At http://www.writingfix.com/, I learned what a decalogue is. It is a list of ten statements that its writer personally believes in. In ye olde days, decalogues were mostly about religion and morals (The Ten Commandments, for example). Today, they can be about any topic. Every writer should compose a personal DECALOGUE from time to time. Early in the school year, ask all your students to create a decalogue in their journals or writers' notebooks. Good topics: 10 things I know about myself as a writer; 10 things I know about myself as a student; 10 things that make me different from everyone else. Here is my personal ten:
1. I could spend a whole day not talking.
2. My stomach hurts whenever I have to think about finances.
3. I love to run and worry that my knees won't hold out much longer.
4. I wish I was as quick and as witty as my husband. (and now my son!)
5. I don't watch T.V. that much any more.
6. I worry about my daughter's self image.
7. I love it when older southern women call me "honey" or "darlin".
8. I worry about what we'll do about our parents as they age.
9. My kids inspire me.
10. I could eat a whole carton of Moose Tracks in one sitting.
