DJ's thoughts

Flying Books!

2012-01-31T09:52:00.000-08:00

Booklovers, you have to watch this! “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” is a delightful animated short film -- one of five nominated for an Oscar for 2011. The film is about 15 minutes long but well worth your time. It's about people who
love books -- and books that love people!

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

Catholic Mom Interview

2012-01-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Lisa Hendey for interviewing me for her wonderful blog -- Catholic Mom. Read the interview here. And be sure to check out the rest of Lisa's blog, too. You'll find all kinds of inspiring and interesting posts!

Resolutions I'm Going to Keep (Really!)

2012-01-04T12:45:00.000-08:00

1.) Behave like a paragon of virtue.
2.) Keep my home spotless
3.) Cook gourmet meals
4.) Lose lots of weight anyway.
5.) Write a bestselling series of kids' books that appeal to children and adults alike and leave Harry Potter in the dust.
6.) Stick to projects until they are

The Incredible Shrinking Writer!

2011-11-08T10:28:00.000-08:00

See? Diet and exercise do pay off! (I wish!) This humongous chair is at The Factory (a repurposed factory with antiques, shops, etc.) in Franklin, Tennessee. Sitting in it stirred up some thoughts about writing for kids. Climbing up there made me think about how important it is to remember that it's not easy being a kid today. The fun of sitting there reminded me to keep a sense of humor while writing. And the playful imaginings that came to me (I was a kid again, the chair belonged to a giant, I was the teensiest queen in the world, etc.) made me realize you have to let your mind wander freely in order to create!

How to Write Humor for Kids

2011-10-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

Kids love funny stories.

So do editors! They know that funny stories make reading fun for their readers, even the kids with poor skills or little motivation. They understand that humor can make age-old themes seem fresh. And they appreciate how moral lessons become more palatable and less preachy when served up alongside a serving of laughter.

How can you give editors what they’re looking for? Just write something funny.

If only it were that simple! Writing humor is serious business – and more difficult than most people realize. No one can tell you how to write a funny story, but here are a few practical suggestion for getting humor into what you write.

1) Make your character interact with a "little" kid. In a children’s story, a “little” kid is anybody younger than your readers. From the lofty reaches of your readers’ greater maturity and experience, a little kid’s mistakes, character flaws, and reactions are terribly funny. A further element of humor comes in with your main character’s frustrations dealing with the little kid. The Fudge books by Judy Blume are, of course, masterpieces in the use of this method, but it works well in short stories, too.

For example, the humor in my story, “Horse Fever,” (My Friend, February, 2001) comes from both little sister Ruthie’s belief that she can grow up to be a horse and big sister Amber’s difficulties convincing her of the truth. In the following scene, Amber tries to use a book about horses to get Ruthie to understand reality:

When we came to a picture of a colt, I said, “Why is that horse so little?”
“Because,” Ruthie said, “it’s a baby horse.”
“And one day it’ll be a grown-up horse, right?”
“Unless is wants to be a efelant,” she said.
“A what?”
“Efelant! You know, with a long nose!”
“Ruthie!” I cried. “A baby horse isn’t going to grow up to be an elephant!”
“You’re probably right,” she said thoughtfully. “Being a horse is the best thing. I bet that baby horse doesn’t want to change.”
“It can’t change!” I shouted.
“Amber,” said Ruthie very seriously. “The baby horse has to decide for itself.”

2) Let your main character dig himself a nice, deep hole. Whatever wrong thing the main character is doing, don’t let him get caught too quickly. Build humor by allowing him to succeed awhile, making ridiculous excuses, and fooling himself (but not your readers) that he’s going to keep getting away with things.

For example, in my play “Would I Lie to You?” (Just Deal With It! Funny Readers Theatre for Life’s Not-So-Funny Moments, Teacher Ideas Press, 2004) the main character tells big stories to impress the other kids. Of course, they eventually realize that she’s lying, and she loses everybody’s trust. Pretty deep hole, huh? But the main character digs herself in even further by pretending to be her own twin sister in order to get a fresh start! This situation provided lots of opportunities for funny interactions between the girl and the other characters before she had to do the right thing and ‘fess up.

3) Annoy your main character. If you want to really crack up your readers, bug the heck out of the main character while he deals with his troubles. For example, a story about a kid whose parents send her to summer camp even though she hates the outdoors has great potential for humor. But the story becomes even funnier if she has to partner up with someone who’s a camping fanatic. That secondary character can drive her nuts by relishing everything she detests!

A lot of funny things could happen in a story about an only child staying with a swarm of cousins, especially if the main character has a hard time adjusting to being around so many people. However, more humor might develop if the cousins live in a teeny house where the main character has to share a barracks-like bedroom and one little bathroom. The extra layer of aggravation could push the humor over the edge from amusing to hilarious.

4) Writer in first person. In a third-person story, you can report what your main character is thinking and feeling, but you can’t flavor the whole story with the character’s attitude. Compare these two examples, written about the same incident:

For the next week, Sophie’s brothers hid in their room, working on their Christmas gifts for her. They often borrowed art supplies from Sophie. And they told her that she would never guess what they were making. The boys were excited about their gifts, but Sophie didn’t expect to be impressed by anything they made.

Over the next week, the boys acted so-o-o secretive about the gifts they were making. They kept borrowing things from me like crayons and markers and other supplies. And they kept saying “mysterious’ stuff like, “You’ll never guess what I’m making, Sophie!” Like they could be making anything good with old tissue boxes and cardboard! (“A Handmade Christmas,” My Friend, December, 2001)

The second sample has a more humorous tone because every sentence is filtered through Sophie. Her underwhelming enthusiasm for her brothers’ homemade gifts couldn’t be clearer. Her attitude makes this paragraph funny – and sets the stage for later laughs when Sophie’s gifts are even worse than she expected.

5) Use funny event from real life as the seed for a story. The humorous anecdotes that people tell you...the family stories that crack everyone up...the embarrassing moments that eventually become cocktail party stories...Don’t write about them just as they happened. Almost NEVER does a real-life event make a good story when told factually. However, a funny happening can inspire a funny story.

For example, my grandfather visited my parents the night before their first Thanksgiving together. When he found they didn’t have the money for a feast, he insisted on buying them a turkey. The store had closed just before they arrived, but Grandpa got my parents their dinner by flapping his elbows and gobbling loudly until the store workers cracked up, reopened the store, and sold him a turkey.
In my family, we always laughed when my dad told that tale, and I often thought I might write about it. The problem was: it made a nice anecdote, but there wasn’t really a whole story there.

Eventually I realized that I could just use the incident as an inspiration. I wrote a story (and later a play) about a boy whose grandfather moves in and does all kinds of embarrassing things. (“My Roommate - Grandpa!” story - Pockets, May, 1993; play - Just Deal With It! Funny Readers Theatre for Life’s Not-So-Funny Moments, Teacher Ideas Press, 2004.) When the family’s financial troubles keep the boy from having the special feast he wants for his birthday, his
grandfather does my grandfather’s turkey act with the same results. The real-life incident became the pivotal moment that showed the main character the love behind Grandpa’s antics.

6) Remember that humor isn't the point. Sure, kids enjoy reading funny stories, but a good story doesn’t just make readers laugh. A good story makes them think and feel. Setting out to “write a funny story” without any purpose or direction usually won’t work. The story doesn’t hold together well, and the humor often falls flat because it doesn’t have a real point. Before you write, decide what you want your readers to get out of your story. If you can communicate those ideas and feelings through humor, then go ahead and write a funny story. If not, stick to a more serious style. Editors need good stories of all kinds!

Wanna Write for Kids?

2011-09-29T12:26:00.000-07:00

Then you need the best reference/guide/handbook/resource available. Yes, the 2012 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market is out! Besides the indispensible sections about publishers and what they're looking for, CWIM also includes nuts-and-bolts info about genres, formats, submission, rights, and other basics of writing for kids. In addition, the book is stuffed with fascinating interviews with editors and writers as well as informative and inspiring articles. (And I'm not just saying that because I'm one of the contributors!) Get it on Amazon or at the Writer's Digest Shop!

Get your hands on this great new blog!

2011-08-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

Now that school has started, I wanted to spread the word about a new blog called HANDS-ON-BOOKS. It's written by three award-winning writers of nonfiction for kids -- Mary Kay Carson, Kerrie Hollihan, and Brandon Marie Miller. These ladies have written some wonderful books -- and now they have a great blog about fun and educational science and social studies activities that could be used with or without their books. Recent posts include fascinating information about various subjects (Thomas Jefferson, writing process, tornadoes, etc.) and hands-on activities like making a barometer, roasting a marshmallow with a solar oven, and making paper. This is a helpful and practical blog for homeschoolers, school teachers, and parents!

Great New Blog!

2011-08-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

The kids' team at my publisher, Pauline Books and Media, has launched a great new blog for parents and teachers. They're posting ideas for using their books with kids as well as reflections, behind-the-scenes information, and more! Check it out and look for activities you can use with my book The Stepping Stones Comic Collection!

Is she here? Is she here?

2011-07-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Jackson has the most over-protective mother on the planet. He can't do anything without her hovering around! When she won't give him any freedom, he decides to take it. But is sneaking out to a party the right way to handle a stalker mom?

The humorous script described above is part of Stalker Mom and Other Plays, my collection of funny plays for teens available from Baker's Plays. Please check it out! Though BP is a traditional royalities-for-performances theatrical publisher, you can get single copies of the book here.

