That First Sentence....

When I go to the library (to chose a book to read) I always do the same thing. I open an attractive book and read the first sentence. More often than not, I know right then and there if I want to check the book out of the library. Same thing when I go to the book store.

That first sentence has make me want to read more. Same with editors. If a manuscript you submit doesn't have a first sentence that reaches out and grabs that reading editor by the throat, it's going to go into the slush pile.

I know that all of us don't aspire to become published authors and that's just fine. As long as we are having fun, that's more than fine, it's terrific!

Since we've been painting with words, drawing from our memories, and using all of our senses, we should be good to go with a writing activity I thought of today!

Here goes:

Write one sentence that would make anyone want to read more!

I'll go first:

A whisper-soft breeze blew through her hair like the calm before a storm.

Your turn! You'll do better than me. Come back more than once if you feel inspired to write more than one reader-grabbing sentence!

Take a Trip On an Owl!

Once again I've been inspired by Tweedles. She sent me a photo of an owl in her backyard and asked, "Would you like to ride him?"

I didn't even take the time to think about the fact that I probably couldn't ride Owlbert...at least not tonight...I just began to think about where I'd like to go!

So, with Tweedle's permission, I'm going to share the photo that she sent me and ask you the same question. Forget that you're all grown up and let your imagination run away with you!


Would you like to ride Owlbert? Don't be shy! Let your inner-child take over and have the trip of your lifetime! Where will you go on Owlbert? What will you do? How will you feel? How will Owlbert feel? HAVE FUN! No need for a long explanation...unless you want to.....just a few words about where you're going on your adventure! You can travel lots of your journey in your mind's eye!

Teachers: Ask your kids the same question! Creating an environment that says it's okay to be joyfully imaginative lends itself to lovely colorful creative writing!

Just for Fun!

You know me...I love to play with words. Idioms are words, phrases, or expressions that cannot be taken literally. I thought we could use this weekend to see just how many idioms we can come up with.

Using idioms when we write makes our paper come alive with imagination. Playing with idioms makes language fun!

Our writing activity is easy. Let's start a list of idioms!

I'll go first:
I'm tickled pink!

Oh! One more thing....let's number our idioms. I have no idea why I want to do that, but it seems like a good idea!

Teachers: Help your kids listen for idioms at school. Share your own list of idioms that you have heard on TV or anywhere. Join your kids and make up new idioms. Above all, have a terrific time! Writing is fun. Language is delightful.

Let's Use All of Our Senses!

If you've written with me for awhile you've already done this creative exercise that allows us to engage our senses (and think outside the box) to describe a season, color, or action.

So, since autumn has officially arrived I'm ready to go outside, take a whiff of the air, listen to the sounds, and just think about what this wonderful season has to offer. I feel pretty darn creative!

Are you ready? Just fill in the blanks:

Fall looks like ____________.

It sounds like ___________.

It tastes like____________.

It feels like _____________.

Fall makes me want to _______.

I'll go first!

Fall looks like pumpkins
It sounds like falling leaves
It tastes like spiced cider
It feels like cornstalks
Fall makes me want to stay outside for as long as I can!

OR

Fall looks like the gorgeous warm colors that are found in a brand new box of crayons
It sounds like crunchy leaves and lawnmowers that are taking their last pass at sleepy yards
It tastes like samples of cider at the busy farmers market
It feels like dried up cornstalks that surround me as I make my way through the traditional cornfield maze.
Fall makes me want to stay outside for as long as I can and wallow in the joy of my favorite season!

By the way, you will accidentally write a poem in the process of letting your senses run wild!

What Do You See?

Pictures evoke all kinds of thoughts. They can stir up our emotions or make us feel peaceful and calm.

If we can be in the moment, images can take us anywhere we want to go. Sound contradictory? Look at the photo and then close your eyes and let your mind wander...for a moment.

How do you feel? Do you want to reflect on the past or plan for the future? Do the colors in the picture make you feel happy or angry? Enthusiastic or lazy? If you let your mind's eye take over, what is happening? Exactly what are you thinking about right now as you look at the picture?

Our writing activity is simple:

Give this photo a caption.

I'll go first. My caption is: There's always tomorrow.

Your turn. What's your caption for this picture?

Teachers: Good creative writing is based on a combination of wonderful imagination and eventually... technique. Stir up your students' imaginations with this activity. Ask your kids to bring in photos from home or magazines. You bring in some too. Promote words. Champion word play. Have fun with writing!

Dig Deep! More About You and Me

We change from day to day, minute to minute, and even second by second. Great writing comes from delving into our memories and recalling how we felt during different times of our lives.

Here's an easy writing exercise for us. Just fill in the blanks again!

I used to be _________but now I'm __________.

It's as simple as that. I'll go first.

I used to be shy but now I'm rowdy!

The thing about these writing exercises is that they trigger other memories. They make me want to write more. I honestly did use to be shy. I can remember hiding behind a piano in my first grade class when I got to school before everyone else. I'm not sure when I figured out being rowdy was more fun, but once I did the laughter never stopped. I've always been a prankster...just ask my husband, kids, and Joan! Joan has known me since I was 5-years-old.

See what I mean? One thing leads to another. Teachers, if you can get your kids on a roll with an exercise like this, there will be no stopping them!

More About You and Me!

Some people are ageless. My granddaughter is an old soul yet she is a child. She can talk to adults and play with her friends. She's wise, yet she's innocently free. She's who she is and doesn't try to impress others with great knowledge. Ahhh...the beauty of honesty. I wonder how young or old she feels? I'll have to ask her!

