Free-writing, a discipline?

We've all experienced the consequences of tunnel vision. They can be both positive and negative, sometimes even simultaneously. I remember the time when I was so convinced that I was on time for class that I badgered the kind-hearted concierge of my language school into opening the empty room before I reluctantly accepted my error. It wasn't 'explained' until hours later when I returned home to find proof of the previous night's power outage. The concierge no doubt relegated my insistence to Ugly American behavior but its lesson has stood the test of time. I have since had many opportunities to practice a similar single-mindedness. One of which, something I call Daily Writing Practice, has proven beneficial to students long before the pandemic but since COVID-19, the return on investment has been exponential and achieved far earlier than in previous semesters. So much so that now, I feel obligated to share what began as a dalliance with Julia Cameron's Morning Pages and has become a flotation device, mental workout, community builder, and so much more in virtual asynchronous environments. Stay tuned for the course launches for educators, students, parents, and professionals.

Thank you, Peter Elbow, for your quiet & prophetic insistence that I share this tool that fateful day of my doctoral defense more than a decade ago. It takes a village to raise a child and a pandemic, apparently, to birth a self-education movement.