Use Your Senses as a Trigger

Use your senses to conjure up images of fall.  Think about how autumn smells.  How it tastes.  How it feels.  Think about how autumn sounds.

Now wallow in the joy of language as you finish the sentence below:



Autumn seemed to burst with beauty as I.....

Go Ahead and Gripe!

Use the first thought that comes to your mind to tell us how you really feel!

Finish this sentence: It isn't fair that...

Feel free to paint a picture with your words if you have more than just one sentence to say!

Word Play - For Kids and Adults!

I love words. I am fascinated by how words can change my perspective in a matter of seconds. I want you to feel that wonder too! Kids should have gobs of experience with the magic of words and so should we. Words are a way to stretch our thinking and make our writing more exciting.

Everyone should play with words and that's what we are doing!

What image comes to your mind when you think of the word soft?

Feathers come to my mind.
Here's how I might show soft in a sentence: The snow felt like feathers tickling my face.

Your turn. Think of the word soft. What does your mind's eye see? Can you show me soft in a word or two? Give it a try! Don't be shy. If you think of something after you've already been here, come back! Don't forget...we're creating our own thesaurus!

Feathers was my word to show soft. What's yours?

Name the Place or....More Lists!

Okay...now we have a list of amazing descriptions of people we know (or have seen). So are you ready to create another list? Let's make a list of words or phrases to describe ONE place. This place can be somewhere that makes you happy. It can be somewhere that makes you thoughtful. It can be somewhere that makes you feel safe. Create a list of words or phrases that describe this place.

Here's my list:

1. greenish-blue roofs that can be seen from far away
2. filled with animals
3. green pastures
4. winding walkway under umbrella of trees
5. smells like hay and manure

Your turn! Describe ONE place. Let your senses fill your mind's eye before you start!

Let's Have Some Fun - Poetry About Pets and People

My blogs bring me so much joy. I love the creative curiosity that abounds from this writer's blog and my blog for animal lovers too. Sometimes I feel like I'm glued to your blogs. Many of your are such good writers that I feel like I'm in the middle of a good book or even a part of your lives.

Believe it or not, Tweedles (a pug dog) stopped by here the other day and asked me to share a creative writing activity.

Off the top of my head, I suggested that I could learn more about Tweedles by an activity that requires thinking outside the box. Somehow, I have a feeling lots of you are going to have a really good time with this activity too.

Many of you have used your senses to create this same poem (in another way) that I suggested for Tweedles. This time, I'd like you to use your senses to describe a pet or person that you really like. Play with words. Wallow in language. Have fun!

I asked Tweedles to fill in the blanks:

Tweedles looks like __________
She smells like __________
She sounds like _________
She tastes like __________
She feels like __________
Tweedles makes me want to ________

Here's Tweedle's poem!
Tweedles looks like a cute baby monkey
She smells like bubble gum
She sounds like a seagull with its mouth full of crackers
She tastes like strawberry shortcake
She feels like the softest velvet ever
Tweedles makes me want to giggle!

Here's the poem that I wrote about my granddaughter:
Alexa looks like a graceful swan
She smells like horses and shampoo
She sounds like a talking dictionary
She tastes like fresh fruit on a summer morning
She feels like a conditioned athlete
Alexa makes me want be a kid again!

Have any images formed in your mind? My guess is that they have.

Now it's your turn. Fill in the same blanks that Tweedles and I did. Choose an animal or person that you really have strong feelings about and use your senses to create a lovely picture with your words! I have no doubt that you'll be very descriptive. Why? Because you're writing from your mind and heart.

Can you do it? Yes you can! Please share!

The Story I Promised You...

As I promised, I'm going to share the story I wrote with you. I'm trying to recall all the specifics, but I'm having a little difficulty. What I DO remember is that I wrote the story for an educational publisher. I think I wrote it for 5th graders and I think that I was given some specific vocabulary words that I had to use. It's probably floating around as a leveled reader in lots of different schools.


Writing leveled readers is probably my favorite kind of freelance. Just knowing that lots of kids are going to read (and hopefully want to write) because of an idea that came from me is amazing.

Message in a Bottle

Ribbons of color filtered through the bedroom window casting a delicate pink glow across my room. The early morning sunshine did nothing to shake my need to crawl back under my covers, but I could hear Catherine clambering up the porch steps to the front door. "Coming," I yelled as I scrambled to get ready. Catherine always came early to meet me when we went to the beach. She said the prettiest seashells were always gone by mid-afternoon. I grabbed my sunglasses and tote bag and trudged downstairs, wiping the sleep from my eyes. About halfway down the doorbell rang again. "Hold your horses!" I screamed, I’ll be there in a sec!"