How we feel about ourselves helps to define who we are too. If we feel old we act that way. If we feel young we behave much more lightheartedly. The challenge for most of us is that we feel differently from day to day or even minute to minute.

As you fill in the blanks in the sentences below really think about how you feel in terms of your age. Children can have the weight of the world on their shoulders and feel like an adult. Adults can feel carefree and like teenagers again.

Paint a picture with your words to show how young or old you feel.

It's playtime! Finish these sentences:

Right now I feel as young (or old) as _______________.

This morning (or yesterday) I felt as young (or old) as ____________ .

Have fun with this! Think outside the box for things that define young and old.



Teachers, kids can do this too! Involving children in this kind of activity says, "What you have to say is important. I respect you!" Wonderful writing evolves from an environment that allows hearts and souls and minds to develop.

All About You and Me Week!

I thought it would be interesting to write about US all week long! Since know one knows us better than us, we should do a pretty good job!

Five words can tell a lot. They can paint an honest to goodness picture when you throw in a little imagination. My daughter-in-law is a second grade teacher. She asked her students to use only five words to tell about themselves. You may think that's not a lot, but it is...especially if you can read between the lines. One boy in her class wrote: My dad is in jail. Those five words told me a lot about this young man. They painted a picture of his life for me.

I know we did it before, but let's do the same activity as the kids in that second grade class. Use only five words to tell about yourself. Try not to think too hard!

I'll go first: I need to be busy! (What does that tell you about me?)

Your turn! Use five words to tell us about you.

Teachers and parents, as usual, you can do this activity orally or in written form. Don't forget to model the exercise first or you'll get responses like: I have long brown hair. That's not the kind of picture we want to paint! Rejoice in the good time that a simple writing exercise can offer.

Use Your Senses to Show Your Favorite Time of Day!

The smell of my coffee brewing alerted me to the start of a new day. The sunshine was just beginning to peek through my half-opened bedroom curtains offering promises of great things to come. I rubbed my sleepy eyes and threw on my cozy robe to trudge downstairs. My two dogs followed me (like shadows at my heels) and I cracked the backdoor to let them go out and come back in at their leisure. By the time I flung open my kitchen windows I was as awake as the birds that were singing in harmony from the treetops. I watched three deer peacefully nibbling on grass and clover in the field behind my house and realized that without a doubt, early morning is my favorite time of day.
YOUR TURN! What is your favorite time of day?

I AM A WORD-LOVER...ARE YOU?

I love words and since they are the foundation of writing, I think that playing with them in unusual ways makes for magical writing.

Thinking outside the box is exciting and fun. Using words in a way that we wouldn't normally use them is thought provoking and down right exhilarating! So let's paint pictures with our words!

Use each word below to write one sentence that will describe a sunset or a thunderstorm.
Here are the words:
scratch
congeal
growl
murmur

I'll go first!
1. The lightening scratched the earths surface and sent sparks flying into the air.
2. The young moon seemed to congeal with the sun as the pink day turned into a yellow night.
3. Thunder growled across the sky and shoved rain from the clouds.
4. The earth seemed to murmur "goodnight" as the sun left the last kiss of daylight.

Your turn! Use the words to write as many sentence as you like or use your own unique words to describe a sunset or a thunderstorm. If you use your own UNIQUE WORDS, please put them in all caps so we can be blown away by your creativity! (If you just want to write one sentence and use one of the words that's just fine!)

Teachers, you can use this same activity in your classroom. Just adapt it to make it grade level appropriate. For example, your words to describe a storm might include chili, marshmellows, crash, and gush. Any of these activities can be done orally. Just remember you go first!

I Accept!

I'm a little shy about accepting awards, but I'm not shy about the joy I feel knowing and writing with all of you. Gaelikaa gave me this award and I accept it graciously. Thank you so much Gaelikaa.

Gaelikaa said I could pass this award onto anyone I wanted or not pass it on at all. I want to pass it on...to all of you. You are the ones who inspire me and make me want to write. You are the ones who give me ideas for new writing activities. You are bloggers with extraordinary talents and ideas. At least 97 of you should have this award!

With that being said, I had to give this some creative thought. "How can I pass an award onto everyone?" I wondered.

Then it came to me. After you read this post, please go to the comment section and simply say, "I accept!" That way we can all click on your name and visit your blogs easily and quickly.

Please don't be shy. Remember, words are powerful. Two words can say a lot. I ACCEPT are beautiful humble words. Thank you so much for writing with me and sharing this award.

Power of Words ....PLAYTIME!

All of us have different reactions to situations. On hot days, some of us might think about a walk in the park or a dive into a swimming pool. Not me. Hot days make me feel L A Z Y !

Our writing activity is as simple as that. Think of words or phrases that when you say them make you feel or think about the word lazy. I already went first. I feel lazy on HOT DAYS!

Your turn!

Teachers, this is the kind of activity that unlocks young minds. It encourages kids to think outside the box! I can't think of a better way to start a morning!

Quote a Quote!

A teacher left me a message last week asking if I could make our writing exercises match the curriculum being taught. The answer is, "Yes I can!" However, I'd rather do that on a one to one basis. If you're a teacher and you need something specific, please let me know. I'll respond to you by email.

Honestly, like I've said before, I believe the foundation for good writing comes from the freedom to fool around with language and words. That happens when we just play! So, let's have some more fun!

Let's start are own quote anthology!

Here's how:

Share your favorite quote. (It doesn't need to be exact.)

or

Write your own quote for us to remember!

I'll go first. My favorte quote is: Life isn't measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away.