Straight talk from the sisters about blood, sweat and ink
As an educator for forty years, I heard many teachers complain that the kids weren’t the same any more. They had short attention spans, and if you weren’t “entertaining” them you’d lose them. Many blamed television and video games and of course there was the generally agreed upon lack of respect for authority. The kids …
Continue reading “A Lesson From Mary Poppins: Dosing Out Description”
By the time you read this, I’ll be planted on the sandy white beaches of Montauk Point. If you’ve never been to Long Island, New York, you’ve missed out on one of the most spectacular stretches of oceanfront in the world. Yes, that’s what I said…the world. I’ve been on many a vacation where people …
Continue reading “Happily Ever After? I Hope So!”
Last week I tackled the slithery little element of fiction writing called voice, which inadvertently led me into the equally slippery area of style. And don’t get me started on tone. I’m not sure that even warrants a discussion. When I consider style, my thoughts immediately go to fashion. I’ve often been told I’m a …
Continue reading “A Matter of Style”
A while back, I touched on voice and I thought I might explore this essential writing element more fully. I did a little hunting and decided, in terms of creative writing, voice has two meanings by most standards: the author’s style, conveying her attitudes, personality, and the quality that makes her writing unique; and characteristic …
Continue reading “Voice: Feel Me Hear Me”
As a young teacher I had a sign above my blackboard (back in the day when we still used chalk!) that said Class Rules: 1. The teacher …
Continue reading “Ho-Hum, I’ve Got the Editing Blues”
Imagination is a uniquely human gift. Every one of us has used this talent at some point, and for a variety of reasons. We’ve all been actors or writers at times. As children we attempt to be more brave, powerful, beautiful, or smarter than we are, sometimes as a game—just for the pure joy of …
Continue reading “Write Your Story from Start to Finish: Thwart Your Internal Antagonist!”
I loathe homework. I always have. I know that sounds ludicrous coming from a former teacher and assistant principal. I’m reminded of that old cartoon—a woman is standing at the foot of the bed, hands perched atop her hips and says, “Time to get up, you’re going to be late for school!” A muffled voice …
Continue reading “My Dreaded Homework Assignment: The Scene Outline”
I haven’t seen the movie, mostly because I don’t have any little children in the house, but the media buzz is touting the amazing and empowering story of Frozen. I’m only paraphrasing what I’ve heard on TV, but it seems like this Disneyesque story doesn’t rely on the usual trope of Prince Charming swooping in …
Continue reading “On Being Brave: Or Are We Frozen in Fear?”
I love this expression! Jumping the Shark is an idiom crated by Jon Hein to identify the moment when a television show begins to decline in quality and can frequently be identified by a particular scene or episode. The writer uses some type of gimmick in a desperate attempt to keep the viewer from losing …
Continue reading “Jumping the Shark: When to Quit Your Story”
I’m stepping away from writing craft today in order to discuss the horrid situation in Nigeria. The morning I awoke to the Today Show reporting 234 girls had been abducted from a boarding school in Nigeria, I gasped. Not just at the occurrence of such a despicable act but over the fact that it had …
Continue reading “Friday Inspiration: The Right to an Education”