Writing Road Trip
Curves Ahead
I was thrilled when Teenage Nephew 1 grew old enough to mow my yard. We negotiated a price and then headed outside. I knew that at his house, his father was King of the Riding Mower, so mowing was a completely new skill to Teenage Nephew. So I carefully reviewed the basics with him: mower operation, safety issues, how he shouldn’t
Don’t Let the Dinosaur Drive the Bus
Some basic story lines that rarely fail to provide excellent starting points for struggling young writers.
Tripping with Mona Lisa
After my first book was published, one of my friends gave me a knowing look and said, “I’ve figured out exactly what your story means.” I nodded wisely, two of us in on the same secret together, but truthfully? I was eager to hear what she had to say. Because in all the time I’d spent writing, revising,
Georgia, Broadway, and Niagara — Cheese or Font?
So what’s the perfect game for somebody who lives in a state with lots of dairy farms, spends a huge hunk of her time writing or reading, and has been known to insert a butter head into a novel as a red herring? Why, it’s Cheese or Font, of course! If you’ve never played, please remember to come back and
Writing Under the Influence
The creative career guidance book said my options were puppeteer or mime.
Take the Next Turn
As a writing warm-up, why not ask your students to create a fresh new spin on a tired old way of saying something?
Wandering Aimlessly
As a brainstorming activity for your student writers, I encourage you to offer them meandering time.
The Limo’s on the Way
I’ve found there’s an alarmingly close correlation between the topsy-turvy emotions of a high school crush and a writer’s feelings during the process of submitting a manuscript to publishers. As the writer waiting for an answer from The Perfect Publisher, you go through the same hopeful highs and “why doesn’t anyone love me?” lows. The manuscript that just
Backseat Drivers
Some of the best advice you can give student writers is also some of the easiest for them to carry through on: to write better, they should read better. Read better, as in: Read more. Read widely. Read outside their usual reading “type.” Read carefully. Read for fun. Read first for story, and then read as
Signal Your Intentions
It wasn’t so unusual that my teenage nephews were sending me signals that translated to: “Will you take us to the store right now so we can spend these Christmas gift cards from Grandma?” What was new this year was that they also wanted to do the driving. Brand-new permits in their pockets, I agreed to
Forgetting How to Drive
You always hear it around the time of the first fall snowstorm in Minnesota: “It’s like people have forgotten how to drive!” It refers to the fact that even drivers who are diehard Minnesotans — as evidenced by the Minnesota Vikings flags flying from their pickup antennas — don’t seem to have the tiniest clue how to drive on
Stopping by the Diner
My dad has a passionate hatred of olives on, in, or even in the general vicinity of his food. He’s convinced their mere presence contaminates anything else on his plate. So when he eats at his favorite small-town diner, he’s always careful to tell the server that he wants his dinner salad without the black olives
Pickle Voice
I think that what we mean when we talk about “writer’s voice” is a writer’s personality showing up on the page. It emerges through many diverse writing choices, ranging from word usage to tone to rhythm.
A Vehicle for Change
I’d heard my mom talk about “duck and cover”: hiding under her school desk from a potential nuclear attack. And I’d participated myself in tornado drills during my own school days, lining up in a basement hallway with our arms covering our heads. None of that prepared me for a lockdown drill. I was on one of my regular gigs
Shifting Gears
The only argument I’ve ever witnessed between Teenage Nephew 1 and Longtime Girl-friend was a doozy. And I couldn’t help chortling with glee because the basis of their disagreement was so close to my heart: What makes for the best possible story? Actually, the way they put it was, “What’s better, ‘Star Wars’ or ‘Harry Potter’?” But don’t let