Got a minute?

I've got two Comp I classes who are mighty sick of looking at me. In order to get them to show up for their last class today, I've promised them an in-class writing-for-credit exercise.

Actually, I sorta threatened them with it.

That seemed like a better idea when I said it in class on Monday than it did at 9:30 Tuesday night. You would think that this would be as simple as pulling a topic out of the air, throwing it at them, and saying, "Get started," but it's not. These people know when I've shown up without having done my prep work.

So I sat down and thought up a topic, along with a little something about how I got the idea. That way they know that I was thinking of them instead of sitting on the couch, eating Kettle Corn, and watching Fringe. Yeah, I've got TiVo, but they don't have to know everything.

Next semester, I'm going to incorporate The One-Minute Writer blog into my course outline, and I'm using this opportunity to recommend it to you. If you wish you could write a little something every day but don't have the incentive of a comp instructor's threats, this could be the ticket. Even if you already have your writing routine set, The One-Minute Writer is an excellent warm-up exercise.

Nothing cures writers' block like a little dose of the hair of the dog you wish would bite you.

Image, NYPL Digital Gallery.

EDIT: If you prefer to be visually nudged, try EasyStreet Prompts.