, , ,

Organize your Writing like Target Shopping Center

Today visited Target to purchase ONE item, but of course we always check out the DVD section, in case they have a $5.00 one that might be a classic.   We waltzed in to discover a shiny remodeled store. 

Instead of placing the DVDs in the front like before, we had to meander through many other aisles before finding them at the back.  Of course winding our way through other brightly colored attractively arranged sections  reminded me those pretty blue placemats and bowls with clever tight-sealing lids I couldn’t live without.

Finally reaching the DVDs, I muttered, “I wonder why they put them all the way back here?”  My hands were full of this and that.  My husband’s hands were too. 

He looked down at our stuff and said, “Gee, I WONDER why?” 

Duh.  Target wanted us to wander around and take our time see what they had to offer.   

Do this in your writing, too. 

Make your reader go deeper in your novel to find what they are looking for.  The answers shouldn’t be out there right away, easily discovered.  That’s no fun!  It’s more intriguing if the reader has to dig, search, and wander around a bit to find out what is going on.

No matter if you are 9 or 90, writing for kids or adults, a short story or a novel, your first page should place a question in the reader’s mind, begging them to turn that page and wander on for more. 

I picked up a used copy of Mary E. Pearson’s young adult novel, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, flipped it open, and saw the previous owner’s name in the cover. 

Nicole.

Turning to the first page, I read the first several lines of the book.  (A book I’ve previously read and loved, btw.)

I used to be someone.

Someone named Jenna Fox.

That’s what they tell me.  But I am more than a name.  More than they tell me.  More than the facts and statistics they fill me with.  More than the video clips they make me watch. 

On the side of this paragraph, Nicole had written in pencil, Why do they make her watch them?

I love the way Nicole reads.  She has comments sprinkled throughout this book written in pencil.    Some are questions about what the character’s motivation is, what a word means (followed by the definition after she looks it up) and others are her personal predictions of where the story might be going.  If she likes a moment in the book, she’ll underline it and writes thought that was nice. 

The best part about Nicole is how she makes a personal connection to the story.  She’ll write:  connection:  My grandparents always try to get me to eat more, when Jenna’s parents try to get her to eat when she doesn’t want to. 

That’s what it’s all about, really.  Connecting with our readers.  Mary Pearson did that with her story and Nicole. 

It’s your turn.   You can do it yours and your readers too.

Point 1. Make sure you have a sense of mystery and suspense in your story.  Ask yourself, where can I take out some information and tease the reader with bits of clues instead?

Point 2.   Read like a writer.  Like Nicole!  If it’s YOUR book, write comments in the margins.  Critique it like a writer.  How did the writer get you to feel the way you do?  If it’s not your book, place a stack of post-its in the front of the book.  Post a note where you love the passage for later study.

/2 Comments
,

That Yummy Chocolate Place

Thank you Joanne, for asking for the restaurant contact information.  I didn’t have time to add it in my post because I had to rush off for a chocolate fix.  But it was a mini-generic chocolate chip in comparison to this place.

Max Brenner Restaurant

http://www.maxbrenner.com/

E-mail address to show how much we need our own Max Brenner chocolate fix in Northern California:   [email protected]

Writing Prompt: 

1.   Write a letter to Max Brenner if you agree that he needs to expand his chocolate heaven to your area. 

2.  Write a letter to express your thanks for a service well done or a product that is perfect . . . or practically perfect!

/0 Comments
,

California is to America . . .Northern California Vs. Southern California . . . Vs. Wisconsin

“California is to America what America is to the rest of the world.”  

Howard Ogden

When I flew from Wisconsin to California over thirty-five years ago in pursuit of a higher education and warmer weather, I gazed out of the airplane windows in awe.   In my sheltered teen life, I didn’t know what was out that window.  Were those large mounds sand dunes?  I didn’t realize there was so much desert in California!

Landing in San Francisco, I met my former high school English teacher who gave me my first introduction to “the city,” with sourdough bread, Coit Tower, and an impromtu accidental visit with another student from my hometown we  ran into at Fisherman’s Wharf.

