To write something because someone else thinks it's right to write that, to write because you think you ought to be dealing with the subject is never going to yield anything that is really going to matter to anyone else. It has to matter to you. And come what may, even if it just doesn't seem to be at all socially acceptable, if that's how you feel that's really what you have to write.
At the end of each poem I asked myself, "Is this what I really mean?" And it was the first time I felt I took myself seriously.
Select one the projects below to further explore advocacy and citizenship.
Each project will require you to:
Research a topic or idea that will take you deeper into what it means to be an
advocate.
Plan or design something that allows you to communicate your new knowledge and understanding of advocacy to others.
Share your work through the presentation or display of the finished product.
RESEARCH CHALLENGE
Rita Dove and Carol Shields encourage writers to write about what matters to them and be sure that they convey what they really mean. Otherwise, their voice will be unclear and ineffective. The work may be agreeable and please people but in the long run it will not be powerful.
RESEARCH FOCUS
Writing What Matters
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Use the following research questions to get started. Add your own throughout the
research process.
Which authors have written about something that matters to them in spite of it being an unpopular point of view? What did they risk? What did they gain?
What are controversial topics or issues today that you have experiences with and strong feelings about? What matters to you?
What format ñ story, poetry, play, article ñ might the structure for your ideas?
How can you publish/share your writing?
RESEARCH OUTCOMES
Choose one of the following research projects to express your ideas.
Write a tribute to an author who took great risks to write in his or her own voice about what mattered.
Create an annotated list of the topics, issues, or situations that matter to you. Use your list to write a poem, short story, or article using what you have learned about writing in your own voice.
Develop a list of resources you can use to get your work in front of an audience. Include local, national, and online publishing opportunities for teen writers.
