Day: April 21, 2020

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Theme Memes: Start With The End

I found this very useful.

Mae Early

When I conference with writers, they often say they’re having trouble coming up with a satisfying ending. Instead of talking to them about their plot, I ask them to tell me about their intended impact: when their audience reaches the end, what do they want them to be feeling and thinking? Some writers are immediately stumped because they were so focused on plot, they hadn’t considered this question. Others quickly identify their intended impact, but confess that they’re unable to imagine any other ending besides the unsatisfying one that they’ve already written.

Maker:S,Date:2017-8-20,Ver:6,Lens:Kan03,Act:Lar02,E-YThere’s no doubt about it, endings are hard. A satisfying ending requires us to steer our imagined world towards its inevitable future from the moment the story begins. It reminds me of a question that’s often asked in interviews: where do you see yourself in five years? We groan when we hear that because we know from…

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Blog

Criminal Mischief: Episode #14: Rules of Writing

I saw a few of these pointers on various blogs but found this to have many all in one place. This is going to end up being part of my “go to” when writing.

The Crime Fiction Writer's Blog

AOTA Graphic

Criminal Mischief: Episode #14: Rules of Writing

LISTEN: https://soundcloud.com/authorsontheair/criminal-mischief-episode-14-rules-of-writing

PAST SHOWS: http://www.dplylemd.com/criminal-mischief.html

SHOW NOTES:

Somerset Maugham

There are three rules for novel writing. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.

Terry Brooks Rules

Read, Read, Read

Outline, Outline, Outline

Write, Write, Write

Repeat

Dave Barry:

Don’t Be Boring

Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing

1-Never open a book with weather

2-Avoid prologues

3-Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue

4-Never use an adverb to modify the verb “said”

5-Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose

6-Never use the words “suddenly” or “all hell broke loose

7-Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly

8-Avoid detailed descriptions of characters

9-Don’t go into great detail describing places and things

10-Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip

From BLACK CHERRY BLUES by James Lee Burke

Her…

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A to Z Blogging Challenge Blog Education

Blogging A to Z April Challenge: R 04/21/2020

Reading because you want to

Not all kids like to read, nor do all adults. Reading is fundamental to learning and can be reinforced in many ways. How do you make it fun or wanted?

My biggest recommendation to ALL parents is this: Let your child read what they want! I’m not saying to NOT read what is assigned but it is fun for children to read what they find fun or interesting. Even as an adult, I love reading Dr. Seuss books. One of my favorite authors is Shel Silverstein. There are chapter books, like the Magic Tree House or 39 Clues, that may be below reading level but are intriguing. Any reading is good reading!

Educators know what they need to present to students to encourage appropriate level learning. This is essential and very important. Reading is also important and if it is always difficult or “boring” it won’t be something kids want to do. Comic books are good for reading, we grew up with them! Comics in the newspaper, short stories, blogs, websites…They all require kids to read something, and as I say, something is better than nothing. If kids learn to enjoy reading, it will become easier and more desirable.

Have you thought about Mad Libs? They teach parts of speech and require reading when all the blanks are filled in. You can print them for free off the internet if you don’t have the books. They also sell them online. http://mazon.com/Best-Mad-Libs-Roger-Price/dp/0843126981/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Mad+Libs&qid=1586819376&sr=8-3

Have you thought about questionnaires? Let kids question you. If they make their own questions, they have to read them to ask you. There are also ideas like “Would you Rather” or “What would you choose?”. Word searches require reading words. Crossword puzzles require reading clues.

Contact me if you need other fun ideas!