[KC]: Ms. Colln's Writing Territories

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." - Maya Angelou

Hi all! A lot of times we get stuck early on in the writing process because we think that we have nothing to write about, which is just straight-up poppycock! We have tons about which we can write! We've been on this earth a good while and we have had many different experiences in many different realms of our lives. 

This activity is meant to get you to see just how much you have up in your brain into which you can tap and from which you can write. A writing territories list shows a bit of who you are and it is also a bank of ideas to use at your disposal -- turn to it when you want to write, when you need to write, when you'll just die if you don't write! (Take a look HERE to find some ideas on what types of territories to create.) 

Notice how I've taken more broad domains and then narrowed them down to specific experiences that I've had in my life. You can do it this way or you can set it up in a different way. The creativity is left up to you!

MY WRITING TERRITORIES!

(all the areas in which I can write and write well)

FAMILY:
I am a daughter.

• wanting to make my parents proud; building things with my dad; sharing music with my mom; summer solstice parades; sand-sport super shows, car shows with dad; the divorce;

I am a sister.

• my brother, Chris; video gaming together; the first time I saw him cry as an adult; being there for his first heartbreak (and second heartbreak); 

I am a friend.

• late nights talks at Mimi's with Tati and Katelyn; getting to know people while traveling; "the band"; 

BELIEFS:
I am a Christian.

• being invited to church by my cousin; Area Bible Studies in high school; working with the K-2nd graders; going on a missions trip to Africa; speaking in FUEL

ACADEMICS:
I am a teacher.

• realizing I wanted to be a teacher in 11th grade; meeting Kenzie in the credential program; student teaching under Phinizy and Fletch; subbing for Mrs. Brown and growing our friendship; having fun at professional development days and/or workshops;

I am a reader.

• my favorite books: Pride and Prejudice, The Night Circus, The Harry Potter Series, etc.; dreaming about a book while I'm in the middle of reading it; sharing my love of a book with someone else; buying books; missing my opportunity with BJ Novak

I am a writer.

• reading through old essays; choosing to write poetry;

I am a scholar.

• wanting to remain a student forever; being in class (sharing your thoughts, trying to stay focused, meeting my classmates, forming study groups, etc); English classes at UCLA; film classes at UCLA;

I am a Bruin.

• being an athlete on campus; joining the FPS (Film and Photography Society) club (the first meeting, the short film festival); creating a friendship with my counselor and some professors (Janel, Batten, Mott, Monica); attending sporting events; Bruin Bash; Monday dinners with Claudia & Kristen; catch and dinners and classes with Troy; graduations; considering going into the PhD program; alumni events; always feeling like I'm home at UCLA;

ART:
I am a film-analyzer.

• taking film and television production at Mayfair; creating my own short films in high school; creating our softball video; having my film viewed in a festival at a theater on a big screen; 

I am a movie-goer/TV-watcher.

• My favorite movies: A League of Their Own, Pride and Prejudice, Big Fish, Hugo; sitting in a theater, talking to my friends after a movie;
• My favorite shows: Chuck, Pushing Daisies, Parenthood, American Dreams;

SPORTS:
I am an athlete.

• playing softball (Heartwell, travel ball, high school, college); one year of golf; first time traveling for softball alone (Georgia); two years at Cerritos and one state championship; walking on to the UCLA softball team; meeting some of my closest friends; learning key characteristics through the sport; learning who I am outside of that sport;

I am a coach.

• quarter-final game in Temecula Valley; our first time beating La Mirada; surprising everyone at the Division 1 tournament; the players I've coached; starting with the volleyball team;

EXPLORATION:
I am a traveler.

• Africa; Ireland; Canada; San Francisco; Hogwarts (Florida); New York twice by myself; journaling while traveling; what it means to "just be" (completely unplugged); hiking in Southern California;

Another way is to create a map of your territories. (Note: this is just a brief sketch. There would obviously be much more to mapping out a particular territory.)

Devote a FULL PAGE of your notebook to thinking about your writing territories. If you fill a page and have more to say, just keep going! Be sure to put the page into your Index to make it easy to find and work with.