Also in the collection:

Sorry! Jessie struggles to run a club while coping with one member's sorry attitude

Girl in a Whirl Everyone takes advantage of Abbie, but she's too nice to stand up for herself.

The Grudge Laird thinks of himself as too easy-going to hold a grudge, but something's growing inside of him!

Thanks for your support!

Family Matters!

2011-06-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

It certainly does! And Family Matters - Thirteen Short Stories, the new story collection from Pauline Books and Media, is all about families and how they matter to each other. Kids aged 8-12 will enjoy these fun-to-read stories, and teachers will appreciate the thought-provoking questions that follow each story. The book includes twelve stories by some fantastic kids' authors and one story of mine!

Ohioana!

2011-05-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Ohioana Book Festival was fun! I talked to lots of nice people, met many of my fellow authors, and attended a lovely reception at the governor's mansion. Here are some photos!

Ohioana News

2011-05-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

The Stepping Stones Journals will be my featured book at the Ohioana Book Festival on Saturday, May 7, in Columbus, Ohio. SSJ, an easy-to-read middle grade novel written in journal form, tells the story of four friends dealing with the ups and downs of life. Find out more about the book at Pauline Books and Media -- or stop by my table at Ohiana!

Ohioana Book Festival

2011-04-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

I'll be signing my books at the 5th Annual Ohioana Book Festival in Columbus, Ohio on May 7th. I'll be one of over a hundred authors at the festival. Besides book signing, festival activities include book sales, panels, roundtables, author readings and discussions, entertainment, and a special area for children. For more info, click here. Hope to see you there!

Hooked!

2011-03-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

I don't read a lot of books about writing because I need time to actually write! And, frankly, many writing resources aren't all that helpful. But I found Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton to be worth the read. It delivers useful information not just about beginnings but also about story structure as a whole. Edgerton also offers plenty of good writing examples and practical tips. His down-to-earth style and sense of humor made this a fun read, too.

Ohioana!

2011-01-24T12:32:00.000-08:00

I just found out I've been accepted for the 2011 Ohioana Book Festival! This is a special event that increases awareness of Ohio writers. I'll be there to meet people and sign my books. The festival is May 7 in Columbus, Ohio. More info to come!

Goodness Graces! Ten Short Stories about the Sacraments

2010-12-16T12:18:00.000-08:00

Writing this collection of stories about the sacraments was quite a challenge! I wanted to help kids learn about and appreciate the sacraments in a fun, non-preachy way. So I tried to create realistic characters with problems middle grade readers could understand. Instead of lecturing, I tried to make one of the sacraments a natural part of each story, showing how it gave the main character strength and brought him or her closer to God. Some of the stories are humorous; some are serious. Hopefully, kids will find them fun to read and relevant to their own lives!

Missed It!

2010-11-18T12:04:00.000-08:00

I drive a ’94 Camry. It’s been a good car: few repairs, pretty decent mileage, dependable and comfortable. Recently I noted that the odometer was getting close to the 200,000 mark. Wow! I thought. What a milestone! I planned to wait until the odometer was about to turn and get my husband to join me in the car as I drove past the magic number. How fun would that be? But one day I looked down and saw that the odometer was at 200,187. I had gotten so distracted by my busy life that I missed the big moment!
Okay, a changing odometer isn’t a big deal, but I had to wonder – what else have I missed? Like what happened to the summer? We have a lovely deck, but I sat out there and relaxed only a few times the whole season. And the fall? Well, that’s practically gone, too. I guess it was beautiful, but who noticed? And couldn’t I have spent less time dashing from task to task and more time actually talking to people, enjoying family and friends, appreciating my life?
The years are clicking by faster than the miles on my odometer. If I don’t pull over to look at the view now and then, I’m going to miss everything that matters.

Christmas is coming!

2010-11-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

And it'll be here before you know it! Pauline Books and Media has a nice seasonal book out -- Celebrate the Season! Twelve Short Stories for Advent and Christmas. It's a great book for kids 8-12. You can check it out at http://www.pauline.org/. And, YES, I have some stories in that book!

On the Radio

2010-10-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

I had my first ever radio interview this morning on The Catholics Next Door. It was fun, but it went by in a flash! Greg and Jennifer were so nice which was great because I was nervous. (Thanks, you guys!!) I'd love to get feedback from anybody who listened to the broadcast -- I can use your suggestions!

Radio Interview!

2010-10-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

I'm being interviewed on the radio! Tune in to The Catholics Next Door on Sirius 159/XM 117 about 11:20 this Thursday (October 21) to hear me talk about my books. (I think there may be a podcast on the website later for those who don't have satellite radio.) The Catholics Next Door are Greg and Jennifer Willits. Their fun program is about all kinds of things -- marriage, kids, pop culture, everyday life, etc. I'm looking forward to talking to them!

It's Time for Books by the Banks!

2010-10-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

Books by the Banks, a great book festival, is tomorrow, 10-4 at the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati. Admission is free, but you'll probably want to buy some books! There will be lots of authors there to autograph their books as well as speakers, a kids' area, etc. Check out the website for more information. Hope to see everybody there!

My Book by the Banks

2010-09-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

My featured book at the Books by the Banks Book Festival is Stepping Stones - The Comic Collection from Pauline Books and Media. This comic book treasury contains the complete “Stepping Stones” series which originally appeared in My Friend: the Catholic Magazine for Kids. Readers can join in the adventures of Denver, Chantal, Suki, and Alberto as they journey, step by step, along the path toward God. The friends deal with everyday concerns such as peer pressure, bullying, community service projects, family relationships, and more. It's a fun read -- and the artwork by Chris Sabatino is great!

Books by the Banks

2010-09-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

Hey, everybody in the Cincinnati area! Books by the Banks, a great FREE book festival is coming up soon. My book, Stepping Stones - The Comic Collection, will be available. Stop by my table and say hi!

It's that time again!

2010-08-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

It's time for school to start! Here's a book from Teacher Ideas Press that's a handy resource for teachers throughout the school year. (Yes, it's one of mine!) All Year Long! Funny Readers Theatre for Life's Special Times offers easy-to-use plays themed to different times of the year -- first day of school, Labor Day, Columbus Day, St. Valentine's Day, a snow day, etc., etc. Check out this video about the book. (It's the first one I've ever made using Movie Maker, a program that, unbeknowst to me until just recently, was lurking on my computer!)

Find me on youtube!

2010-07-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm finally there! I've posted the videos about my books on youtube. Just go to youtube and put "Diana R. Jenkins" in the search, and a list of the videos will come up. The only video that doesn't come up is the cute Pauline video about Family Ties -- Thirteen Short Stories, but you can watch it here.

Great New Presidential Biography!

2010-06-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

Love this book!

Theodore Roosevelt for Kids: His Life and Times, 21 Activities is for young readers, but adults will enjoy it, too. (I did!) Author Kerrie Logan Hollihan brings Theodore Roosevelt and his times to life with a well-researched and well-written book, full of interesting details, great quotes, excellent photos and illustrations, and intriguing sidebars. It's a great resource for kids' research but also just a fun read! You can find it on amazon.

RBTE

2010-06-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of my visit to the Religious Booksellers Trade Exhibit. I had a wonderful time meeting the Pauline sisters, visiting the various displays, and signing books! That's a big stack of The Stepping Stones Journals on the table, my latest book from www.pauline.org.

Click here to view these pictures larger

Latest News About Diana's Books!

2010-06-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

I recently found out that Saints of Note - The Comic Collection won third place for children's books at the 2010 Catholic Press Association Awards and Now You're Cooking - Ten Short Stories with Recipes won Honorable Mention! The Catholic Journalist says: "Saints of Note connects modern children's 'real' problems with the lives of a saint. The presentation aids in the resolution of the problems and teaches about each saint. It gives a clear example that no problem is new and the same feelings have been felt by saints." Many thanks to everyone at Pauline Books and Media who worked so hard on these books!

Saints Alive!

2010-05-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

Kids often view the saints as old-time stained-glass figures who have nothing to do with them. Here's a video about the books I wrote to make the saints meaningful to today's kids.

Just Deal With It!

2010-05-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a video about my first books of plays -- Just Deal With It! Funny Readers Theatre For Life's Not-So-Funny Moments. The book includes 19 funny plays about contemporary kids with real-life problems. My working title for the book was Not For Weak Stomachs, which conveyed the humor of the book but sounded just a little too...well...disgusting! Click here to view the video.

New Book!

2010-04-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

Family Ties - Thirteen Short Stories is out! This book is full of fun and funny stories about family -- including some of mine. Here's a youtube video about the book.

New video!

2010-04-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Check out this animoto video I made about All Year Long! Funny Readers Theatre for Life's Special Times! (This is fun! You can try it, too, here.)

Using Readers Theatre with Small Groups

2010-04-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

Do you hesitate to use plays with your students because you’re dealing with such a small group? Whether you’re a special education teacher, homeschooler, religious educator, or involved parent, readers theatre can work for you and your kids! Here are some suggestions to help you modify theatre activities for your situation:

1. Cut! Mark out minor characters’ lines and eliminate nonessential scenes.

2. Take turns. Just round robin read instead of assigning parts. Everybody gets to read about the same amount and try out different roles.

3. There are no small parts…. Assign the big roles to the kids, then do all the small roles yourself. Or let one kid do all the small roles. (This is great for practicing different voices.)

