Writing In My Head

Images collected from the
Writing Marathon.

I'm trying to process why the EMWP Writing Marathon on Friday won't leave my brain. Why was it so powerful? At each stop along our journey, my course was the same: walking, looking, snapping pictures, then writing. I didn't write a tremendous amount. I had lists, paragraphs, thoughts, words, and noticings. After trekking across Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, my group met our other EMWP compatriots for food and sharing at a local pub. At that point I became aware of my mental and physical fatigue. After all, I had just finished a marathon, right? As I ate, I was aware of the layers of conversation around me and felt comfortable just listening. I was struck by how the intensity of the experience had bonded us together as a community. When the group gathered to share a piece of their writing from the day, I listened. I didn't share anything, which is unusual for me. I kept thinking about writer's workshop in classrooms I've worked in and remembering those kids who chose not to share. But why didn't I share? I could blame it on tiredness, which was authentic, but there was something else. Was that something else the same feeling that kids experience when they don't want to share? I learned much about myself on Friday. One clear insight was the amount of writing I do in my head before I put words on   paper--much more than I ever realized.