This month, as a part of my Quarterly Review, I decided to take on a year long writing project designed to give me specific direction in improving my writing skills. From my Quarterly Review, I have made these two commitments:
- I will begin a yearlong project to improve my writing, in order to help me become a better communicator, facilitate growth in knowledge areas, and prepare myself for ILE (Intermediate Leader Education).
- I will begin a regular reading program of one book a month, integrated with the writing program, to build reading capacity.
The diagram above shows the specifics of the program that I plan to work on throughout the year. At first, I was going to write everything out as a sort of syllabus. Then, I realized that I was over thinking the process and simple developed a plan.
Along the top there are the three phases–Spring: Short Writing, Summer: Long Writing, and Fall: Structure in Writing. Each Phase has a specific set of books to read and study. Many of these books have exercises to complete, but these books represent the learning portion of the study.
Along the bottom are the enduring commitments. I have three daily writing commitments. These represent the practice of writing. As a musician practices his instrument, so must a writer practice his craft. I may miss some days on these commitments, but the goal every day is to write three different times. The final commitment involves a monthly reading project to read a book each month and write a critical book review. This will help me work on my reading and my critical thinking as I prepare for my next year of schooling.
Periodically, during my Quarterly Review, I will take time to evaluate my progress and recommit to this project. I look forward to showing you the fruits of my labors throughout the year as well.