4. Make do with two. If you only have two students – or just yourself and one student – then divide and conquer. Have one person do all the male roles while another does all the female roles. Or assign one large role and a few small roles to each actor. Or split up the adults’ and children’s roles. (It’s fun and funny for you to play the kids!)

5. Take a chance. Have everyone randomly draw characters’ names until all parts are assigned.

6. Put the narrator on a “soundtrack.” Record someone – yourself, a student, or a special “guest star” – reading the narrator’s part ahead of time. Then play the tape between the “live” reading of other parts.

For other theatre suggestions, go to my website and click on the theatre tab.

Readers Theater -- Performing for an Audience

2010-04-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

You may decide to use readers theater only as a supplemental educational activity. However, you could be tempted—or persuaded!—to actually stage a performance for a real, live audience.

How do you make the transition?

First of all, rehearse enough that actors can read with good expression and look up from their scripts occasionally. (But don’t over-rehearse! This is easier theater, remember?) Be sure to go through the whole play at least once without stopping. Set up your first “real” performance with an audience that’s not too threatening; a group of younger kids works well. Later, you can try performing for scarier audiences like peers or adults.

After some successful readers theater performances, your kids may naturally move towards something more like “regular” theater. They might make more facial expressions, gesture, or ask to act things out. At this point, you could abandon the traditional readers theater set-up and allow students to enter and exit and to move around the stage, holding their scripts.

Eventually, you may discover that your kids are memorizing some lines on their own. They might even ask to drop the scripts and do a “real” play. Or maybe you’ll decide to encourage that yourself and move completely into “regular” theater. That’s a great experience for your kids, but remember you don’t have to put together a big production. Feel free to stick to the simple, traditional, readers theater format.

The closer you get to a “regular” theater performance, the more likely it is that your kids will ask for sets, props, and costumes. If you decide to use these items, don’t rehearse with them right away as they distract kids from developing their characters and improving their performances.

Is It Really Worth It?

Every child can benefit from theater experiences. Of course, plays about a particular subject matter motivate kids to learn important information, but theater develops other academic skills, too. Performing a play helps kids develop language arts skills like listening, reading, and speaking. You can also use theater to improve writing skills by asking students to rewrite their lines, add new lines, or write the endings to interrupted lines. (The last one is really a must! Nothing is more awkward than an actor pausing before he’s actually interrupted. If he writes out the rest of his line, he can keep going until the next person breaks in or until the end of the line if necessary.) Kids can also write alternate endings to plays or make up their own scripts.

Theater yields nonacademic benefits, too. Putting on a performance takes skills like working hard, setting goals, meeting challenges, staying patient, and cooperating with others. (And that’s not just for the teacher!) Kids experience a real sense of accomplishment from their individual successes as well as the group’s achievements. And the self-esteem they develop in theater carries over into the rest of their lives!

For more information on using theater, go to my website and click on the "Theatre for Teachers" tab.

What Is Readers' Theater, Anyway?

2010-04-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

Readers’ theater is easier theater! Actors don’t memorize their lines—they simply read from their scripts. Because memorization isn’t an issue, more students are able to handle large roles. Also, extensive rehearsal isn’t necessary. And, unlike “regular” theater, a readers’ theater production isn’t thrown into a tailspin by memory lapses or absences.

Other aspects of readers’ theater are easy, too. Sets, costumes, props, and even movement are not needed as the plays are written to work without them. The extras can be included if desired, but readers’ theater works even if the actors just sit there and read!

How Do I Get Started?
Before you use a readers’ theater play, read it yourself and make sure the content, theme, and vocabulary are appropriate for your students. Decide whether you need to preview any concepts or vocabulary. If you are thinking about staging the play for an audience, consider which students might fit which roles, but don’t set your cast just yet.

Once you decide on a play, make as many copies of the script as there are parts plus one for yourself. Highlight one character’s lines in each copy (except yours) to make it easier for kids to read. Covering or binding scripts will help them last through multiple readings.

After giving students time to read through their scripts silently, have them read the play aloud, changing roles with each scene if you wish. This kind of read-through makes a good, one-time, supplemental activity, but you can do much more with readers’ theater!

For example, you could have students read a particular script multiple times on different days. The repetition gives you several opportunities to teach comprehension skills like character traits, motivation, story structure, theme, and cause-and-effect. And rereading allows kids to relax about the reading itself and develop a deeper understanding of the characters and theme of the play.

Multiple readings also improve fluency and expression. You can help with these skills by asking questions about the characters’ feelings and motivation. If a student has difficulty with expression, “echo reading” can help. You model his lines with good expression and have him copy you. It doesn’t usually take much of this practice to get a young actor on the right track. Allowing students to record themselves as they read their lines and listen afterwards also develops better expression.

After several readings, you might want to move students from their seats to a traditional readers’ theater set-up. The actors in readers’ theater usually sit on stools or chairs throughout the play, holding and reading their scripts. Sometimes the actors sit with their backs to the audience, “entering” by facing front and reading their lines and “exiting” by turning around again. The narrator might stand to one side or read from a lectern. This kind of staging can make readers’ theater more fun for your students and motivate them to further improve their performances.

Next Blog: Making the transition to performing for an audience.

For more about theater, go to my website and click on the Theatre for Teachers tab.

It's here!

2010-03-26T11:29:00.001-07:00

I just got my copies of The Stepping Stones Journals, and they look great! Chris Sabatino did a fantastic job on the cover! This book is a novel in journal form that's about the kids from the Stepping Stones comics. I'll post more on this later, but for now you can go to the Pauline website for information.

Follow The Dot!

2010-03-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

Vashti grabbed a marker and gave the paper a good, strong jab. “There!”Her teacher picked up the paper and studied it carefully. “Hmmmmm.” She pushed the paper toward Vashti and quietly said, “Now sign it.”
In this scene from Peter H. Reynolds’ delightful picture book, The Dot, Vashti begins a journey. She’s convinced she can’t draw, but her art teacher’s support throughout the story teaches Vashti that she is an artist. Then Vashti goes on to support another young artist. It’s a delightful book – for adults as well as children – and it made me think about how much writers need each other’s encouragement. It’s so easy to fall into negativity – and so great to get support from crit groups, writers’ organizations, workshops, etc. Thanks to all the writing friends who’ve encouraged me!
You can find this book on Amazon as well as the equally charming Ish, also written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds.

New Video from Animoto

2010-03-10T13:44:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of animoto? It's a great website that allows you to make FREE 30-second videos from your own images. You just download images in jpg or gif, write any text you want, choose from the free music, and wait a few minutes. They put it all together into a cool video! Here's a new one I just created: Diana R. Jenkins, Children's Author. (Please pass it on!) Notice how animoto coordinated the images with the music!

Me? A Writer?

2010-03-01T10:16:00.000-08:00

That's how I feel when someone introduces me as the author who's going to speak. I'm still amazed that my work has been published. And, actually, it's hard to believe anybody wants to hear me talk about it! Last Friday I had the experience of talking to the kids at John Paul II, reading them some of my stories, and answering their questions. They were a nice bunch of kids and a good audience so I really enjoyed visiting with them. Then on Saturday I spoke at a Greater Harvest Workshop. It was an inspiring day and I got more out of it than I gave, that's for sure. And I enjoyed meeting lots of friendly and fun people! Another workshop is in the works for May. (Check the website later for information.)

Contest for Kids' Writers!

2010-02-18T08:51:00.000-08:00

Did you know the Guide to Literary Agents Blog is holding regular contests for writers of different genres? Right now the "Dear Lucky Agent" Contest is for middle grade and young adult novels. So if you've written a book-length kids' novel, this is the contest for you. The judge is Jennifer Laughran, an agent with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency! The prizes are: First place: 1) A critique of 25 pages of your work, by your agent judge. 2) A query critique from your agent judge. 3) Two free books from Writer's Digest Books. Runner-ups - second and third place: 1) A critique of 10 pages of your work, by your agent judge. 2) One free book from Writer's Digest Books. For details go to the blog, but hurry! The contest ends soon!

A Day For Writers

2010-02-03T13:39:00.000-08:00

If you live in the Cincinnati-Dayton area, you're in luck! Greater Harvest Workshops is offering a wonderful day for writers on Saturday, February 27, from 8:30-1:30 -- and I'm not just saying that because I'm one of the presenters. Look what's planned for this jam-packed Saturday, designed to move you closer to your goal of becoming a working writer and published author:

Schedule:
8:30-9:00 - Registration
9:00-9:20 – Opening Session
9:30-10:30- Workshop #1
10:30-10:45 – Break
10:45-11:45 - Workshop #2
11:45-12:00 – Snack Time
12:00-1:00 - Workshop #3
1:00-1:20 – Closing Session

Choose one workshop from each session.

9:30-10:30: Workshop 1

Selling Short Pieces in the Christian Market – Donna J. Shepherd

Have you dreamed of writing for books like Chicken Soup for the Soul or seeing one of your devotionals published? Donna's workshop will focus on finding markets and how to submit your writing to anthologies, magazines, and ezines.

You Can Write a Novel – Teresa Slack

Writing a novel can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. In this workshop, I’ll show you how to access the skills and material you already possess to turn your story idea into a finished novel.

10:45 –11:45: Workshop 2

The Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing – Linore Rose Burkard

Many writers today are taking this route to publication. Is it something you should consider? Speaking as someone who has self-published and traditionally published, Linore can speak with authority on the topic, and will guide you through the steps to deciding if self-publishing is for you.

