While readers love to see larger-than-life characters with passion, take-charge attitudes, and heaps of boldness and daring, not every protagonist wears an extrovert skin. In fact, looking at real-life demographics for a second, I think there’s a lot more people on the quieter side than not. Some of us are introverted, others, on the shy […]
The Climactic Moment is the reason your story is even being told in the first place. Needless to say, it's pretty important you get it right. Find out how!
An easy peasy way to draw an exceptionally tall giant! Age: Upper primary Resources: paper, pencil, eraser, watercolour paint, ruler What you do: STEPS 1- 4 I have drawn in pen so you can see! You do it all in light pencil because you are going to need to rub some lines out before you paint. 1) Using a pencil on A4 white paper draw a point in the middle of the top and one at the middle of the bottom. Join these lines using a ruler. Then draw a line from the top middle to each bottom edge. 2) Next, draw a line about 2 cm from the top and one about 5 cm from the top. These are for the head and the waist lines. Then draw a head, a waist and arms. 3) Now add curved trouser bottoms and curved shoes. 4) Draw the sides of the boots and the soles then add the eyelets and laces. Add the sleeves of the shirt, braces and curves lines for the waist. Draw the giants face. Erase all the lines you don't need now. 5) Paint with watercolours. Add a background. This idea came from Usborne Art Ideas: Big Book of Things to Draw
A couple of years ago, in a Storyboard piece on John McPhee‘s gorgeously built Encounters with the Archdruid, the acclaimed author Adam Hochschild wrote about narrative structure: A few years ago I was with a young cousin, a college student who told me she was majoring in civil engineering. “I’ve never really understood,” I asked her. […]
Today I’m sharing some amazing tools as part of Verbaleyze’s My Writing Toolkit event, in hopes you might find some new weapons in the battle for strong, compelling description. For those not familiar with VerbalEyze, they are a 501(c)3 nonprofit that serves to foster, promote, and support the development and professional growth of emerging young […]
How do you become a fiction writer, you ask? Well, here's an 8 step guide on how to start being a writer, and how to make an informed career decision.
This sentence has five words… Gary Provost was the author of books on how to write, including Make Every Word Count and Make Your Words Work. More posts on sentences: The 4 Types Of Sentences 6 Ways To Shorten Your Sentences And Improve Your Writing 7 Tips For Writing Great Sentences What Is A Sentence Fragment? […]
Sylvia Plath by Summer Pierre. “Go out & do something. It isn’t your room that’s a prison, it’s yourself.” (Sylvia Plath) P.S. If you never read The Bell Jar as a moody teenager, you missed out! (But it’s never too late…) P.P.S. Summer’s blog is great. I love an absorbing new find!
Procrastination stops many writers from following through. Read 9 ways to write more, strategies to hold yourself accountable to your goals.
A writer's notebook is the perfect place to keep your inspiration, ideas, notes, and references to anything else you need for your next project!
