I write about? Do I have to share my writing? Why am I so worried about sharing my writing?