How to Find Your Niche As an Illustrator - Liz Ball

Liz Ball is the author/illustrator of the popular Hidden Treasures hidden picture puzzle books, 18 picture books, and is published in over 100 newspapers, magazines and publications throughout the U.S. and internationally. In her workshop, Liz will explain the steps to becoming a professional illustrator. She will also look over your artwork and give you personalized advice.

12:00 -1:00: Workshop 3

The Seven Planks of Your Platform – Donna J. Shepherd

As a speaker or writer, it is in your best interest to build your marketing platform as early as possible. Are you wondering, what is a platform? Why do I even need one? And the biggest question of all: How do I start building mine? In this workshop, Donna will share seven tips for establishing yourself as a professional speaker and/or writer and connecting with your audience.

So You Want to Write for Kids? – Diana R. Jenkins

Diana Jenkins is the author of hundreds of magazine stories, comic strips, and plays for kids. In her workshop, she will share her journey and offers tips for getting published.

The whole day -- including snacks -- costs just $29! For more information, go to Greater Harvest Workshops. Hope to see you there!

New Picture Book is Oodles of Fun!

2009-12-30T13:05:00.000-08:00

I just got to preview a wonderful new book by Donna Shepherd. With its delightful language and charming illustrations, Poodle and Doodle is a picture book that can be read and enjoyed again and again. The story of how Angel, the "perfect" poodle, adjusts to the intrusion of Scruffy, the Labradoodle, will make both children and adults laugh. (Check out Angel's blog!) Donna Shepherd's clever rhymes bring Angel's personality to life, and Jack Foster's artwork adds to the humor. Hidden bones in many of the illustrations keep things fun for multiple readings. The story entertains while teaching good lessons about friendship and change. Great for both home and school libraries! You can get the book from Guardian Angel Publishing.

New on the Web

2009-12-23T08:40:00.001-08:00

This has been a fun week for me thanks to Pauline Books and Media, the publisher of several of my books. First, an interview with me was posted on their website. I had a great time talking to Sister Christine about writing for kids, and it's exciting to see the interview in print. You can check it out here.

Next, a video about one of my books appeared on Pauline's youtube page. How cool is that? It's cute, colorful, and peppy! (Thanks, Sally!) View the video here.

Happy holidays, everyone, and thanks for all your support!

Hook Books

2009-12-17T13:50:00.000-08:00

I saw a dog. He was brown. He was cute. I liked him.

Do your students write simple sentences like these? As a special education teacher, I had trouble getting my kids to write more complex and interesting sentences…until a teacher friend told me about hook books. (Thanks, Carol!) I don’t know where the method originated. I’d love to give credit to whoever thought it up as it was quite effective! (And I'd like to know why they're called "hook books." Were the originals hung from hooks? Did they get the name because they "hook" kids on better writing?) Here’s how it works:

Day One: Write a simple and boring sentence on the board or overhead. Then have students come up with adjectives to add to the sentence. (You may have to explain what adjectives are and adjust the number to the ability of your students) Encourage a variety of adjectives. (“We already have a color word. Can you think of another word to describe _______?” After the list of adjectives is finished, choose one and rewrite the sentence. You’ll end up with something like this:
I saw a dog. (original sentence)
Adjectives:
1. brown
2. spotted
3. gigantic
4. scary
I saw a spotted dog.
Have each student copy the above in a notebook designated as a “hook book.” For the sentence, have them choose a different adjective from the list than the one you chose.

Day Two: Put yesterday’s transformed sentence back on the board. Now have students think of more interesting verbs to replace the one in the sentence. (Explain/model as needed.) Choose a verb to further transform the sentence. Students copy it all into their “hook books,” except they transform their own sentences from yesterday. (Again, encourage variety. “’Brushed’ is a good verb, but since we already have ‘combed’ on the list, can you think of another word?”) You’ll have something like this:
I saw a spotted dog.
Verbs:
1. chased
2. combed
3. walked
4. rescued
I rescued a spotted dog.

Day Three: Now you move on to prepositional phrases. If your students don’t know prepositions, post a list, and give examples of prepositional phrases to get them going. As before, students copy from the board but transform their own sentences from yesterday.
I rescued a spotted dog.
Prepositional phrases:
1. from the pound
2. with my grandfather’s help
3. on my birthday
4. in a terrible storm
I rescued a spotted dog from the pound.

Day Four: Each student goes to a fresh page in his/her hook book, indents, copies over his/her last, transformed sentence, and uses it as the first sentence of a paragraph or longer story. (You adjust according to students’ needs.)

Day Five: Students help each other edit their stories. (Or on Day Four, you can check and mark their stories or conference with them individually.) Then each makes a good copy of his/her story with an illustration if desired.

This activity only takes a few minutes each day, especially after you’ve done it several times. Kids begin to understand parts of speech and sentence structure, and you can refer to this activity to get them to write better sentences at other times. (“How about adding an adjective?" "Can you come up with a more interesting verb?" "Please add a prepositional phrase.”) Gradually you can require students to do more of the activity on their own. Eventually you can just supply the stimulus sentence, and the hook book can be a daily, independent activity!

7 Things I've Learned So Far

2009-12-08T11:39:00.000-08:00

Even after years of trying to make it as a writer, there's still a lot I don't know about writing. I have learned a few things, however, and I've written about them on Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents Blog. You can check out my article and get lots of good information from Chuck and other writers, too, while you're there.

Could We Have a Moment of Silence? Please!

2009-11-05T07:14:00.000-08:00

This was originally published in The Indianapolis Star several years ago, but lately I've been thinking again about the noise of our lives....

As soon as I start pumping my gas, it begins. A small television on the side of the pump comes to life, and a tiny talking head announces the latest news. Luckily, there’s a mute button. Unluckily, the mute button silences the little man for only ten seconds.
I never thought of pumping gas as a quiet moment, but now that I can’t escape a news report that I don’t want to hear, I’m suddenly appreciative of my previous gas station experiences. And I wonder: who decided that I couldn’t have that quiet moment?
Probably the same people who set up televisions in waiting rooms. Waiting around for hours was never great fun, but listening to too-loud cartoons hasn’t made things any better! I used to get this waiting-room zen thing going. It was practically meditation. Now I find myself getting more tense and impatient the longer I have to listen to that grating noise. Another quiet time bites the dust!
I can understand how someone might think it a good idea to install televisions wherever quiet raises its noiseless head. After all, many of us dislike silence so much that we listen to music every possible waking moment. Boom boxes, radios, IPOD systems fill the air with musical selections that one person has chosen to share with the rest of the world. The music in restaurants and bars drowns out not only the quiet, but also any chance of conversation. Oases like the gas station must have seemed disturbingly peaceful to whatever good Samaritan thought of using televisions to save us all from the sounds of silence.
Maybe the ever-present noise of televisions in waiting rooms and bars, music in restaurants, radios in passing cars, and cell phones everywhere annoys me because I still have some hearing left! I haven’t deafened myself with years of wearing headphones and listening to music so loud that the people around me can sing along. I don’t have to rattle the windows with my stereo in order to feel that I’m having a good time. And I don’t go to concerts any more, even for the relatively mild-mannered entertainers I like. My last concert required ear plugs just to be bearable!
I can still hear – and I’m tired of listening! Walking through a mall means being bombarded by constantly changing music as I pass different stores. If a ringing cell phone doesn’t interrupt a movie, somebody’s ongoing commentary will. Other people are always choosing the soundtrack for my life!
Does silence scare everybody? Are we afraid that we might be forced to interact with a stranger in a TV-free waiting room? If we’re not instantly available by cell phone, do we cease to exist? Without music pounding at our brains, would we have to THINK? And who knows what we might have to do with our kids if we didn’t have computers and televisions and video games!
I know we don’t have to listen to real birds since we have singing clocks. And we’re really involved with the lives of our television friends and family. And yes, it’s true that music hath charms to soothe every troubling thought out of our heads. But couldn’t we just try a quiet moment now and then?
Couldn’t we turn it all off?
And listen?

Kentucky Reading Association conference

2009-09-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

It was great to meet teachers, librarians, and other authors at the conference! Thanks to the lovely ladies who ate lunch with me -- and to everyone else who listened to me blab about my books in particular and writing in general!

Random Acts of Publicity

2009-09-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a great way for writers to support each other! It's called "Random Acts of Publicity Week." The basic idea is that for one week we help publicize other writers' work by writing those reviews, etc. -- all the stuff we think we'll do someday but never do. For more information and some great ideas, go to http://www.darcypattison.com/authors/random-week. Thanks, Darcy!

Kentucky Bound!

2009-09-03T13:06:00.000-07:00

It looks like the Kentucky Reading Association is having a great conference this year – and I’m not saying that just because I’m going to be there! The conference takes place September 17 through September 19 at the Galt House in Louisville. Check out all the great speakers at http://www.kyreading.org/Preview.aspx.

I’ll be there on Saturday, September 19. I’m participating in the author/illustrator luncheon and book signing, and I’m part of a group of authors presenting a talk about the business of writing for kids. I’m really looking forward to meeting a lot of people, talking to teachers and librarians, listening to other speakers, and learning a thing or two! See you there!

The Wait is Over!