5 Tricks How to Hide Your Villain Right Before Their Eyes. Consider the many ways a writer can hide their villain before their readers' eyes. Hide your villain
“I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him.” So says the plagued with guilt narrator of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic, “The Tell-Tale Hear…
Why is it so important to find the right fit for a writing teacher? Because learning to write is different from all other academic disciplines. There isn't one right or wrong answer as there is in math. There isn't a one size fits all guide to style. It is highly subjective. And most importantly, sharing your thoughts and opinions in writing is a vulnerable pursuit. It feels very personal when someone critiques your work. It's like a big rubber stamp saying: YOU'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH. And this can be crippling to the learning process. The process of learning to write works best when a student is comfortable with his or her mentor in a safe environment where their individual voice and style is respected. Trial and error is essential to growing into a proficient writer. So what can you do to build confidence in your child as they learn to write? 1. Praise what is done well before finding fault or pointing out errors. You know the old proverb that "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all"? The same applies here. What has your child done well? Good length? Good grammar? Good topic sentence? Say something nice. Offer praise and start off on the right foot. When in doubt, use words like interesting, clever, and creative. 2. Choose the most salient errors and highlight those. Resist the urge to point out every minute error in a piece of writing as this is overwhelming. Select a few things to work on with each piece and focus on those. 3. Aim for improvement and not perfection. Even professional writers will tell you that they are never 100% happy with their work...even after it is published. There is always something to improve - something that could be tweaked. Support the process and let your student know that you recognize the hard work they put in. 4. Encourage reading written work out loud. All kids like to share their work. Reading it out loud lets them add their literal voice to their writing while also training their ear to hear errors. Have fun and encourage playfulness surrounding their work - read with a French accent or like an actor on stage. Help them to see their writing as a creative endeavor that they can change and play with. 5. Encourage a final draft to share. Insist on a final, clean revision free of notations and corrections. Seeing a beautiful copy - no matter how long it took to achieve - feels good. It can be shared with Dad or Grandma or Aunt Sue. Sharing after all the hard work will naturally build confidence and the desire to write something else to share.
Here are some of the things we did this week for our Fairy Tale/Storybook Character Unit: We talked about what a fairy tale is and wha...
Writing a tragedy or dark story? Here's a beat-by-beat look at the three Negative Arcs--the Disillusionment Arc, the Fall Arc, and the Corruption Arc.
As a writer, you need to have one. Just like you should have a reading journal to help you become a better writer. But, what goes in a writer’s journal?
Learn how to write a fairy tale retelling that's compelling and fresh!
Over the last few weeks, ALuv {2nd grade} has been studying fairy tales. To accompany our study, I created several activities for him and today, I’m sharing them with you! {Link to download is at the end of the post.} Recording Fairy Tale Features Although he was already familiar with many of the fairy tales ... Read More about FREE Fairy Tale Printable Pack {for Reading, Writing, and Storytelling}
Teaching tall tales to kids can be fun when you combine reading with writing your own tales. We'll show you how. Includes free printable tall tale template.
Tips for coming up with ideas for your next story. Inspiration is all around you--soon you'll have so many story ideas you won't know what to do with them!
Here's how to figure out your character's arc, using the "Truth Chart"--a fast, one-page beat sheet designed to help you develop theme and character.
This resource is a Project Based Learning (PBL) set of activities for all students in your class to participate in, as it incorporates many different subjects and learning styles. This resource is based on the premise that Fairy Tale Land is being turned upside down because the Evil Witch has found the Fairy Godmother's wand. Students will complete different engaging and fun activities, such as making a new chair for Baby Bear using geometry, making a new candy condo for Hansel and Gretel, and designing a magical vehicle to use in Fairy Tale Land! Students can use any reference materials needed, but most of the activities do not need it. This is a print-and-go packet; students complete a variety of activities (one to a page). What fun for anytime learning! Included are the following: Student Booklet Cover Student Introduction from The Fairy Godmother Emergency Text- Writing, conversation skills, sending a pretend text Vroom, Vroom!- Art, problem solving, critical thinking, designing a magical vehicle A New Candy House- Math, art, problem, designing candy condo using restrictions The Evil Email- critical thinking, drawing the Evil Witch's Lair Fairy Tale TV- Literacy, writing, conversation with TV station Time to Rebuild- Math, problem solving, listing supplies/costs for new Pig house InstaMAGIC- Literacy, art, sending an Instagram style post of finding the magic wand There are many types of media included on the printables, for example, students draw an Instagram type photo, writing an email, etc.. Perfect for getting students hooked on the project. Other Project Based Learning Resources: Thanksgiving PBL Activities
How to Express Your Opinion in english I feel that I would say that As far as I’m concerned If I am not mistaken I believe I feel In my opinion In my view It seems likely The way I see it is I agree with Personally, I think What I mean is I figure that From my point of view I’m of the opinion that If you ask me To be honest Honestly I think My point of view is that Well, if you ask me It seems obvious that The main points are The essential point is I’d
When we think of schizophrenia, we often imagine serial killers motivated by the voices in their heads. But there's so much more to it than that. Find out how to write about schizophrenia - and why we need to - in this guide.
