Getting back into the writing groove

For whatever reason – illness, a move or job change, family crises, or other circumstances beyond our control – most of us fall out of the writing habit at one time or another. And getting back into the groove can be tough. Confession:  Right now, I'm having a little trouble with it myself. Okay, a lot of trouble.

A few Decembers ago, I was chasing my tail, trying to steal writing time from the holiday-related hoopla on my calendar. But with all the cleaning and decorating, shopping and party planning, baking and visiting I wanted/needed to do, I felt really guilty every time I sat down to write. So I made what, at the time, felt like a drastic move:  After more than 10 years of keeping my nose firmly pressed to the grindstone, I gave myself permission to take December off from writing. Wow, was I a happier camper that holiday season (and those since). I could immerse myself in holiday prep/events without that constant nagging feeling that there was something else I should be doing (don't we drive ourselves crazy sometimes?!)

January-March have traditionally been my favorite writing months. And that month-long December break spring-boarded me into them, big time. I was raring to go. Outta my way! Lemme at the keyboard! I have a story to get to!

*sound of squealing brakes*

Not this year. Granted, it's only January 4, so I'm not panicking. But sadly, I'm just not feeling an urgency to get back to my writing. Maybe it's because the mg novel project I was enthused about a year ago got pushed to the back burner by a couple of work-for-hire projects. I've definitely lost momentum on that one. And it's a story I need to get back to, because I have a terrible if-I-don't-write-it-somebody-else-will feeling. But after a year of thinking about it only sporadically, I now have so many questions about my plans for the whole project that I'm doubting my ability to even pull off writing the thing. Ugh. That's not a great place to be.

So how am I going to regain that enthusiasm, retrain myself to get back into the writing habit? I've searched the internet for wisdom, and everything I've read boils down to these 3 steps:

1.  Stop fretting. Worrying about not writing is a time waster and certainly won't free you to create.

2.  Schedule writing time. I'm about as sharp as I'm going to get in the mornings. So right after my time on the treadmill, a quick shower, and breakfast, I'm heading to my office, where I will plop my rear into the chair and begin. I'll answer e-mails, check out the few blogs I follow (and maybe work on my own next post), then reread what I wrote the day before, which always jumps starts my mind.

3.  Give yourself permission to write (excuse me, Mother) crap. I don't know how, after writing for more than 16 years, I can STILL sometimes forget that writing is a process. Nobody sits down and bangs out The Perfect Story on the first try. Revision has always been my favorite part of writing. If I have to remind myself of that every day by taping a big note to my computer screen, I will.

My next post won't be until later in the month, but I'll let you know how I'm doing. Looking forward to a productive month!

*knocks wood*
*crosses fingers*
*rubs the troll*

Jill

Have you entered our current book giveaway? You won't want to miss this one. Read the entry details in Carmela's Wednesday's post.

New Feature for the New Year: Wednesday Writing Workout, plus a Book Giveaway!

Happy New Year, Everyone!

I hope you're all rested and refreshed and ready to plunge ahead into 2013.

While on our winter blogging break, we TeachingAuthors were busy working behind-the-scenes, planning a new weekly feature. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know we often include Writing Workouts with our posts. As it says in our sidebar: "We invite classroom teachers to use these writing exercises with their students, and adult writers to try them on their own." Many of you have told us that you especially appreciate and look forward to our Writing Workouts. So we've decided to pull them out of our regular posts and create a separate feature: the Wednesday Writing Workout (or WWW)!

As you can see, we've added some text but kept our former Writing Workout image--a set of barbells and a ribbon with a medal. The logo represents how everyone who works out with us is a winner! 
Note: if you're a blogger and you'd like to share your response to the WWW in your own blog post, feel free to copy and paste the above logo onto your own blog. We ask only that you link back to our corresponding WWW post. 

While continuing with our regular posts on Mondays and Fridays, we'll devote Wednesdays to Wednesday Writing Workouts. Each WWW will be written by one of the TeachingAuthors or, as is the case today, by a Mystery Guest TeachingAuthor.

To introduce the new feature and celebrate a new year, we're also having a Book Giveaway! Every writer and writing teacher will want a copy of our giveaway book on his/her reference/inspiration shelf: Keep Calm and Query On: Notes on Writing (and Living) with Hope (Divertir Publishing). And the book happens to be written by today's Mystery Guest TeachingAuthor.

I'll share our Mystery Guest TeachingAuthor's bio before giving you his Writing Workout. See if you can guess the author's identity before I reveal it below. (No fair looking up the MGTA's books online before that!)

Today's MGTA has the kind of resume our readers love: A former teacher of grades 7 through 12 and a writer of children’s fiction, he’s the editor of the forthcoming book for teens and tweens, Break These Rules (Chicago Press). He co-edited Burned In: Fueling the Fire to Teach (Teachers College Press) and Dedicated to the People of Darfur: Writings on Fear, Risk, and Hope (Rutgers University Press). Teachers College Press also published his latest book for teachers, A Call to Creativity: Writing, Reading, and Inspiring Students in an Age of Standardization.

