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Quotes Worth a Second Look

quotes

Quotes Worth a Second Look

When I read, I write down lines that impact me. Here are a few for you to ponder.   He’d never thought much about silence, but now he knew its every shape and contour. It was a cheap glass jar that trapped old voices and kept them fresh.  Angel Falls by Kristin Hannah p.111 We must know how to design our lives. We are all artists and each day is a canvas. Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod  p. 204 I’m getting tired of my own innocence. The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy p.9 We lead out lives like water flowing...

Why We Write

musings

Why We Write

For every writer… there is always the impulse, realized or unrealized, that binds us one to another through the power of language. Every time a person writes, for public or not, he or she is connected to all who have ever felt that magnificent charge of communication through the written word- whether carved in hieroglyphics or glowing in code across our computer…there will always be the brilliant conspiracy between author and reader. Betsy Lerner The Forest for the Trees

What are Your Favorite Children’s Books?

book reviewing / Challenge / musings

What are Your Favorite Children’s Books?

I recently found a list of a hundred top fiction books today’s elementary students should read. Many are relatively new on the book shelf; a few are old enough that I read them as a child, decades ago. The list includes: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Alice in Wonderland Matilda The Chronicles of Narnia We’re Going on a Bear Hunt Where the Wild Things Are Black Beauty Flat Stanley Winnie the Pooh Funnybones The Hobbit Green Eggs and Ham Grimm’s Fairy Tales Artemis Fowl Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Secret Garden The Borrowers Coraline Cinderella Kidnapped The Wind in...

Checklist for Critiquing a Novel

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Checklist for Critiquing a Novel

Have you ever wondered what goes into critiquing a fiction book, short story, or article? If so, check out the list of criteria editors and critique member may consider. And, if you read a book and find something missing, the reason you feel at a loss, may be that the author inadvertently missed a key component. (That’s way authors work with early readers or critiquers to discover and repair these issues.) Conflict • Does your story begin with some sort of conflict—either internal or external? • Does the beginning set up the bigger “conflict” of the entire novel, the issue...

Crazy Rhymes Results

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Crazy Rhymes Results

In mid-February I challenged you to come up with zany rhymes reminiscent of  see you later alligator. Here’s the extended list. Enjoy, my boy!  It’s a pearl, my girl!   Chop, chop, lollipop See you soon, baboon Up a tree, tiny flea Take care, polar bear In the air, big brown bear In an hour, sunflower Chow chow, lazy cow Better shake, rattlesnake Bye, bye, butterfly Got to go, buffalo Let’s jam, awesome Sam In pocket, shiny locket Be so sweet, parakeet In a flash, succotash Out the door, dinosaur Off the bed, sleepy head  

Quote about Writers

musings / quotes / writing

Quote about Writers

For every writer… there is always the impulse, realized or unrealized, that binds us one to another through the power of language. Every time a person writes, for public or not, he or she is connected to all who have ever felt that magnificent charge of communication through the written word- whether carved in hieroglyphics or glowing in code across our computer…there will always be the brilliant conspiracy between author and reader. Betsy Lerner The Forest for the Trees

Fun with Crazy Rhymes Challenge

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Fun with Crazy Rhymes Challenge

See you later alligator…in a while crocodile You’ve seen this and heard this before. Now the challenge is on!! What zany rhymes can you create that follow the same pattern? Send them in. I’ll post the results in March. Until then, give a hug, Ladybug!

GUEST POST from Mindy Halleck

guests blogs / musings / poetry

GUEST POST from Mindy Halleck

  (Since I made a boo-boo with the links, I’m resending this guest blog. Apologizes for my brain lapse. Enjoy Mindy refreshed!) Mindy is an enthusiastic, creative person who writes across a variety of genres! Today I have the opportunity to share her thoughts with you. I know you will enjoy her ideas. I hope you will become an online follower as well as a reader of her work. PEger Do You Want To a Better Writer? Read Poetry ~ by Mindy Halleck My husband woke up this morning to the sound of my crying. He turned over and saw...

Ending and Beginnings

details in writing / editing / Letters to Follow / musings

Ending and Beginnings

My trilogy is ending as 2016 begins. It’s a bit nostalgic to think I’ll soon be stepping away from Marta, Lynne, and their friends and families. I say that hoping that their stories will continue on in reader’s minds when they think of real dancers, teens, growing up, making life-changing and life-shaping decisions. Since I’ve lived with the characters for so long they are as real to me as you, my readers. I’ve hoped to share their dreams as well as their day-to-day reality, their ability to wiggle out of tense situations and their joy of dancing and life. As...

February Days to Celebrate

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February Days to Celebrate

Looking for a reason to celebrate something? Here’s a list to start your thinking and planning. Have fun! Brighten someone’s life. Go a little crazy. Wite about your ideas! 1  Freedom Day 2  Ground Hog Day 3  15th amendment – Racial Equality Day 4  Rosa Parks Birthday 5  Western Monarch Day 6  Take Your Child to the Library/Girl Scout Cookie Day 7  Super Bowl 50 8  Chinese New Year 9  National Stop Bullying Day/National Pizza Day 10 Umbrella Day 11  Make-A-Friend Day/White Shirt Day 12  Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday 13  Get a Different Name Day 14  Valentine’s Day/Hippo Day 15  President’s...