WRITING WITH ROSIE

Two-time Newbery Honor winner, Patricia Reilly Giff, has written a simple and entertaining guide on the how to write fiction. She breaks the topic down into easy-to-understand steps, providing examples for each one.

The book is written for kids, kids who want to write but might not know how to put their ideas and thoughts into story form. Giff breaks down the process in these steps (these are chapter headings):

* First, You Take a Person

* Put Him In a Place

* Give Him a Problem

* Make Him Move - (action)

* Make Him Talk - (add dialogue)

* Juggling - (how to keep the action, dialogue and description all going at the same time)

* Make Him Worry about the Problem

* And the Problem Gets Worse and Worse - (keep adding obstacles)

And in the End...you solve the problem

And Now... Begin on Page One (rewriting)

After each step, Giff shows kids how she did it in chapters titled Can You See How I Did It? Then, she encourages kids to do the same, by adding chapters titled Your Turn.

She finishes off the book with a couple of chapters about what do after you've finished your first book. She recommends that you do a lot more reading and then start writing another book!

Obviously, this book is written for kids. But, it wouldn't hurt adult writers to take a look at the book. Maybe they'll find some inspiration just by reading through the chapters.

BTW, the title comes from Giff's attempts to write while living with Rosie, her 70-pound golden retriever.

MY FAVORITE BOOKS FOR WRITERS

Okay, folks, here it is. My very first video. It's called MY FAVORITE BOOKS FOR WRITERS and I highlight my top five picks for that category. There is no sound (yet) for this, so bear with me while I figure out how to add sound. In the meantime, I would appreciate your comments and feedback on this first effort. Who knows? If I get LOTS of positive feedback I might have to make LOTS of videos!!!

THE SCRAP BOOK - a book review

Do you like to write? Do you love children’s books? Do you love the artwork in children’s books? Do you ever wonder how some of it is created?

I just read a book that I love, Love, LOVE! Can you tell I'm excited about it? Well-known children’s book illustrator and children’s author, Lois Ehlert, has added another book to her wonderful collection. This one, called THE SCRAP BOOK, is like a mini biography written and put together like a scrapbook (hence the name).

It’s filled with very colorful pages and minimal text that explains how she came up with some of the ideas for her book. For instance, when a squirrel slipped inside her house, it gave her an idea for a book. She called it NUTS TO YOU. The inspiration for FEATHERS FOR LUNCH came when her sister's cat escaped out the door. You just never know when an idea might sneak up on you.

She also talks about her art, sharing ideas and techniques she uses to create the artwork for her books. If you're an artist, but not a writer, you might still be find some inspiration for crafts and techniques just by flipping through the pages of this book.

Whether you write children’s books, or illustrate them, or do both like she does, you should read Lois' book. I think you'll find the subject matter interesting, fascinating and inspiring.

 

Review of THRICE TOLD TALES

Everyone’s heard the nursery rhyme, The Three Blind Mice. It’s a short and simple rhyming verse about three blind mice who get their tails chopped off by a farmer’s wife. But, did you ever wonder what might have happened to the mice that caused them to be blind in the first place, or what might have happened to them after that bloody incident?

Well, wonder no more. Catherine Lewis answers these, and many other questions, in a whimsical, imaginative and very informative way, all the while teaching readers about literary concepts. She takes the story of The Three Blind Mice to a whole new level by creating an abundance of story matter about these three little rodents and their plight to explain such concepts as allegory, structure and red herring. She also includes some terms and concepts I had never heard of, like leitmotif and bildungsroman. Do you know what those terms mean? I do now, thanks to this delightful and informative book.

For instance, to explain the concept of “story”, Lewis writes simply: “Three blind mice ran after the farmer’s wife. She cut off their tales with a carving knife.” At the bottom of the page, in a section called “Snip of the Tale,” she adds: “On the most basic level, a sequence of events.” Of course, many of the terms and concepts in the book require much longer explanations than this, but regardless, all are very entertaining. She even writes her own “fairy tale” and “parable” to illustrate each of those concepts.