Does this bio sound familiar? That's because Esther reviewed Keep Calm and Query On back in October. She gave the book a big Thumbs Up!

Before I reveal the identity of our Mystery Guest TeachingAuthor, here's his TERRIFIC Wednesday Writing Workout:  

Give Logic a Lollipop:
I am one of those people who believes that we’re all still children, really. Whether we’re 32 or 64 or 96, there’s something innate in us that stubbornly refuses to grow up no matter how much coffee we drink (in my case, a lot), how much we worry about paying bills, or how professional we look in our formal attire.  The kid-like parts of us are often covered by layer after layer of logic. While the growth of logic is hugely beneficial to things like paying our bills, walking out of the house with matching socks and a straight tie or proper dress, and generally being responsible, an area that is bleached of vitality by our intense focus on forcing everything to make sense is our writing life.

This Wednesday Writing Workout, then, asks us to momentarily allow logic to sit by himself on the far bench, way over on the other side of the room. Give Logic a lollipop and the latest Time magazine, and then sneak off to your writing desk and try something illogical to fuel those writing muscles.

1.    Visualize your favorite film actor or actress.
2.    Close your eyes, and continue visualizing that person, and then reach out—literally!—your hand and shake their hand, up and down. Then smile knowingly (eyes still closed) like you and your favorite film star are sharing some inside joke even though you haven’t spoken any words yet. You’re that tight.
3.    Open your mouth (literally!) and speak the very first words that come to mind.
4.    Now open your eyes, pick up your pen or open up a Word document on your computer and write your name, then a colon, then the words you’ve just said.
5.    Then write the actor’s / actress’s name, a colon, and his / her response.
6.    Continue writing your ‘scene’ with dialogue that emerges organically and no matter how seemingly ridiculous it is, just follow the exercise through.
7.    Every once in a while, try to insert a small note on the setting—the weather outside, what you’re eating (lollipops?), what noises occur in the background, and anything else that creates the mood of your conversation.
8.    Try to continue this scene for at least two pages. This is a perfect opportunity to work our writing muscles by putting ourselves into a situation that allows the kid-like part of us to trump the adult part of us.

So often, as writers, we can think in terms of productivity and progress. And these are both great things in the life of a writer. Hey, who doesn’t want to add a few more pages to that novel, or bang out a few more notes for that picture book? But sometimes, persistent focus on productivity and progress have the side effect of hiding us from the kid-like parts of our writer selves, that are concerned—almost entirely—with joy, engagement, emotion, quirks, and creativity.

My seven-year-old nephew loves writing stories. When I talk with him about what he’s writing, he doesn’t give me the latest page count or the stats on which publishers have checked out his work yet. Even while I sometimes focus too much on those things, I try to shake my head and heart to return to what matters: the creation itself. The sheer beauty, hilarity, pain, joy, and love of it. And this process must, by definition, involve flights of fancy and the decision to leave logic a little lonely at times.

Today, for your Wednesday Writing Workout, craft this scene and let the kid in you lead the way. I promise you’ll discover pearls that—if nothing else—will make you laugh, and possibly even provide a kernel for a louder pop later.

* * *

What a wonderful Wednesday Writing Workout to inaugurate our new feature! And now, finally, it's time for the big reveal. Today's Mystery Guest TeachingAuthor is (drum roll please):

Luke Reynolds!

Special thanks to Luke for helping to launch our new feature! Readers, if you'd like to know more about Luke, see his website. I also encourage you to check out his blog, Intersections: One Writer's Journey Through Parenting, Living Abroad, Faith, Publishing, and Social Justice.

As I mentioned above, Luke is the author of Keep Calm and Query On: Notes on Writing (and Living) with Hope (Divertir Publishing). If you read Esther's review, you're going to want to enter our drawing for a chance to win your very own copy.

To enter our drawing, you must follow the TeachingAuthors blog.  (If you’re not already a follower, you can sign up now in our sidebar to subscribe to our posts via email, Google Friend Connect, or Facebook Network blogs.)

You may enter the contest one of two ways:
1) by posting a comment below OR
2) by sending an email to teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com with "Book Giveaway" in the subject line.

Whichever way you enter, you MUST:
1) Just for fun, tell us whether you guessed Luke's identity before the big reveal. We'd also love your feedback on his Writing Workout and/or what you think of our new Wednesday Writing Workout feature.
2) give us your first and last name, AND
3) tell us how you follow us (via email, Google Friend Connect, or Facebook Network blogs) .
4) If you enter via a comment, you MUST include a valid email address (formatted this way:  youremail [at] gmail [dot] com) in your comment.

This contest is open only to followers who can provide a mailing address in the United States. Incomplete entries will be discarded. The entry deadline is 11 p.m. (CST) next Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. We'll announce the winner on Friday, Jan. 11. Good luck!

