The start of school can be just like a writer starting on a new draft. It is chaotic, high-anxiety, not sure what is going on, wanting to be and do your best for some “other” be it student or reader, and then, finally, diving in and hoping you remember how to swim.
On the teaching front, I have charge of 100 1st to 5th graders, for a period of time to be determined based on hiring and training new teachers for the influx of new online students. I have to rely on the wisdom and knowledge of those who have experience with these “littles,” as I am used to middle and high school students. Texts to Arizona are plentiful. I worked on this “virtual locker” as an introduction and can’t wait to see theirs.
On the writing front, I’m working on a draft of a middle grade novel. I have the barest beginning, but it has a lot of potential. Giving myself the time to work on it is the biggest issue. I’m working on it. I’m looking to some experts and will be sending off the first 1200 words for an expert opinion from a publisher. Scary. Exciting. And like those “littles,” one-day-at-a-time.
Right now, I liken both experiences to the Manitou Incline (Google it), which we hiked a few summers ago. The view from the top was a site for sore muscles, or maybe it was just the top itself.
Sally Gerard 