To explain the term “leitmotif” she writes: “Matilda Bethoon chop/chop/chops/ slender parsnips. She wields her Ginsu knife with precision, a steal at $19.95. It’s razor sharp, but neither it nor other kitchen toys – bamboo steamer, Teflon spoons – can assuage her agitation. She clenches a bunch of carrots and whacks of their green tops. Chop. Chopchop. Chopchopchop. An orange chip slaps the floor. Matilda stoops to pick it up. Yikes! Three mice charge her, trailing their dirty wigglers. ‘Hiyah’ //”/ She explains in the Snip of the Tale: “Something that reoccurs in a work (an image, object, action, word, phrase, etc.) that tends to unify the work and establish a theme.” NOTE: She has named the farmer’s wife Matilda Bethoon and the mice are named Pee Wee, Oscar and Mary.

Lewis also includes an Appendix at the end with each term explained in greater detail.

This is one of the most entertaining, imaginative, and yet very informative books about writing that I have ever read. I loved it! The writing is lively, and the chapters are short, so I was able to finish it at one sitting. However, I intend to keep a copy of it handy in my office to refer to when I have a question about a particular literary term.

If you're a writer, run to your nearest library and pick up a copy of this wonderful book. After you read it, you will probably want your own copy, like I do. 

How Not to Be a Writer: 15 Signs You're Doing It Wrong

K. M. Weiland

Attention all writers out there: 

A friend of mine shared this on her FB page. I read it and thought it was worth sharing on my blog. If you call yourself a writer, you really should read this article. It's called HOW NOT TO BE A WRITER: 15 SIGNS YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG. 

Author K. M. Weiland makes some excellent points. Her article is definitely worth reading and pondering.

You're welcome!!

What Do Writers Do?

Those of you who are not writers might very well wonder: What do writers do? The obvious answer to that question is....

They write. Since there are many different types of writers and many different things to write about, a writer might write books, stories, articles, essays, speeches, blogs, recipes, web content, press releases, letters, etc. After these have been written...

They rewrite. Writers are notorious for being perfectionists. It's not enough to simply write something. What is written must be as perfect as possible. To this end, writers will rewrite, once, twice or a dozen times until they feel the piece is finished. But, of course that's not all. Then...

They proofread/edit/correct. Proofreading, editing and correcting entail going over the so-called "finished" piece and checking it closely for misspellings, incorrect grammar, incorrect punctuation, and overall readability. Writers will fix a spelling error here, correct grammar and punctuation issues there, change verbs and nouns, and tidy up the whole before...

They post/submit. If a writer is a blogger, they will then post the finished and polished piece online. If they are writing for a publisher or agent, they will then submit their writing for consideration of publication. Then...

They wait. If the finished piece has been submitted for consideration of publication, the writer must wait for an answer. Sometimes they wait, and wait, and wait some more. But while they are waiting...

They write. Writers are busy people. They can always find something to write about so they can rewrite it, proofread/edit/correct it/ and post/submit it.

But, that's not all writers do. No, not by a long shot.

They read. Good writers are good readers. They read anything and everything related to their subject or genre so they are up-to-date on current trends in their business. They also read for pleasure.

They research. Writers who write non-fiction must research their topics thoroughly to be sure to give their readers accurate information.

They connect. This is the golden age of the Internet. Writers take advantage of this wonderful tool by connecting with other writers on social media sites, through their own websites and blogs, and through professional websites.

They learn. Good writers are curious creatures, and I don't just mean they're odd (though some of us can be). I mean they are curious about the world around them. They want to learn more so they can write more.

They experiment. Some writers write in only one genre or on only one topic. That is fine, if that's what they want to do. But many writers like to branch out and experiment with different types of writing styles in different genres.

And, while writers are reading, and researching, and connecting, and learning, and experimenting...

They write.