2009-07-09T15:00:00.000-07:00

I really got lucky when Nikki Shoemaker manned the table next to mine at a business fair. It was great to talk to her about creating kids’ books! (Me – writer. Nikki – illustrator.) When Nikki shared her experiences with What Wrong With Mud? I couldn’t wait to see the book. And now…drum roll please…I have! The book is finally out! And it is just as delightful as its illustrator. Kids will love this tale of pigs and ducks swapping placing and trying out each other’s lifestyles. Nikki’s charming illustrations bring the fun and funny story to life with plenty of action and personality. Now I’m waiting for Nikki’s next book! In the meantime, here’s an interview with Nikki, followed by some info about her virtual book tour and contest:

Q: Tell us about What’s Wrong with Mud?
A: What’s Wrong with Mud? written by Gillian Colley is my first published picture book. The story was judged and chosen along with 11 other stories to be entered into an online vote. To be honest, I am not sure how Rita Mills found out about me, but she contacted me and asked me to participate in illustrating one image to represent the story. The image and the story were posted online and subject to an online vote for two weeks. The story/image with the most votes was named the winner and would then go on to be completely illustrated and published. What’s Wrong with Mud? was the 2007 ABC Picture Book Competition winner.

Q: What were your favorite picture books when you were a kid?
A: Where the Wild Things Are, Pokey Little Puppy and The Elves and the Shoemaker (which was funny, because my married name ended up being Shoemaker!)

Q: What advice would you give other artists who are hoping to become illustrators?
A: Go to art school or take as many training courses from local colleges as you can. Learn to handle criticism because you cannot grow as an illustrator without it. NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!

Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am currently working on three picture books now. Keep an eye for Lemur Troops & Critter Groups coming in fall of 2009 and it’s sequels Stork Musters & Critter Clusters and Pony Strings & Critter Things in the year 2010. I am also illustrating each month for Stories for Children Magazine, which is an online e-zine that has new issues each month. Go check it out at www.storiesforchildrenmagazine.org

Q: What do you do when you're not working on your art?
A: I spend most of my spare time with my pets and my husband. I have a day job as a graphic designer now, so after the 9 - 5 thing I come home spend some time with them and then head to the studio. I also try to fit in as much exercise as I can, bike riding, the gym, walking, etc.

Q: What's your greatest challenge as an artist/illustrator?
A: Right now, feeling comfortable about making the jump to being a full time freelancer. I am not yet confident in leaving the day job yet. It is a tough economy right now, and the decision has been the biggest challenge as of yet.

Thanks for stopping by the What’s Wrong with Mud? Virtual Book Tour.

Nikki is giving away 3 themed tote bags and there are 3 ways to enter to win!

Copy/paste the book tour schedule onto your blog and leave a comment on Nikki’s blog to let her know that you posted on or before Saturday, July 11.
Create your own blog post promoting What’s Wrong with Mud?
(You can contact Nikki for the Cover image and an interview to post if you want to)
Stop by each blog on the Book Tour and leave a comment on each including Nikki’s blog (on or before Saturday, July 11), to let her know to enter you into the drawing.

If you enjoyed the book tour and would like a autographed copy of What’s Wrong with Mud? please email Nikki Shoemaker, nikki.shoemaker@yahoo.com for more details.

Tour Schedule

Sunday, July 5 - Nikki Shoemaker announcing the book tour

Monday, July 6 - Rena Jones

Tuesday, July 7 - Crystalee Calderwood and Mandy Hedrick

Wednesday, July 8 - Wendy Martin and Roberta Baird

Thursday, July 9 - Carli Moua

Friday, July 10 - Diana R. Jenkins

Saturday, July 11 - Nikki Shoemaker wrapping up book tour and announcing winners.

Building Self-Esteem -- The Real Thing!

2009-06-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

Someone I don’t want to know has just revealed sordid personal details I did not need to hear. Not only do I know the sad story, so do millions of other viewers. A studio audience member stands and intones knowingly, "Honey, you need to get some self-esteem."
I scream and consider changing channels. (I don’t switch because I want to know how things come out, but I think about it really, really seriously.)
"Self-esteem" has become America’s buzzword. It’s thrown around on talk shows, in magazine articles, and at school as if it’s something you could order by catalog. ("Hey, my self-esteem came today! Now get out of my house you lying, cheating, scum-sucker!")
It’s just not that easy!
So if you can’t give your children self-esteem in a gift-wrapped box, how can you help them learn to love and respect themselves?

l) Don’t try to buy self-esteem.
Rewards, when handled appropriately, can be a big help in teaching a child. Unfortunately, they can also suck all the
self-esteem-building value out of anything.
You probably know parents who reward their children all the time for doing almost nothing. I once had a student who received six different-colored pairs of canvas high-tops in less than a month. Each time his parents were rewarding him for something relatively minor, like passing his spelling test (he could have made A’s!) or picking his clothes up off the bedroom floor. As you might guess, he was a demanding child who was always milking his parents for bigger and better rewards for doing less and less.
Misused rewards cheapen the value of what a child has done. The teacher who gives her students candy for every little thing they do takes the emphasis away from the value of learning and the satisfaction of a job done well. The parents of Shoe Boy taught him that schoolwork, doing chores, and the like were terrible things that a person would do only if bribed -- not things that had any use or could give him any satisfaction.
How do you use rewards effectively? Always keep in mind: a reward should be as intangible as it can be and still work. It’s surprising how much kids will do for rewards like praise, a special personal time with a parent, a chance to call Grandma and brag, and the like. (Try it!) When a child needs a tangible
reward -- and be very sure he does -- keep it as small as you can. (Often something like a sticker or a checkmark on a chart will do.) Always accompany the reward with comments about the value of the child’s behavior:
"That studying really paid off! You’re learning how to spell better and better!"
"You’ll be able to do your math more quickly now that you know your facts."
"Your room looks so neat! It makes it nice just to come in here and talk with you."

2) Make ‘em wait.
I tell my husband that I know I would be truly happy if only I had a refrigerator that made crushed ice. I sigh and say, "Then I would want for nothing."
I know that easy access to crushed ice will not give meaning to my life, but kids don’t understand things like that. They think that this toy, that video game, all those high-top sneakers are necessary to their happiness. They must go to the park, ride a rollercoaster, see Grandpa, or die! And whatever they want, they want it now!
Instant gratification is, well, gratifying, but only for an instant. The child who too often gets what he wants right when he wants it never really feels good about himself. How can he when all he does is futilely chase after that perfect toy, perfect place, perfect activity that will make him happy? The thrill of instant gratification lasts just a moment. True happiness will only come from things that are worth waiting for, like a job done well or following through on a difficult decision.
Loving parents can find it hard to say, "No," or even "Not now," but it’s actually good for kids to have to wait for what they want. Yes, you will buy them fast food again some day -- but not today. And maybe they’ll get that new video game later -- for their birthday. You’ll see how they like the red high-tops awhile before you spring for the blue ones.
And maybe in fifteen years, I’ll get a refrigerator that makes crushed ice!

3) Challenge them.
As a teacher, I had children bounce off the ceiling with joy at the prospect of an art project only to have them whining and quitting three minutes into it. I prodded, encouraged, insisted, urged, and pushed until they finished. When they did, they were so proud of their work. Week after week, we went through the same scenario before they began to understand the pride of working on something and carrying through till the end.
You see, real self-esteem cannot come from doing something too easy. I am not proud of how well I know my math facts --it’ll take more of a challenge than that for me to think highly of myself. And for your child to be proud of himself, he has to accomplish something challenging.
"Challenging" does not mean "frustrating." A challenge is making your child reach--just a little bit. For example, read aloud books that are just a little too hard for your child to read himself. Give him a model that’s just a little bit more complicated than the ones he’s been doing. Add just one more responsibility
to his weekly chores. (He does do chores, doesn’t he?) Challenges like these
keep him growing and learning and let him build real pride of accomplishment.

4) Teach respect.
If your child is going to respect himself, he has to know what respect is. He learns that by learning to respect others. In the olden days we showed respect with manners. We believed that everyone deserved to be treated with courtesy, especially parents.
From time to time, parents try to engage other adults in conversation. Their children, having an amazing radar that immediately tells them when they are no longer the center of attention, interrupt with vital information like "A leaf fell off that tree!" If corrected, these children can learn not to interrupt people who are talking. If not corrected, they will prevent their parents from having a decent adult conversation for the next twenty years.
Children aren’t born with a manners gene that makes them automatically respect the rights of others. They have to be taught that other people should be treated in a thoughtful way. We do not interrupt. We do not take what’s not ours. We do not insult. We do not hurt others. Teaching these lessons is a tough, dirty job!
On a trip to Eureka Springs, a little boy bopped me in the leg with some kind of stuffed critter on a stick. His mother had a perfect opportunity to teach him that we don’t hit people with our toys -- it is wrong. Her response: "Watch out! You’ll break your toy."
Of course, the kid did care more about his toy than some strange woman in a sunflower hat. His mother’s appeal to his natural selfish instincts probably
worked well enough that he didn’t bop anybody else all day. However, he also didn’t learn anything about respecting others because his mother didn’t....