 I fell in love with the ocean, the fog, and yes, those mounds that turned out to be the golden hills of grass in a California summer. 

As my teacher/friend drove me to my new home, the Central Valley, a wave of dry heat hit me in a welcome like no other.  When I was given the perfect job in one of my majors  at the Child Drama Center on the first day of school and met a group of people in the children’s theater department who turned out to be great friends, I knew I found THE place.  What is better than hot summers, good friends, and creating art for kids? 

Years later, after graduation, directing children’s plays, teaching, marriage, writing and my husband’s transfer, we now enjoy Northern California, and visits to THE CITY, one of my favorite destinations in the world. 

My aunt Dorothy, who lived in Southern California, would call me to let me know why she thought her half of the state was better.  I told her why we knew she was wrong.   In plastic L.A.  (anything south of Santa Barbara we northerners consider to be L.A.), you have to look like a botoxed fashion model who hasn’t eaten in a week.  Since eating is a  passion of mine, and my wrinkles are MY wrinkles, you know where I stand.

While visiting my aunt down in LA LA land, we switched on a television weather report.  The blonde newscaster, teetering on high heels and a too-tight mini-skirt squeeked, “Oooh!  We’ve got puffy clouds!” 

My husband, son, and I all looked at each other and said simultaneously, “Puffy clouds?”  For that, we could have looked out our window. 

When I’d  visit my Wisconsin relatives and they’d recite California’s horror stories of  fire and earthquakes, they’d shudder and ask, “Why would you ever live out THERE?” 

But when I listened to their tales of the coldest winter on record, the most snow, the worst tornado, the winds that took off the neighbor’s roof . . . . I’d say to them, “Why do you want to stay HERE?”

I must admit I do miss snow at Christmas, midnight mass, a real-honest-too-goodness fall, fish fry Fridays, lakes, Milwaukeese, European ethnic foods found everywhere, (not just at one expensive restaurant in The City) spacious green backyards, and affordable housing.

I don’t miss slipping on ice while walking, driving on black ice, shoveling snow, that bitter north wind, and Jello salad. 

Now if only we had transporters so we could see the people we love from both areas more often. 

“When you get tired of walking around San Francsico, you can always lean against it.”  Travel Brochure

“You can’t find true affection in Hollywood because everyone does fake affection so well.”  Carrie Fisher 

You are from Wisconsin if . . .

  • Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.
  • You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.
  • You find minus twenty degrees “a little chilly.

Writer’s Prompts: 

1.  Write about the various places you’ve lived, pro and con.  Funny and not-so-funny.

2.  In your latest story or project, make the geographical place important in some way.  Show us where the character is by using your senses, description, and dialogue without actually telling us the actual place.  Can you do it by giving clues?

3.  Which trip have you gone on that has been your favorite place?  Why? 

4.  Create a “bucket list” of places you’d like to visit.  Choose one and research it.  Plan your itinerary.  Now place a character here and take the character on that trip.

/0 Comments
, , , , ,

Funny but true: Wedding Snafu

Yesterday, my husband drove us in the car to complete errands, windows cracked open a few inches to allow the cool breeze inside. My right hand rested outside on the window frame. As the car picked up speed, it got a bit breezy for Bob, so he hit the power button window on his door. Only he hit the other button. It closed my window.

Zzzzt. The sound made me react immediately. I pulled in my hand so fast Bob whipped his eyes from the road.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“You pushed the wrong one. My hand was out there!”

“Oh, sorry,” he said, searching for the right switch.

Memories flooded back to our wedding day. My Uncle Arnold had painted a JUST MARRIED sign which we placed in the back window of our car. After the church service, on the way to the reception, a friend pulled up next to us at a stop light.

Mike had noticed our fallen sign. He opened the passenger door of our two-seater car, shoved my seat forward, forcing me nearly into the dashboard. I gripped the door frame for balance. Mike straightened the sign as the light turned green. He threw my seat back, and slammed the door. Mike jumped back into his own car. 

