Couldn't Be a Better Award for Me!

First of all, I have to thank Georgie and Tweedles for this award. I don't think that there could be a better award for me.

Scribbling is fun. Scribbling is writing. I love to write! I don't believe we have to write great literary pieces to be good writers. I don't believe that we have to be published authors to be good writers. I DO believe we have to learn to love language.

We need to turn our natural fascination with words into pleasure. We need to doodle. We need to scribble. We need to use one word to say a million things.

Playing with words should never end. Never! No matter how old we are (or how young we are) romping with words and writing activities helps us appreciate that writing is fun and exciting.

I'm a word lover. I know the power of words. It's so much more fun to write with all of you. I want to scribble together for a very long time. Are you in?

Think Fast!

Quick! What's this furry little caterpillar doing?

A Twist to Our List!

We are now the proud owners of a huge list of city words. If you don't believe me, go take a look!

We can even make our list of city words better by taking just one word and expanding on it by creating more words.

For example, if I chose the word house for my city word, I would start to think about things that were in the house and create a new list. Example: couch, kitchen, pets, family....

So, go look at the list of city words (or use one of the words that you left or remember seeing) and write it at the top of your comment section. Add two or three words that paint a picture to show us what you envision.

I'll go first:
traffic light (is my word)
stopped cars
red light
yellow light
green light
cars go fast
cars run light
cars crash

See what I mean? Now it's your turn to play with words. Let's give our CITY LIST a twist! Pick a CITY word and expand on it..have fun!

Lists, Lists, and More Lists!

That's what we're going to be doing! We are going to create lists of words that we can use for any kind of writing at all. Our lists will be filled with words for special purposes. They can be used to build characters. They can be used for creativity. They can be used to paint pictures that draw readers into our writing.

Most of us don't write stories to get them published. Most of us write stories to entertain our readers!

Our lists will be on file for our own personal use. We can copy them or come back here to use them anytime we want. Some very insightful and creative people leave comments here. If you're reading this, you know what I'm talking about!

So, here's our activity:

Help me build a list of city words.

These words can be anything that you think of that would create a setting that would depict a city.

I'll for first.

1. bus

What Does It Mean to Be a Writer?

I had the pleasure of visiting a 2nd grade class today to have an adventure with words and language. The kids were so much fun and so full of ideas and energy.

I started out by asking the kids if they knew what it meant to be a writer. Most of them said that writers write books or stories. Then we played with words for awhile...orally of course. After we were done, I asked the kids if people could be a writers if they only wrote one word.

Without any hesitation all of the kids said, "NO!"

Guess what I did next? Fortunately, this is a school where I can access my blog (I can't at many schools) so I pulled up the photo of the deer in the midst of a forest fire. Then I pulled up YOUR comments (thank you very much).

We went down the list and read your comments out loud. Then I asked the kids the same question, "Are these people writers?"

This time, without hesitation, each and every child said "YES!"

When I asked them why they changed their minds, the kids told me that your words described the photo or that they told a story. You should be impressed. I was.

Then I showed the kids a different photo (of my horse in the pasture) and told them to use one word to describe what they saw. Because of you, the kids had no reservations and were little creativity machines.

Thank you so much for writing with me and being a part of my school visit. When I talk about how writers inspire other writers, I'm not kidding. You just inspired 24 kids and their teacher! Next time I'll video tape the whole thing so you can see!

What does being a writer mean to you?

One Word Wednesday

Use one word to describe this photo.

Perception, Our Senses, and Us!

It's all about perspective really. It's about how things seem when we see them, hear them, taste them, feel them, or smell them. Since we've been writing with perception and our senses,, let's keep going!

Let's unleash our imaginations and dazzle our papers with words and thoughts that are free from stress or purpose!

Fantasize and be unconventional! Have fun while you write... be spontaneous.

Write about how green smells or spaghetti sounds or how a book tastes. Write about what a bell feels like or how a stomach ache looks.

This kind of activity reminds us how important our senses are when it comes to writing. It reminds us of the power of words and the wonder of language. It's all about perspective once again!

