We all remember having to put headings on our papers in school, right? Name, date, subject, assignment title.
When I was teaching, I said the words one hundred times a day: “remember to put a heading on your paper!” Inevitably there were several assignments handed in with the heading scrunched up at the top of the page, an afterthought if there ever was one.
And students would grumble, much like I did when I was a student. Why? Can’t I just put my name at the top? Who cares about the other stuff?
The obvious reasons include to teach students to follow directions on written work, to present their work clearly and neatly, and to help the teacher keep the piles and piles (and piles) of assignments organized in order to look through them.
But there is another reason.
Naming the project you are working on before you start can help with mental focus. It serves to remind us what task we have in front of us and what we’re trying to accomplish with it.
And putting your name on it? That is owning your work.
Years ago I took a class from writing teacher Priscilla Long, in which she mentioned offhand that she always puts a title and byline at the top of every new piece of writing. And I thought, wow. That’s ballsy. That’s making an assumption right off the bat that the writing is something real, not just a spew of random ideas that may or may not become something.
Giving your project a working title from the start is a powerful way to make a statement. This is a real thing that I am writing.
In that spirit, here’s this week’s Pep Talk! 🩷
Here is a little secret about being a person who gives advice: frequently you realize you’re not actually doing the things you talk about. Guess what I hadn’t done yet? That’s right, my work-in-progress had no working title. *sigh*
As of today it does: And They Both Lived Happily Ever After. For now it suits my project perfectly, even though there is an almost identically-titled book that came out a couple of years ago. 😅
What book has a great title in your opinion? Click the speech bubble and let us know! We’ll start a list for inspiration.
In other news…
This week has been complete chaos. May-cember, I’ve heard it called: the season when the school year is wrapping up and what is normally a busy schedule becomes panic-inducing for all involved. We are practicing taking a lot of deep breaths around here.
I worked an event this week for the bookstore, checking in audience members and selling books afterward. There was live music, storytelling, and an author interview, and I found myself fully immersed in an hour of creative performance that was fun and informative and moving and all of the things. This, I thought at one point. I need to do more of this. We all do. It fills our creative cups to be in community like that.
On June 1st I’ll be announcing the next book club pick! If you’re not already participating, I’d love to have you join us.
📖 What I'm reading: This Must Be the Place, by Maggie O’Farrell
📺 What I'm watching: The Tourist (Netflix), Abbott Elementary (ABC)
🎧 What I'm listening to: Quietly Hostile, by Samantha Irby
What do you recommend reading, watching or listening to? Click the speech bubble and let me know!
May you have a beautiful week filled with many moments to engage with your story.
Warmly,
Stephanie
P.S. I'll be here when you're ready.
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