5) Aim for a higher level of consciousness.
Just like you can’t make a seed grow, you can’t force a kid to mature. You have to work with kids as they are. However, you can help your child mature by keeping in mind that higher level of self-esteem you’re working for.
When your child is having a screaming-meemie fit in the store, all you can do is take him out. Later you can explain how you won’t let him act like that in the store because you know he’s a big boy and big boys don’t act that way. When he throws a toy, you may put it away awhile as punishment, but be sure to talk about how Mommy and Daddy work hard for the money that buys his toys and he must take care of them. When he hits a strange woman with a toy, you might keep him from doing it again by appealing to his own selfish interests, but you also might stop and apologize -- and insist that he do so, too.
Tie the higher moral lesson in with the action you take. At the moment, the kid might just be learning that kicking the dog gets him a time-out in a kitchen chair, but as you talk again and again (not meaning on and on!) about principles like not hurting others, he begins to understand. He learns what it means to be a moral and worthy person. When he does the right thing, he feels good about himself -- he builds his self-esteem. Not one based on bribes or instant gratification or easy accomplishments or any of his own selfish wants, but real self-esteem.

25 Ways to Help Your Child Do Better in School Next Year -- Starting Now!

2009-05-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

Soon another school year bites the dust, and summertime fun begins. For your child, summer is a l‑o‑n‑g time. In three months, she can forget many of the skills she learned this year. You can help give her a head start on success next year by following the suggestions below:

Math:
1) Maintain your child's counting skills and help her learn to estimate by asking, "How many?" Ask her to guess how many radishes are in the bag you're opening or how many songs will play on the radio by the time you reach the store. Then have her count to see how close her guess was.
2) Skip counting (counting by twos, threes, etc.) is helpful in learning multiplication. Your child can skip count any time she is grouping objects. For example, she can practice counting by twos when rolling socks or by five when stacking books.
3) Use a calendar to practice counting, adding, and subtracting. Ask your child questions like: How many Saturdays are in this month? What will be the date in three days? How many days is it until your birthday?
4) Have everyone dump change in a cute bank each day. Let your child help you roll the coins and keep a record of the money collected. When there's enough for a family treat, take her to the bank to cash it in.
5) Whenever you measure something, let your child help. Cooking has its own rewards, but measuring for drapes or bookshelves also gives a child math practice and shows her math is useful.
6) Understanding graphs is an essential math skill. You can make graphs of: the growth of a plant, the weather, or scores in sports.
7) Many games involve math skills. Keeping score uses addition facts as well as other addition skills. Have each player keep her own score so everyone gets practice!
8) Use "wasted time" to quiz your child on her math facts ‑ in the car, while doing chores, waiting at the dentist's office. Keep things on a game‑like level. Let your child quiz you, too!
9) Counting games can help with multiplication facts. For example, if your child has trouble with her four‑times table, assign a point value of four for each of a certain object passed while driving ‑ say, for each red car. Change point values on different trips to give your child practice on different tables.
10) You can buy motivating computer games that will help your child practice her math skills. At the store, ask to see "educational software," not just "games." No computer? Teacher stores sell card games and board games that practice basic math skills. Many of these games cannot be played by large groups, so you can actually make better use of them than a teacher can!
11) Use broken clocks to practice telling time. Set the hands of the clock and ask your child the time. Sometimes tell her a time and let her set the hands.
12) Work in your checkbook, balance your bank statements, and do the family budget in your child's presence. Show her that math is important in "real life."

Language Arts:
When teachers talk about "the language arts", they mean listening and speaking, reading, spelling, and writing. Here are some ways you can help your child keep her language arts skills:

13) Write notes to your child about chores, plans for the day, or what a great kid she is. Set up a central place for family notes. Encourage your child to write notes to other family members or to herself.
14) Use word play to help your child learn about and enjoy our language. Puns, riddles, and jokes can be fun for everyone. Challenge your family to think of words that rhyme with a particular word, all the meanings of a word like "run", or words that are associated with a certain topic.
15) Copy poems or quotations and put them at your child's place at the table or in her lunchbox. Save these and repeat during the summer. You may find your child requesting favorites!
16) Get your child and yourself library cards. Take her or send her to library activities. Let her check out books she can read and books that can be read to her. Check out books yourself ‑ remember ‑ you are your child's most important role model.
17) Set aside some time each day for reading. Everyone in the house should read whatever she wants for at least ten minutes ‑ longer as the summer progresses. Your modeling will teach your child the joy of reading.
18) In the car, at the supper table, or wherever you can, tell stories. Share your childhood, books you've read, and old movies with your child, and let her do the same. Retelling a story or program is good for your child, and shows you how well she remembers and understands. Discuss why things happened as they did and what lesson the story or show was trying to teach.
19) Read aloud to your child each day. You can read to her as she does chores. Car trips go quickly if an exciting story is being read aloud. Being read to allows your child to experience stories beyond her present reading ability and to hear what good reading should sound like.
20) Be sure your child sees you write. Keep lists and write letters. Write for the editorial section of your newspaper, and send letters to magazines.
21) Get your child a penpal ‑ a relative or friend. When she writes her penpal,
encourage her to use complete sentences, capitalization, and punctuation. Do not sit beside her spelling out every other word. This practice distracts her from getting her thoughts down and reinforces feelings of inadequacy about writing. Tell her to spell the best she can, then leave her alone while she writes. If she is very concerned about her spelling, ask her to look over the finished letter and pick out a few words she thinks are misspelled, then help her "fix" them
22) Encourage your child to write stories if she's interested, but don't force the issue. If you write, your child may want to write. Or you may interest her by suggesting she write down a story she's told you.
If you can, make typed copies of your child's stories. You can correct errors as you type, since you are a "publisher", but do not change the story. Let the author illustrate her story, too!
23) Be your child's secretary sometimes. Let her dictate a story while you write her words down. This gives her the freedom to be more creative. Read back what you've written, and have your child read it to you daily for a week.
24) Buy your child a blank‑paged book to use as a journal. Talk about how journals are private, and encourage your child by writing in your own journal. Occasionally share something from your journal with your child, and let her share with you.
25) Have your child tape herself reading and send the tape to an appreciative audience. Let her record, listen, and retape several times before sending off the tape. This can help her learn to read in a natural voice.
And one more: Have fun! You're just trying to maintain what your child already knows. Don't make her and yourself miserable by pushing too hard or spending hours a day on "schoolwork." Summers are for kids to be kids!

Hitting the Funny Bone

2009-04-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

Kids love funny stories.
So do editors! They know that funny stories make reading fun for their readers, even the kids with poor skills or little motivation. They understand that humor can make age-old themes seem fresh. And they appreciate how moral lessons become more palatable and less preachy when served up alongside a serving of laughter.
How can you give editors what they’re looking for? Just write something funny.
If only it were that simple! Writing humor is serious business – and more difficult than most people realize. No one can tell you how to write a funny story, but here are a few practical suggestion for getting humor into what you write.

1) Make your main character interact with a "little" kid. In a children’s story, a "little" kid is anybody younger than your readers. From the lofty reaches of your readers’ greater maturity and experience, a little kid’s mistakes, character flaws, and reactions are terribly funny. A further element of humor comes in with your main character’s frustrations dealing with the little kid. The Fudge books by Judy Blume are, of course, masterpieces in the use of this method, but it works well in short stories, too.
For example, the humor in my story, "Horse Fever," (My Friend, February, 2001) comes from both little sister Ruthie’s belief that she can grow up to be a horse and big sister Amber’s difficulties convincing her of the truth. In the following scene, Amber tries to use a book about horses to get Ruthie to understand reality:

When we came to a picture of a colt, I said, "Why is that horse so little?"
"Because," Ruthie said, "it’s a baby horse."
"And one day it’ll be a grown-up horse, right?"
"Unless is wants to be a efelant," she said.
"A what?"
"Efelant! You know, with a long nose!"
"Ruthie!" I cried. "A baby horse isn’t going to grow up to be an elephant!"
"You’re probably right," she said thoughtfully. "Being a horse is the best thing. I bet that baby horse doesn’t want to change."
"It can’t change!" I shouted.
"Amber," said Ruthie very seriously. "The baby horse has to decide for itself."

2) Let your main character dig himself a nice, deep hole. Whatever wrong thing the main character is doing, don’t let him get caught too quickly. Build humor by allowing him to succeed awhile, making ridiculous excuses, and fooling himself (but not your readers) that he’s going to keep getting away with things.
For example, in my play "Would I Lie to You?" (Just Deal With It! Funny Readers Theatre for Life’s Not-So-Funny Moments, Teacher Ideas Press, 2004) the main character tells big stories to impress the other kids. Of course, they eventually realize that she’s lying, and she loses everybody’s trust. Pretty deep hole, huh? But the main character digs herself in even further
by pretending to be her own twin sister in order to get a fresh start! This situation provided lots of opportunities for funny interactions between the girl and the other characters before she had to do the right thing and ‘fess up.

3) Annoy your main character. If you want to really crack up your readers, bug the heck out of the main character while he deals with his troubles. For example, a story about a kid whose parents send her to summer camp even though she hates the outdoors has great potential for humor. But the story becomes even funnier if she has to partner up with someone who’s a camping fanatic. That secondary character can drive her nuts by relishing everything she detests!
A lot of funny things could happen in a story about an only child staying with a swarm of cousins, especially if the main character has a hard time adjusting to being around so many people. However, more humor might develop if the cousins live in a teeny house where the main character has to share a barracks-like bedroom and one little bathroom. The extra layer of aggravation could push the humor over the edge from amusing to hilarious.

4) Write in first person. In a third-person story, you can report what your main character is thinking and feeling, but you can’t flavor the whole story with the character’s attitude. Compare these two examples, written about the same incident:

For the next week, Sophie’s brothers hid in their room, working on their Christmas gifts for her. They often borrowed art supplies from Sophie. And they told her that she would never guess what they were making. The boys were excited about their gifts, but Sophie didn’t expect to be impressed by anything they made.