How We Perceive Friendship

Our lives are about relationships. Friendships are relationships that are perceived differently by almost everyone I know. Sometimes expectations are high. Sometimes they're not.

How we write and how we use characters in our stories depends on how we feel in our hearts and minds and souls. It's easiest to create characters based on our own experiences. We have all had deep wonderful friendships. Unfortunately, most of us have had friendships that have left us feeling betrayed or heartbroken.

So, with that in mind, fill in the blanks in the following two sentences:

Friendship means _______________________.
It doesn't mean __________________________.

Feel free to use your own variation of the two sentences.

Teachers: You can see how this writing exercise can be used across the curriculum. Begin the exercise with a lot of conversation. You go first and share about a special friendship you have had and what it meant to you!

It's All About Creative Perception!

We tend to perceive things by one sense and one sense only...at least at first. We stay in that comfortable box I keep talking about.

Think about some things that fit inside the box. We usually perceive a sandwich by how it tastes. We perceive pain by how it feels or yellow by how it looks.

Let's step outside our comfort zone for a few days and get perceptually creative! Chose one of the following things to write about using a different sense than you would usually use.

1. Write about how yellow might smell, taste, or feel.
2. Write about how pain looks or sounds.
3. Write about how an grapefruit sounds or feels.
4. Write about how a turkey sandwich sounds.
5. Write about how a skunk tastes.

HAVE FUN!

Haberdashery of Words!

I was away competing at a horse show all weekend. When I got home I looked at the list of words in the comment section of the last writing activity we did together.

I am so excited by all the new and interesting words, I don't want to stop. So, now you look at the last activity again and let's keep going! Listen for more amazing, beautiful, rhythmic words or phrases for the next few days. List them for no other reason than the way they sound.

Let's make more music for our ears together!

Here's my new word: dollop

Here's my new phrase: Click clop goes the horse!

Your turn to add to our very own thesaurus of fascinating words!

Music to My Ears

Sometimes words and phrases are fun just to hear and feel. The best words (that don't have to be connected to emotions or thoughts) are words with sounds that make language delightful.

I'm talking about words that have rhythms or melodies when they roll off your tongue. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers....feels good when I say it out loud. So does the word, serendipity. I don't even have to know what that word means for this writing exercise. It just feels good to say.

What word or phrase can you think of that has rhythm, rhyme, or melody! Let's see how long our list can grow. The nice thing about our lists is that when we need to find a word for something else we are writing, we can refer back to our own creative thesaurus!

Writing Activity:
List a word or phrase that has rhythm, rhyme, or melody! Have fun!

One Word Wednesday

I like this game.

What's the first word or phrase that comes to your mind when I say autumn?

Ready, set, go!

Let's End It First!

Last week we wrote beginning sentences for stories that would leave editors of upscale publishing houses begging for more! Our sentences were so good that I wanted to finish more stories than my own. Lucky for you and me I didn't. We'd have to spend hours reading!
Right now, I'd rather write...how about you?

Sometimes, when I'm trying to figure out what to write about, I start at the end of a story rather than the beginning. Sound crazy? Maybe it is. It just gives me a direction to go. Often by the time I reach my already completed ending, I change it, but it's there nonetheless.

Writing an ending to a story first gives me that nudge I need to get started.

Are you game? Let's give it a shot. This time, write a sentence or two or three that could end your famous story.

I'll go first:

Our house could never be the same again. And why should it be? Now it was a home filled with love.

Your turn!

Teachers, this is a fun activity to do as a group. Have your kids pair up in groups of four. Ask two children to orally end a story...first. Then tell the other two children to start the story that leads to the ending! You choose a partner and lead the way! Show the kids how fun it is to write a story backwards!

AS FAST AS I CAN!

Okay. I'm gong to do this post as fast as I can because my computer keeps coming and going. The cable man was going to come today to work on the cable lines, but now it's going to be tomorrow...darn!

Thanks to Tweedles we can write together on the fly! I don't know about you, but I have to hurry before it's too late...

Meet Tweedles!

Give the photo a caption!