My husband was about to take off when he saw my face.

“Uh, bluh, glug . . .” sounds emitted from my mouth. They were sort of a sob/scream/gurgle. For once, pain made me speechless.

“What’s the matter?” my new husband asked. “

Uh, bluh, glug . . .” I clearly articulated.

Fortunately, our friends in Mike’s car saw my protruding fingers; Mike leaped out of the car to save them.

After I refused to go to the hospital, we raced to the reception hall where one of my bridesmaids, a nurse, assured me my hand was just badly bruised and nothing was broken. I kept an ice bag on my swollen hand for the rest of the day.

That wasn’t the only mishap of our wedding day, June 20, 1981 in Fresno, CA. It was 110 degrees, and I remember wondering if everyone in church could actually see the beads of sweat rolling down my back.

Before the church service, when my friend Carol, the pianist, asked me what time she should start playing the entrance music, I knew the answer. Being from a prompt Midwestern family, when something starts at ten a.m., it STARTS AT TEN A.M.

Carol played our cue at ten o’clock sharp. We made our way down the aisle.

We waited.

And waited.

The minutes ticked by.

Bob and I exchanged nervous glances. Where was the priest? Did he get an urgent call from nature? A rich, talkative parishioner stop by with an offer for a donation? Did the priest get cold feet?

Finally, after what seemed like an hour but was probably ten minutes, Father appeared, upset we started without him.

Obviously, he wasn’t from the Midwest.

Writing Prompts:

1. When has a sound motivated an action? By you? By a character?

2. Write a scene where a sound plays an important role in saving someone from emotional or physical pain.

3. Familiar scenes can trigger memories from long ago. Write a scene for a character which triggers a memory that is important to your character.

4. Write an important scene in your character’s life and have things go wrong. How does your character handle it? Throw obstacles in his/her way. First make the scene painful. Next, make it funny!

_________________________________________________

California Writer Club Young Writers Contest – Check your newspaper THIS WEEK for the photo and article about the Young Writers Contest Banquet.  Jacquie Oliverius writes YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD and it’s in her column TODAY in the Pleasant Hill/Martinez Record.   Thank you Jacquie for letting me know!

/2 Comments
, , , ,

Ice Cream For Breakfast! Harry Potter, Wacky Doodles and More!
JULY 7   8:00am – 9:00am

Ice cream for breakfast!  

Treat yourself one morning this summer and start the day off with vanilla or chocolate! 

 
   
JULY 14   8:00pm

  

HARRY POTTER  

MOVIE NIGHT!

Come watch Harry Potter #7 part 1 before you go to a midnight screening of part 2!

Harry Potter trivia and prizes! Costumes optional. 

 
   
JULY 19   3:00pm – 4:00pm
Fancy Nancy Afternoon Tea
dress in your fanciest clothes and have fancy cookies, fancy tea, and learn the fanciest manners, dahling!

 
   
July 26   2:00pm – 3:00pm

Wacky Doodles!

Create all sorts of kooky characters in this super-fun doodle workshop!

*With artist Michael Slack!*
   
August 1   5:00pm – 6:00pm

Pet Parade!

Bring your pet and meet others–prizes for best dressed pet, largest pet, smallest pet, and many more categories!

 
   
August ??
SECRET FIRE ENGINE VISIT
CALL THE STORYTELLER BETWEEN JUL 29-AUG 5 TO FIND OUT WHEN THE FIRE ENGINE WILL ARRIVE! 

 
   
August 16   7:00pm – 8:00pm
Karaoke for Kids!
Come rock out with us.

 
   
August 25   4:00pm – 5:00pm
YOUNG ADULT
BOOK EXCHANGE
Bring a book you’d recommend (or two, or three…) and leave with something new (or two, or three…)! 

 
 
 
 
The Storyteller | 925 284 3480 | 30 Lafayette Circle | Lafayette | CA | 94549

 

Writing Prompts:

1.  You have a very funny pet.  What is it?  Create the most unique pet in the world.  Describe it.  What does it do, that no other pet in the world can do?  Take it to the Peculiar Pet Parade!  What other pets march and perform?   Be wacky and wild!