Over the next week, the boys acted so-o-o secretive about the gifts they were making. They kept borrowing things from me like crayons and markers and other supplies. And they kept saying "mysterious’ stuff like, "You’ll never guess what I’m making, Sophie!" Like they could be making anything good with old tissue boxes and cardboard! ("A Handmade Christmas," My Friend, December, 2001)

The second sample has a more humorous tone because every sentence is filtered through Sophie. Her underwhelming enthusiasm for her brothers’ homemade gifts couldn’t be clearer. Her attitude makes this paragraph funny – and sets the stage for later laughs when Sophie’s gifts are even worse than she expected.

5) Use a funny event from real life as the seed for a story. The humorous anecdotes that people tell you...the family stories that crack everyone up...the embarrassing moments that eventually become cocktail party stories...Don’t write about them just as they happened. Almost NEVER does a real-life event make a good story when told factually. However, a funny happening can inspire a funny story.
For example, my grandfather visited my parents the night before their first Thanksgiving together. When he found they didn’t have the money for a feast, he insisted on buying them a turkey. The store had closed just before they arrived, but Grandpa got my parents their dinner by flapping his elbows and gobbling loudly until the store workers cracked up, reopened the store, and sold him a turkey.
In my family, we always laughed when my dad told that tale, and I often thought I might write about it. The problem was: it made a nice anecdote, but there wasn’t really a whole story there.
Eventually I realized that I could just use the incident as an inspiration. I wrote a story (and later a play) about a boy whose grandfather moves in and does all kinds of embarrassing things. ("My Roommate - Grandpa!" story - Pockets, May, 1993; play - Just Deal With It! Funny Readers Theatre for Life’s Not-So-Funny Moments, Teacher Ideas Press, 2004.) When the family’s financial troubles keep the boy from having the special feast he wants for his birthday, his grandfather does my grandfather’s turkey act with the same results. The real-life incident became the pivotal moment that showed the main character the love behind Grandpa’s antics.

6) Remember that the humor isn’t the point. Sure, kids enjoy reading funny stories, but a good story doesn’t just make readers laugh. A good story makes them think and feel. Setting out to "write a funny story" without any purpose or direction usually won’t work. The story doesn’t hold together well, and the humor often falls flat because it doesn’t have a real point. Before you write, decide what you want your readers to get out of your story. If you can communicate those ideas and feelings through humor, then go ahead and write a funny story. If not, stick to a more serious style. Editors need good stories of all kinds!

Easier Theatre

2009-03-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

Easier Theatre
When you consider using theatre with your students, don’t think of it as THE-AH-TAH! You don’t have to stage huge productions of Shakespearean dramas with hand-made costumes, award-winning sets, and Oscar-worthy performances. You can keep things simple and your kids will still get the benefits of theatre. (See “Ten Reasons Why Using Theatre in Your Classroom Isn't as Nuts as You Think” on my website http://www.dianarjenkins.bravenet.com/.) Here are some suggestions for making the use of theatre easier:

Keep it to yourself.
There’s no rule that says you must perform in front of an audience – you can use theatre just as a classroom experience. You’ll find that simple theatre activities can be fun, rewarding, and educational!
A little bit of theatre makes a good filler at the end of a period, in the few minutes before lunch, or just before going home. You can have kids play charades – either what I call “Big Idea” charades or the traditional game. In “Big Idea” charades, kids act out a whole concept at once. For example, a kid could pretend to paint on an easel for “artist” or act out hitting a ball and running the bases to get across “Babe Ruth.” In traditional charades, kids act out individual words or even syllables and the audience must put all the pieces together. A student could do something like hold up fingers for “three” and pretend to be a beast for “Three Bears.” Both activities make kids think, build their confidence, and help them become more comfortable standing up in front of people.
You can also work theatre into your subject areas. In Social Studies, kids could act out famous events like the Boston Tea Party, the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, etc. In Science, ask a student to pretend to be Louis Pasteur, Marie Curie, or another scientist and explain his or her discoveries. In English, have students ad lib new endings to stories or write short skits based on something they’ve read. These are valuable activities even if nobody in the outside world ever sees your kids perform.

Use readers theatre.
See “Readers Theatre -- The Shortcut to Dramatic Success” also on this blog.

Make it up as you go.
Maybe you want to have your students perform plays (in your classroom or for the outside world), but it just seems too complicated, time-consuming, etc. Readers theatre can help. (See above.) Or you might find it helpful to use the make-it-up-as-you-go method.
Choose a story familiar to your students. A folk tale or fairy tale works well, but you can use any story. Quickly assign parts, and then ask the kids to tell you how the story starts. Send the appropriate actors to the front of the room and have them act out the first scene. Then ask the kids about what happens next, add or remove actors as needed, and move on to the next scene. Continue on until the whole story has been acted out. You may need to ask leading questions or even model roles until kids get the idea.
After they’ve experienced this process a number of times over weeks or months (same story with different casts or different stories), your students will be able to put together some surprisingly well-developed scenes. And you might feel like you want to try performing something for an audience. If so, finalize your cast and let them rehearse enough that they’ve pretty well established what they’re going to say and do.
Maybe you’re thinking that a putting on a performance without a script is like doing a trapeze act without a net. There is a certain level of anxiety with the make-it-up-as-you-go method, but it has a lot of pluses, too. For one thing, kids have a real understanding of plot, motivation, and other aspects of the story, so they often give better performances than they would with a memorized play. And since they made the play up themselves, they’re not as likely to forget something important. Even if something does go amiss, it’s easy for other actors to adjust and fix the problem since they understand what should be happening, what the characters are feeling, etc.

Put together a Poetry Extravaganza!
A Poetry Extravaganza makes a great public performance, but it’s really easy to do -- especially if you use poetry throughout the year anyway! It also has the benefit of practically eliminating your worries about performance day absences. Here’s how to do it:
Expose your students to poetry regularly – even for just a few minutes here and there. Read poems to them, put poems on your bulletin board, pass out poems, and have students read and reread the poems in your reading or literature book. Whenever my students came to a poem, we read it several times and went back to previous poems in the book, too. Sometimes we took turns on verses or did choral reading. And now and then I tried to fit in poems in the last few minutes of class. Eventually, the kids began to become familiar with particular poems and we’d play around at reciting a few lines by heart. Some would even attempt to memorize whole poems.
Eventually, I’d suggest we put some poems together in a program. Kids would select poems they liked, either ones we’d already had in class or completely new poems. (I steered the students who had difficulties to the familiar poems and more capable students to something new.) We’d practice standing up in front of the room and reciting the poems. If a student wanted to do his poem by memory, he could. If not, then we put the poem on a cool-looking scroll, inside an appropriate book, or on a prop. Sometimes kids would come up with costumes that fit their poems, and sometimes other kids would appear on stage, too, acting out the poem. When everybody was pretty comfortable, we invited an audience to see our Poetry Extravaganza. If someone was absent…oh, well! We just skipped their poem! Missing background performers were easily replaced or eliminated.

Relax – right now!
Theater with kids can be nerve-wracking if you try to control things too much. Sure, you don’t want them running wild, but you need to accept that theater just isn’t as organized, calm, and rigid as some other activities. You can gently guide kids to be better performers (See “Is That a Woodpecker on Your Shoulder? Or How to Get Good Performances Out of Young Actors” also on this blog), but don’t squelch all their creativity trying to achieve perfection. Take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy!

Getting Good Performances Out of Young Actors

2008-02-28T11:58:00.000-08:00

Is That a Woodpecker on Your Shoulder?
Or How to Get Good Performances Out of Young Actors

Some kids are natural-born actors. They speak naturally. They display natural facial expressions. They communicate natural emotions, and they portray natural characters. Naturally, kids with that kind of talent are few and far between.
Many kids need help to move beyond robotic recitation of their lines to realistic portrayals of their characters. Some young actors will never be Oscar material. (Hey, that’s part of what makes kids’ performances so cute.) However, you can work with most kids and at least get them from wooden to something not-so-wooden. Here are some tips for how to do that:

Don’t give up the script too soon.
If you’re performing readers theatre, you never have to give up the script. (See “Readers Theatre – The Shortcut to Dramatic Success.”) But if you’re doing conventional theatre, allow students to keep their scripts a while. If you push kids to memorize everything early on, they focus on getting the lines down instead of getting the lines to express something. Letting kids rely on their scripts and concentrating your rehearsals on developing good performances pays off in the end.

Motivate actors to think about motivation.
Some young actors think that just saying their lines is “acting.” They need your help to understand that their characters have feelings – and “acting” means showing those feelings to the audience. Asking leading questions is one of the best ways to get kids to consider what’s behind their characters’ words. Try questions like: “How do you think he’s feeling?” “What does she mean?” “Is he telling the truth?” “What’s she hoping for?”
Once an actor can articulate what his character is feeling, encourage him to show those feelings. A simple, “play-like” direction is usually effective and less threatening than pressure to “Act! Act!” Just say something like, “Play like you’re mad, too.” Or “Play like you’re lying.”

Echo read…read…read….
If you still can’t get good expression out of an actor, try echo reading. Sit down with the kid and tell him he’s your echo. Then say one of his lines the way you’d like for him to perform it and ask him to copy you exactly. Likely, he will repeat the line in the same robotic way as usual, but don’t be discouraged. Remind him that he’s to do the line exactly as you do it, and try again – and again if necessary. Once he improves on that line, continue the process with his next lines. Once an actor gets the idea, he can usually carry on by himself with just an occasional echo read for difficult lines.