What is a writer’s journal used for? It's a great way to inspire yourself through quotes, writing prompts, poems, pictures, or anything else you find interesting.
Dear Mr. Henshaw - Literature Kit Gr. 5-6 This enriched exploration of the Newbery Medal-winning story told from a young boy's perspective is perfect for fifth and sixth graders. Specifically designed for students who read at a lower grade level, it aims to meet various learning needs. The kit invites a deeper understanding into Leigh Botts' journey of self-discovery, prompting students to: Predict character identities based on clues within the novel. Explore antonyms in the narrative's vocabulary. Solve mysteries surrounding plot events with engaging activities. In fostering creative thinking, students have opportunities to: Create their questions for Mr. Henshaw as Leigh does in his narrative journey. Inspired by Mrs. Badger's writing tips from the book itself, develop their unique writing checklist. All assignments align perfectly with State Standards and encourage elements beyond mere academics such as character analysis and discussions on empathy, loneliness in school age or parental separation. Note: An interesting feature is projecting imagined future scenarios between characters like Leigh & Mr.Henshaw showing applicability of learnt lessons today. For educators looking for supplementary tools alongside core study: An ample amount of word searches are available; A variety of extra crossword puzzles are included; Detailed comprehension tests along with solution sets offer easy referencing options; To conclude: Dear Mr.Henshaw - Literature Kit Gr 5-6 seamlessly integrates into Language Arts Literature instruction for crucial grades 5 & 6. Catering to classroom settings or homeschooling methods or even as home tasks, its PDF format makes it conveniently manageable. Dear Mr. Henshaw - Literature Kit Gr. 5-6
Want to write a character readers will really hate? Learn from Charles Dickens how to create unforgettably hypocritical antagonists.
If you want to keep better track of your ideas, or get serious about regular creative brainstorming sessions, here's how to start a writer's notebook:
This 3-part character conflict worksheet can help put your character in trouble... and pull them out of it!
Here are some of the things we did this week for our Fairy Tale/Storybook Character Unit: We talked about what a fairy tale is and what fairy tales sometimes have in them. We talked about the Story Elements in each of the Fairy Tales we read this week. Little Red Riding Hood Here is the chart I used to fill in the Story Elements as we talked about them as a class. While filling this chart out, we made our characters and set up our classroom (setting) so we could act out the story. Little Red Riding Hood Activity: They made a picture of Little Red Riding Hood and then filled in the boxes describing her. Goldilocks and the Three Little Bears We filled this in after reading the story. I had the students make this story character map for Goldilocks. Cinderella We filled this in together as a class. I laminated these Story Element Anchor Charts so I could write on them with an Expo Marker and easily wipe them off! Writing Activity: If I had a Fairy Godmother... The Three Little Pigs I read two versions of The Three Little Pigs and we compared the two stories. I had the students fill out these WANTED posters for the Big Bad Wolf. Jack and the Beanstalk We did a measurement activity. The Frog Prince Graphing Activity: Would you kiss a frog? Fairy Tale Elements Chart: After reading each fairy tale we went through and marked what fairy tale elements the book had. Storybook Character Dress-up Day: To end our unit we had the students dress up as their favorite storybook character. They came to school dressed in their costume with their book and we guessed who they were. Even all the first grade teachers dressed up! Here is just a peek at some of the storybook characters the first grade teachers have dressed us as during the years. The Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed Alice in Wonderland All Laura Numeroff book characters! Click HERE to download my Fairy Tale Unit from my TpT store!
Discovery what a contagonist is and why your story definately needs one. All the markings of a killer contagonist to take your story to the next level.
Here's what we've been up to lately. . . We just finished up a 3 huge units of study: measurement, fairy tales, and the forest biome...
