The Long and Low Days of Summer Writing by Jennifer Laffin

Welcome to June!

Did you hear the sigh of relief as you flipped the calendar page this morning?

I love summer days.

Summer days have a different feel to them than the days of the rest of the year.

Summer days are horizontal -- long and low. Time stretches out and I give my energy level permission to match it.

Days of the other season are more vertical -- my energy climbs high quickly, but the time is short. There is so much to do. I go through the day checking items off my To Do List.

Check.
Check.
Check.

In summer, there are items on my To Do List, but they don't get checked off in a day. Their due date is September 1st.

Summer writing is more about building up a habit, with less of a focus on actually finishing a project.

We want our writing to be focused more on ourselves, and not something else like lesson plans, IEP forms, or meeting notes.

Writing that makes us happy.
Writing that makes us feel fulfilled.
Writing that makes us writers.

I've always wanted to write a book and this summer, that is where I will be focusing my writing attention.

I plan to write long and low, to dig deep into my heart as I put the words on the page.

That's what summer writing is all about.


Jennifer Laffin is a teacher of teachers, the owner of Teach Write LLC, and a co-moderator of the #TeachWrite Twitter Chat. She is committed to helping teachers and their students grow as writers because she has seen how writing can transform you both personally and professionally. You can find her learning with others on Twitter at @laffinteach and @TeachWriteEDU or at www.teachwrite.org.