2.  Use the characters in Harry Potter to write a new chapter of your own.

3.  Create Wacky Doodle art!

4.  The fire alarm just rang.  Write a story from the 

a.  fire’s point of view  

b. the fire engine’s point of view   

c.  a person trapped in the fire  

d.  a rescuer going into the fire

/0 Comments
, , , , , , ,

Hot Button Memories

While choosing fresh vegetables at a farmer’s market, I wandered upon an unusual jewelry display.  A woman had fashioned bracelets and rings out of old buttons that acted as a door to decades in the past. 

“Wow!  I can see this on a 1940s coat,” I said, examining a large green button. 

The woman at the booth pointed to a pink button on a bracelet that jangled at her wrist.  “I remember the exact housedress my mother wore,” she said. 

Just the other day when I rummaged around in my closet I came upon a box of buttons my mother had given us. When my son was little he loved playing with those buttons.  Now it was my turn to treasure them.  “If I gave you some buttons will you make me. . .”

“Sure!  People do it all the time,” she answered. 

I couldn’t wait to get home.  Digging out the button box, I felt like a kid, spreading the buttons on the table, sorting them into colors.  Sadly, I didn’t have any concrete memories of the outfits they had been attached to.

Until one flipped over.  There!  Black and white material, still on the button!   An image of my mother wearing the white and black dress she had made, her trim figure standing with her enviable posture next to me in church, with a little black veil on her head.  Or if we had forgotten our veils, we’d attach a piece of Kleenex with a bobby pin.

Of course, that day at the farmers market I walked out of there with a $15 bracelet, and a longing to come back with my very own buttons. 

Writing prompts:

  1. Find an object of your past that brings a flash of an old memory for you.  Write about that memory.  Can you recreate a scene? 
  2. Choose a button or a piece of clothing.  Let it take you back to a memory.  Write about it as if it were today.  Then change it slightly and make it fiction.  What could have happened?  You can star in this yourself, or create a completely new character. 
  3. Interview a member of your family about a special piece of clothing.  What was their favorite thing they EVER wore?  Why?
  4. Write about your favorite piece of clothing.  What makes it special?  Using details, describe what it looks like and how it makes you feel when you wear it.
/2 Comments
, , , , ,

Young Writers

On Saturday,  May 21, the California Writers Club, Mt. Diablo Branch held it’s annual Young Writers Contest Banquet at Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant in Pleasant Hill.  The twenty-seven award-winning students along with their teachers, family and friends were invited to eat the delicious banquet Tony and his efficient staff prepared, receive their cash, and their lovely awards created by Joanne Brown.

Guest speaker editorial agent and former Tricycle editor Abigail Samoun spoke about actually being an editor.  To the threatening sounds of  the music known from JAWS, we saw on the screen before us an actual room filled with slush pile manuscripts. (Yes, we WERE frightened!  We could have gotten smothered by those stacks of large manilla envelopes!)  The young writers discovered that slush refers to  manuscripts sent to the publisher without an agent.    The audience learned how busy editors really are, and found out it can take years for a manuscript to turn into an actual book and appear on bookstore or library shelves.

Congratulations to all of the winners of this contest, and to everyone who took the big step and risk of putting pen to paper and writing.  Each time you bare your soul on paper, it is a risk.  You are brave!   Congratulations to everyone who entered the contest.  Each time you do something brave like this, you learn and grow.  We hope if you are a Contra Costa middle school student next fall, you will enter your short stories, poems, and personal narratives again.  It doesn’t cost anything but the postage.  And you can start writing this summer!  Hope to see you at our FREE July 27 writing workshop at the Clayton Public Library!

_____________

On Tuesday, May 24, I visited Mrs. Laird’s fourth grade classroom and the students impressed me with their intelligent questions, comments and ease at writing.  The moment Mrs. Laird turned on classical music, the kids’ pens hit their paper and didn’t stop moving until the music came to an end. 

