The bulk of this year's Experiment is over. We'll have one more meeting as a group, which will be devoted mostly to snacking and sharing anything the students have come up with. I sort of doubt that any of them will have actual stories, mostly due to time constraints. Three 40-minute class periods is not … Continue reading Time Crunch
Year Four: Experiment Abridged
Year Four of The (K)indred Experiment is off and running, and per usual, there are changes. That's why it's an experiment; it's different every year. This year almost didn't happen at all, since my usual school had zero kids interested in a writing club. I guess I can't force them to participate in extra-curricular activities … Continue reading Year Four: Experiment Abridged
To Infinity and Beyond: Year Three Wrap Up
Several weeks ago, we reached the end of the third year of The (K)indred Experiment. I'm just now getting caught up on all the copy editing and posting of student work. Hooray for vacations! I had seven students over the course of the five class periods, although not everybody made it to every class, which … Continue reading To Infinity and Beyond: Year Three Wrap Up
Well Begun and Half Done
We are three full classes into year three of The (K)indred Experiment, and the kids are off and writing their stories. Again this year they have no school on Friday for nearly the entire month of November. It's a kind of mini NaNoWriMo, of which they are completely unaware, but they were turned loose on … Continue reading Well Begun and Half Done
Pinball Wizards
Year three of The (K)indred Experiment is live! We launched two days ago, with six students present, and a possible seventh who will be there next time, provided he returns his permission slip. This is the average number of students that I've had across the three years, and it's a good sized group. Any more … Continue reading Pinball Wizards
Auld Lang Syne-ing Off
Two weeks ago, we officially wrapped the second successful year of The (K)indred Experiment. I am, once again, a little behind on tying off all the loose ends. There were stories read, maps shown off, and a slightly wonky batch of galaxy cupcakes consumed. Overall, a good send off for the year. I'm pleased with … Continue reading Auld Lang Syne-ing Off
Let’s Do the Time Warp Again
The problem with compressing everything into the first half of the year means my process blogging should happen while I'm doing NaNoWriMo in November, and clearly, it didn't. (I did reach the 50k word goal across two separate novels though, so that's something. And by something, I mean 49,800 words that will be scrapped because … Continue reading Let’s Do the Time Warp Again
Brave New Worldbuilding
The (K)indred Experiment Year Two has officially launched! We started yesterday, Friday the 13th and the end of "Spirit Week" before the Homecoming dance. Which, apparently, you can now attend as a 6th grader? I don't remember that being the case when I was their age, but I wasn't terribly social then either, and not … Continue reading Brave New Worldbuilding
Initial Experiment Conclusion
The pilot year of The (K)indred Experiment came to a close with snacks, applause, and the students sharing the worlds they built with an audience. It was fantastic to see a room full of people who had come to hear their kids read the stories they'd worked on all year. From the beginning, it was … Continue reading Initial Experiment Conclusion
Revise and Conquer
Revision is hard. I doubt there are many writers out there who would say that taking whatever they've just written and doing it all again is their favorite part. Most people hate it, myself included. It's equally hard to teach. There aren't many, or any, good lesson plans out there on how to teach revision … Continue reading Revise and Conquer
The (K)indred Experiment 