Patience was not one of Catherine’s virtues and this morning was no exception. As usual, she couldn’t wait for me answer the door, and like always Catherine opened the door and marched precociously inside. She looked more like she was more prepared for a month at Camp Katydid, than just one day in the sun. "Come on Liz," she whined as I eyed a donut on the counter, decided against it and grabbed an apple instead. I followed her out the door, silently chuckling at her weighted-down walk. It was a gorgeous day outside. The sun wasn’t scorching yet; it was pleasantly warm, and the breeze made it a perfect day for the beach. I swung my leg over my bike and rode up the street.

We got about two house down the when I sensed crazy old Hattie Thompson before I actually saw her. I tried to look preoccupied as I rode by, but I made the mistake of taking a sideways look to see if Ms. Thompson noticed me. Unfortunately, she caught my glance and I was forced to acknowledge her presence. I tried to avoid Mrs. Thompson whenever I could because she was the craziest crankiest woman I ever met and frankly, she scared me a little bit. In fact, she gave me the creeps.

"Hi, Ms. Thompson," I stammered in as friendly a tone as I could muster, "How’ve you been?"
"Slow down on that bike before you fall off and end up on my grass," she snarled. I assumed that was the end of the conversation, at least I hoped it was, and began to pedal off, when once again, I sensed old Hattie’s eyes boring a hole in my back. "Always say goodbye," Hattie singsonged, "Always say goodbye." "Don’t answer her," Catherine whispered, "You know she’s loony as a bat. Pedal f-f-faster…. Let’s get the heck away from her!"

We rode like there’d be no tomorrow, the muscles in my calves began to knot up like baseballs, and sweat began to trickle down my face and drip on the handlebars of my bike. I looked over at Catherine and couldn’t help laughing out loud. Her once triangle-white sunscreened nose was now void of protection, but the ooey gooey white stuff was running down her face and she looked like a clown ready for the performance of her life. The tension broke.

We left our bikes on the bike rack, rusted from years in sea mist and sand, and started walking along the shore. Shell collecting isn’t exactly for me, I’d prefer kicking a soccer ball any day, but since Catherine is my best friend, I strolled with her at a leisurely pace.

Before long, Catherine was ahead of me, bent over searching for seashells. I was in a relaxation mode, listening to the gulls and splashing water, when a dark green glass bottle hit my ankle and broke my concentration. "Oh great," I thought, "She’s finding shells and I’m finding old trash." I grasped the old bottle by the neck and was about to fling it back into the sea, when I noticed a slip of paper inside. I stuck my finger in the neck of the bottle as far as it would go, squeezed the paper between two of my fingers and as gently as possible, pulled it out.

By now, I had Catherine’s attention…I’m sure she thought I’d found the most extraordinary conch shell of the day…. and she came to inspect my treasure.

"Lizzy," she asked in a tone that usually implies she wants what I have, "What did you find?" I didn’t reply. "Liz?" For a minute I couldn’t talk, in fact, I couldn’t move. Catherine grabbed the paper out of my hand and read it out loud, "My darling Hattie, today is the day I’m leaving to fight the Nazi’s, we both agree it’s important for me to go. My heart aches because I can’t find you to say goodbye. Know that you will always be with me in the air that I breathe and the moon that I sleep under at night. When I come home, we will make our life together. Since I’m going to put this note under "our rock" I have do doubt that one day you will read my words. Goodbye Hattie Thompson, wait for me. Forever yours, Jonathan." The tattered yellow note was dated September 5, 1944.

I stood stone still and dumbfounded. Catherine was the first to break the silence as she shrieked, "This note can’t be to the crazy old Hattie Thompson we know, can it? No one could have ever loved her like this, Liz, it’s not possible…is it?!" "Let’s go find out," I whispered. sounding only a little braver than I felt. Catherine took longer than usual to gather her paraphernalia, but she did it, and then somewhat begrudgingly unlocked her bike from the rack.

It seemed like it took us twice as long to get back to Hattie’s house as it did to leave there…in fact it seemed like an eternity. Now instead of muscles knotted like baseballs, my legs felt as though they were made of heavy lead, and my mouth was so dry I could spit cotton. I didn’t ask Catherine how she was feeling, somehow, words just didn’t seem right.

As we approached Hattie’s paint-chipped house, I had an overwhelming sense of trepidation. I could see her old face peering from behind the lacy curtains that kept the sunshine, and everything else, out. Before we had time to think, Hattie flung open her door. "Now what," Hattie growled in her usual way, "Didn’t I tell you girls to stay away?"

My hands were shaking like a washing machine out of balance as I reached out to hand her the crumpled up note. "We think this m-m-might be yours," I stammered. Hattie started to turn on heel and slam the door, but something made her change her mind. Her withered hand took the note from me, and as she begin to read, tears fell from her eyes and softened her wrinkled face.
"Come on Catherine," I said, "Let’s go." The moment seemed surreal but as we began to pedal away something made me turn around to look back. Old Ms. Thompson was still standing where we left her, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and I could swear I saw a twinkle in her eye. "Goodbye, Liz," Hattie singsonged, "Goodbye."