Prepare for interruptions.
One of the most awkward and unnatural parts in a play is the poor interruption. It goes something like this:

Francine: I can’t help it! I didn’t even know about.
Jacob: (after an embarrassing pause) Don’t make excuses, Francine! I was there when you.
Francine: (after another embarrassing pause) Shut up already! You’re always on my.

If your play includes an interruption, have the involved actor write out what she thinks the character intends to say. Then when she performs the line, she can continue on until the next actor actually interrupts her or until the end of the line if he doesn’t.

Hold off on the extras.
Kids love costumes, props, set pieces, and the like, but they love them too much. Once a young actor has a towel turban or a bejeweled throne or even one little magic rock, he’s likely to be distracted from creating a quality performance. Hey, who needs good expression when you’re wearing a pig snout? Let your actors mime the extras until their performances are in pretty good shape. Then you can work in the other stuff without detracting from the acting. Saving the extras also has the added benefit of pepping things up if repeated rehearsals are getting old.

Perform for a fake audience.
Arrange for somebody to “drop by” during a rehearsal. Or do a dress rehearsal with a non-threatening audience like a group of little kids. Getting a taste of performing before an audience can energize lackluster actors. It finally clicks with them that they’ll be doing their thing in front of “real” people. And audience reactions during a play bring things into focus for the actors, making it clear what’s funny or surprising or scary. Audience comments afterwards can clarify what’s working or not working in a production – especially if you forewarn your fake audience to watch out for something in particular.

Accentuate the positive.
Performing is fun and exciting, but it’s also scary for kids. Negative comments and demands for perfection only make things scarier, but it’s easy to forget that under the stress of putting together a show. Just remember: you’ll get a better performance from young actors in a positive atmosphere where they feel comfortable. So praise anything you can, point out every little bit of progress you see, and relax. Your young actors will charm the socks off their audience!

Visit my website: http://www.dianarjenkins.bravehost.com/.

Readers Theatre - Shortcut to Dramatic Success

2008-02-28T11:53:00.000-08:00

Just think of what could go wrong if your students put on a public performance!
Go ahead. I’ll wait….
Did you imagine the awkward silence that hangs in the air when someone forgets his lines?
Maybe you visualized a catastrophic set collapse? Or a time-sensitive prop that breaks at the very second it’s needed?
Perhaps a long-buried memory of some costuming trauma broke into your consciousness? Ripped seams? Dropped pants? Disintegrating turbans?
Or did you envision the director’s worst nightmare – the absent actor! Oh, the horror!
Now take a deep breath and read on to find out about the cure for all these problems: readers theatre!

What is readers theatre?
In readers theatre, actors keep their scripts and read their lines instead of memorizing them. Costumes, sets, props, and even movement are not needed. Kids can just sit there and read!

What’s so great about readers theatre?
Since the actors always have their scripts right in front of them, there’s a lot less pressure in readers theatre. The constant worry that someone’s going to forget a line is gone! Kids can feel more confident about performing well – and they can handle “bigger” roles than they thought possible.
Needing less rehearsal to put together a production is another benefit of readers theatre. You don’t have to keep practicing until you’ve pounded the lines into everybody’s heads! And you don’t need to spend time blocking out movements and rehearsing them over and over. Usually, the actors just sit quietly on chairs or stools until it’s time to read their parts. If you want to get fancy, you can have the actors put their backs to the audience when they’re not reading and turn around when they are.
And let’s face it: the extras like costumes, sets, and props add a lot of hard work to a production. They can cause problems, too, when they malfunction, break, or disappear. Leaving them out of your readers theatre production means you’ll be ready for a public performance more quickly – and things are likely to run more smoothly.
And if your star is absent? No big deal! Somebody else can simply read the part. Having someone understudy big roles just in case is a good idea, but the show can still go on even if you don’t do that.

But props are fun! And costumes are cute! And isn’t all that sitting around kind of boring?
Remember – we’re talking about a shortcut here. Readers theatre can get you to a successful performance quickly. Without all the extras, your rehearsals can focus on good expression, authentic emotion, and realistic portrayals. So a readers theatre production is anything but boring!
However, the extras are fun so you may want to use traditional readers theatre to get started and change things up later. After a few productions, you and your students might be ready to add some movements, costumes, props, or sets to their performances. You may even work into doing “regular” theatre, dropping scripts and memorizing lines. But don’t feel you have to make a big production out of your theatre program. Keep things as simple as you like – and as fun as you can!

For more about theatre in the classroom visit http://www.dianarjenkins.bravehost.com.

Getting Motivated to Write

2008-02-28T11:46:00.000-08:00

Maybe you’ve heard the story about Michelangelo and the block of marble that would one day be his statue of David. Some important guy – a prince or something – heard that Michelangelo hadn’t done anything with the marble even though he’d had it for months. The man went to see about this himself and found the artist just standing there, staring at the huge block of stone. “What are you doing?” asked the visitor. Michelangelo replied, “I’m working.”
I imagine Michelangelo was thinking, planning, visualizing, dreaming up and rejecting ideas, preparing himself to create. He really was working!
A lot of a writer’s work is invisible, too, because it goes on inside the mind. But too many times we tell ourselves we’re doing the Michelangelo thing when we’re really just stalling around. Writing is tough. (See Gene Fowler’s quote in the sidebar.) It’s hard to start writing. It’s hard to keep writing. It’s hard to rewrite as much as you should.
Here are some ideas for getting and staying motivated. You’ll have to figure out what works for you, but hopefully one or more of these suggestions will help!

Set a reasonable goal.
Okay, everybody tries setting goals. The problem is that most writers set pie-in the-sky goals that are just too hard to meet. (Like you’re going to get up a four in the morning every day and work on your novel!) You need to set a goal you can actually achieve. And if you really have trouble getting yourself to write, make your goal so easy that you’d feel ashamed to miss it. That way you’ll get somewhere with your writing even if it is just a little at a time – and you can feel proud when you overachieve!

Lose the not-worth-it attitude.
It’s wonderful to have a whole hour, a whole afternoon, a whole day to write. (I was so happy when I was able to quit teaching and write!) But usually real life doesn’t allow that. It’s easy to feel there’s no point in even trying to write when you have tight time limits. Why, you’ll barely get started! And you certainly won’t get very far! And the end is nowhere in sight! Why bother? But even though it’s slow and inefficient, writing in little pieces can really work. Eventually you’ll write a whole something. Keep waiting until you have plenty of time, and you’ll eventually write…nothing whatsoever.

Work on several projects at a time.
It seems counterintuitive, but working on several pieces of writing at once can be easier than concentrating on just one. When you have a single writing project, hitting a snag can stop you cold. You sit there for ages, unable to decide what to write next, getting more and more discouraged until you finally quit, never to return to the computer until you’ve worked through the problem, which, face it, could take months. But if you keep several projects in the works, you can set aside a piece that’s not working and move on to something else. And something else if you have problems with that piece. Having several projects also makes it easier to start writing because you have a choice of possible projects.

Make the job fit.
To keep yourself working for all of your valuable writing period, match your writing tasks to your personality and energy level. If you’re someone who works best when you’re fresh then start writing as soon as you hit your desk. Don’t squander your most productive time on checking your email, printing address labels, doing research, and the like. You can turn to those tasks later when you’re getting tired. Having some easier jobs at that time can keep you from quitting early. If you’re someone who needs to settle in a bit first, then go ahead and do some of those jobs. Just be sure to watch the clock so you don’t piddle away your time.

Refresh!
When you’re wrestling with a story, taking a moment away can really help. You can do that by setting the story aside and working on another writing project. (See #3.) Doing something unrelated to writing can help, too, so you might just step away from your desk for a few minutes, get a cup of coffee, sit on your deck awhile, or walk the dog. But be careful – and honest with yourself. If a certain activity tends to lead you into the temptation of just quitting for the day, don’t even start it. Substitute a less tempting activity and set a time limit for it.
You can keep your writing energy up over time by refreshing yourself with somenonverbal activities. Art classes, hobbies, and sports give you a break from all those words, words, words so you can come back to writing feeling renewed and open to new ideas.

Join a critique group.
Getting together regularly with other writers is one of the most motivating things you can do. Reading other people’s work inspires you to write yourself. The support you get from writing friends keeps you going. Other writers’ suggestions help you improve your work which makes you want to write more. And needing material for your meetings encourages you to write on a routine schedule.

End with a jumpstart.
When you reach the end of one writing session, set things up so it’ll be easier to get started next time. Some writers stop in the middle of something – an exciting scene, an interesting dialogue, or even a sentence! I sometimes jot a few notes about where I’m planning to go next: a few words about plot, a snippet of possible dialogue, a question. If you’re using some kind of outline, check off what you’ve finished. Even just straightening up your desk and setting out what you need next time can help you get a good start.

Be nice to yourself.
You’re trying to do something really hard so cut yourself some slack. Gag that critical inner voice, and take joy in what you’ve written. Write as much as you can but don’t hate yourself if that darn stupid real life gets in the way. When you can’t write, let your mind imagine, dream, plan, and prepare what you’ll write next. Who knows? You might be working on your masterpiece!

For more about writing, visit http://www.dianarjenkins.bravehost.com