I have a student in one of my English Composition classes who has had a problem all semester hitting word counts. She just doesn’t go into any depth of thought. She rushes through for the sake of getting done and then back to whatever it is she’s so interested in on her phone.

Along the way, I came upon the phrase, “One more sentence.” That’s what it comes down to. In the beginning it was to get her to write more. I encouraged her with add one more sentence and what’s the next sentence.

Later, this became a mantra: One more sentence. It was shorthand that everyone in the class understood. Go further. Go deeper.

And, now, I find myself using this phrase and idea with my creative writing students and in critique groups. What’s the next sentence? Go deeper. Tell us more. Elaborate on this. It’s a nice idea: One more sentence.