"Hello Ms. Thompson," I whispered.

Question for You!

I'll get right to the point here. We've been writing together since January and I'm happy as a clam. Since writing is as natural to me as picking up the phone and talking to my best friend, this blog takes me no time at all. I love writing with you and I love the new blogging friends that I've made.

Since this is an interactive blog, I need to know what you'd like to do for the summer. Do you want to keep on just doing what we have been doing or would you rather do something else? I am willing to do anything (well almost anything) you'd like.

For those of you who truly do want to get published, we can work on that. For those of you who need to talk about igniting the spark of creativity in your children, we can do that too.

The reason that I'm saying all this is that soon I'm going to have a webpage up. It will direct people to my blog and it will offer services for a fee. I am not going to charge any of you anything. But since my freelance work is so down, I need to turn Ignite to Write into a business.
We'll see how all that goes. When you're creative, you're creative. Writing is what I love. Writing is what I do. I just have to figure out a new way to make it work financially for me.

Nothing will change for you at all. I would just like your feedback. Your visits to my new website will be greatly appreciated. It will help to encourage advertisers for me. That's all I will ask from you. As soon as my new website is ready please check it out. I'll make it interactive so it will hopefully be almost as much fun as this blog!

That's it. Thank you for making my life so interesting and this blog so much fun!

Jan

Just curious....

Just curious, when you hear the words, fresh air, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

Writers, please write a quick sentence to paint a picture for us.

Teachers, talk this one through with your kids for a few minutes. Words are the building blocks for all descriptive writing. Sharing ideas (through oral communication) is where the love of language begins!

Just so you know:
Fresh air reminds me of the faded cotten sheets blowing on the clothesline in my grandmother's overgrown backyard.

Your turn! Please comment.

Lists, lists, and more lists!

My life is full of lists. I don't write grocery lists or "to do" lists...I should! Instead I make word lists. I have lists of words that show. A thesaurus just isn't enough for me. I take a word like fun and write at the top of a page in my notebook. Each time I think of another word that shows fun, I add it to my list. For example, on my fun word page, I paint pictures with words like: hilarious, jolly, playful, escapades, a riot, chortle, just for kicks, make merry, giddy...you get the idea. Every time I think of a word that would fall into that category, I add it to my fun word page. Actually, come to think of it, I should write a thesaurus for writers!

Lists are important for writers, teachers, parents and students. If you are a classroom teacher or parent, there's nothing more useful and fun than having your kids create lists for a reason. Since we're in the midst of winter, just think of the lists your kids could develop.

Here's an idea for you that I use all the time. First of all, have another hearty conversation with your kids about winter (or whatever topic you plan to write about). Lively conversations make for colorful writing.

Ask your kids to start a list of winter words. Ask them to start another list of cold words. Let them keep their lists in their desks. That way, new words can be added as they come to mind.

After a week or so has passed, ask your students to write a sentence or paragraph about winter using words from both lists. No matter how old they are, they will begin to write in similes without even thinking.

Let them share their sentences out loud. You should be hearing things like: Today was as cold as the ice cube is my freezer. Playing with lists and words works. It makes writing fun. It makes writing carefree (I got that from my own FUN list!)

A teacher (from one of the classrooms I visited last year) told me that lists had made a difference in her student's writing. One of her students had to write a letter to another student as a form of apology. Her teacher said that her letter read: "I was as mad as a tornado blowing my house down when you...." How's that for colorful writing?

Go with the flow!

I had the pleasure of visiting a second grade classroom yesterday. Once again, the kids taught me more than I taught them! First of all, my intention was to have them paint with words by changing telling sentences into showing ones. The activity I had planned didn't go exactly like I expected. While it works great with fourth graders, I had to readjust it for this group. It's so important to be flexible to allow the kids to become successful.

I took starter sentences with me. The first sentence I gave the kids was: I went to the store. I wanted them to change it into something like: My cart was full of fruit and vegetables.

Instead, most of the kids added onto the sentence. I thought about really tyring to drive the point home that I wanted them to totally show and not tell, but then I realized what they were doing was just fine. The kids ended up showing by using two sentences instead of one. They still painted a picture with their words.

One child wrote: I went to the store. I pushed my cart past the apples. Did that paint a picture for you? It sure did for me!

My point is this, if one thing isn't working, don't be afraid to go with the flow and try something else.

For you adult writers, if you're having trouble painting with your words, try the same thing. Add onto your starter sentence instead of changing it...my guess is that once you've added on, you'll be able to totally take out the telling sentence. You will have painted a lovely picture with your words!