Wow!  Very cool!  Most classrooms I visit today don’t have time for writing, and when I ask them to pick up their pen to write, kids are plain stumped.  “How shall I begin?”  they may ask.  “What if I spell something wrong?”  They don’t realize that first drafts are the place to make spelling mistakes!  It’s okay!  It’s fine to be messy or to make a punctuation error.  In a first draft, you just want to WRITE! 

I was very proud of how well this class wrote, and how eager they were to share their writing.  It was wonderful how they included their personal thoughts and feelings in their words. 

At one point in my talk, I mention an author I interviewed for my book, The ABCs of Writing for Children.  Jane Yolen likes to say BIC is the most important rule for being a writer.  I agree!  What did the kids think BIC stood for?  They talked with partners and came up with some possibilities:

Brain in classroom

Butt in conversation         (Hmm.  This could be a funny story, but I’d hate to assign it . . .)

Butt idea chair

And finally, one group got the answer Jane came up with:  Butt in chair! 

How can you be a writer?  Sit down and write!  Turn off all of the distractions in your life and pay attention to the sounds in your head!  Write your thoughts, feelings, senses, and memories.  Create characters, stories, poems and combine them with art if you can.  Let your imagination run wild!  But you can’t do that if you don’t take time. Sit. Let you mind wander and pick up a pen.   

As one student told Mrs. Laird, “Now that Liz came to our school, I know what to write:  moments from our lives.” 

They don’t have to be big moments.  Some of the best writing can be a small detail that makes all the difference in your world.

Writing Prompts:

1.  Write about one small (or big) thing that happened today to make you smile.

2.  Take out the last story or piece that you wrote.  Now add a sensory description.  Is there a sight, sound, taste, touch, or smell you can add that will give your piece more depth and make the reader feel like he or she was really there?  Can you add more than one?

3.  Recently, I posted a photo of a gopher that my husband took onto an online sharing site. I thought a couple of people might think it was cute.  Twenty-five people began a discussion about it! Who knew so many people could talk so much about a little gopher?  Something so un-important became a heated discussion!  Write a conversation where you say one little thing and suddenly people react in ways you’d never imagine!

4.  Keep a diary/journal for one week.  You don’t have to write everything that happens to you.  Just choose one thing each day that you want to write about. What will you choose?  Whatever you choose, make the reader feel like he or she is right with you by writing your thoughts, feelings, and a sensory description.  You can even put in some dialogue!

5.  Write about an animal you have met or known.  Make that animal come alive!  Describe it.  Make it move.  How did it make you feel?

/0 Comments
,

Figment: A Writing Site for Kids

Article about Figment from Publisher’s Weekly:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/47337–1-million-to-a-literary-site-called-figment—and-it-s-not-imaginary.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly%27s+Children%27s+Bookshelf&utm_campaign=a238a8a58e-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email

Figment itself and its contests:

http://blog.figment.com/category/contests

/2 Comments
, , , , ,

Throw Unusual Characters Together

A friend sent me the video below, which made me think of how some of the best writing can come out of making two very different characters interact  in a scene.

What happens?  Will there be conflict?  Friendship?  Humor? 

Add to the mix, make one or both of the characters be a “fish out of water.”   The uncomfortable feeling in an unlikely setting can add to the humor and/or conflict.

* Place a cowboy and a circus performer in a fancy ballroom with a king and queen.   Why are they there?  What happens next?

*A gang of thieves kidnap a Hollywood actress and a Harvard professor.  Why?  What happens next?

*Or write about the unlikely friendship in the video below.  Why did they become friends?  What happens next?
/0 Comments
,

Do Your Words Have Power?

Writer’s Prompt: 

How can you use your words for power in a good way?    Some people use writing to help charities.  Others do random acts of kindness.  Writers everywhere spread their beauty and art for all to enjoy. 

What will you do?

Write your way to find out.

Watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzgzim5m7oU

/0 Comments