I can never seem to say “Real World Writing” perfectly when I emphasize it to my class for this and other related lesson units. I considered practicing it hundred of times (thousands if needed) to perfect it. But then it dawned on me. My tongue twisted enunciation of the phrase real world writing is symbolic of the act itself. Real World Writing is always messy and imperfect. The thought that we as writers can effectively address all intended audiences (including those we did not target or even envision) for all possible purposes (which is dynamic, unpredictable, and changes based on any number of possible scenarios) while simultaneously fulfilling our own needs (all of which might change via our own real-time revision) is as hard of an achievement as, well, as saying Real World Writing.

Writer. Audience. Topic. Purpose. With so many factors one can quickly become overwhelmed, to the point of paralysis of thought and action. Since our action is writing, and our thought is that which drives our writing, we want to unleash the possibilities inherent in writing rather feel constrained with every step we take in every direction.

I seek to bring real world writing closer to home by emphasizing the writer. If home is where the heart is, then we know home has a heart. We simply need to discovery and share that heart. I seek to connect the individual self of the writer - the heart, the soul, the story - as a focal point in composition. This notion ties into my overall theory of literacy and story. If we can discovery through our literacy a sense of self through story, and then tell that story in what and how we write, then we unleash something powerful.

At the heart of real world writing is . . . the heart.