Happy writing, and happy 2013!
Carmela

Book Giveaway Congratulations and a List of Helpful Writing Books

Congratulations to Jan Godown Annino, whose entry was chosen by the Random Number Generator to win an autographed copy of Write a Poem Step by Step!

Thanks to all your helpful suggestions, I'm adding a number of books to my Must Read list. Here are the titles contributed in the Book Giveaway entries:

Wild About Words said, "The book that influenced my writing was STORY by Robert McKee -- really helped with story structure and character arcs."

Robyn Hood Black said, "One of my favorites . . . now is Georgia Heard's AWAKENING THE HEART."

Joyce Ray said, "I also love poemcrazy by Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge."

moonduster said, "The Artist's Way was required reading for a class of mine in college and it was wonderful at helping me embrace my creativity."

jan godown annino said, "In addition to poem crazy, which I shared last year with my poetry critique group, I am grateful for several titles. One I'd like to be bold & mention is THE CREATIVE HABIT by Twyla Tharpe. This choreographer & dancer of great stature provides us a lively guide that I try to reread every year. When she talks about collecting her posse, it makes sense for children's literature folks to especially note that this group of her advisors included Maurice Sendak. Her tips lift me up."

Linda said, "Another book I still refer back to is Lee Bennett Hopkins' Pass the Poetry, Please."

skanny17 said, "One of a number of books that influenced my teaching of writing was Write from the Start by Donald Graves and Virginia Stuart. (An oldie but a goodie.) After that all of Nancie Atwell's work and Lucy Calkins's early works such as The Art of Teaching Writing and Living Between the Lines were very helpful. Georgia Heard's books also were a big influence. Naming the World: A year of poems and lessons by Atwell is very helpful for teachers."

Karen said, "One book that influenced my writing is Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets by Paul B. Janeczko."

Lisa said, "The book I love to use for teaching about using one's unconscious mind when writing is Writing the Natural Way" by Gabriele Rico."

Thanks again to all who entered--I'm glad to see so much support for writing and teaching poetry! And thanks again to the Teaching Authors for inviting me here for the Write a Poem Step by Step Book Giveaway and guest post!

JoAnn Early Macken

TeachingAuthors Schedule

The TeachingAuthors will be taking a winter break until January 2, 2013. They'll return with a special announcement regarding the blog in 2013.

Happy holidays, everyone!

My Personal Best or These are the 2012 Books I Liked

  This post was supposed to be about holiday book giving....except that Hanukah ended Saturday night, and unless you live near the world's best stocked indie bookstore (or don't mind paying an arm and a leg for expedited online delivery), it's a little late for holiday book shopping. Not only that, but in my last post on the topic, I think I expressed my unease in recommending books for you to give. You know the reading ability and taste of your book recipient.  I don't.

   In fact, I would never give a book that I hadn't read myself.  So in the interest of informed book giving, here's a list of my favorite books published in 2012 that  you should read.  This way you'll be prepared for book giving the rest of this year.

    This is a real quirky list, guided only by my own reading tastes.  I hope there's at least one book here that will ring your holiday chimes.

    Here are my favorite books of the year.

      Young adult

      1.  Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. Two English girls find themselves in the middle of Nazi Occupied France with a mission to accomplish.  Mystery, intrigue, told from a double POV, this one was a real nail biter. This is available in every format you can imagine, including MP3 downloads and Audio Book.  256 pp.

      2.  We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March. When I was researching Yankee Girl. I was surprised to find how little had been written about this chapter of Civil Rights history. The arrest of 4,000 elementary through high school students, peacefully protesting inequality in Birmingham , Alabama is a story that I incorporate in my school visits...and that my audiences have a hard time believing.  This account focuses on four of the participants and their lives before, during and after the march. This is not available electronically, although it is on audio CD, and on Audible Audio. 176 pp.

      3.  Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick.  This is based on a true story of an 11-year old Cambodian boy who survived the Killing Fields by playing music for the Khmer Rouge. McCormick does not spare the harrowing details in what is ultimately an uplifting story.  Available one-book and Audible Audio.

     Middle grade

      1.  Drama by Raina Telgemeier. This hilarious graphic novel about backstage of a middle school musical (Moon Over Mississippi!) is by the author of last year's Smile (which was as dark as this book is lighthearted.) Available only in hard or soft cover. 240 pp.(Note this is for you who wonder where all the humorous books have gone.)

     2.  Wonder by R.J. Palacio.  Fifth grader Auggie Pullman has such a severe facial deformity that he has been home-schooled. . .until now. Beginning with Auggie's POV, the story then switches to that of his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend and others, culminating in a Big Picture of a community struggling with compassion and acceptance. Available in e-format, audio CD, Audible Audio. 320 pp.

     3.  Titantic: Voices from the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson.  Just when you think you have read everything there is to read on this subject, Hopkinson unearths first person accounts and archival pictures (taken by a passenger who got off at the last port before before the sinking). Guess what James Cameron got everything right! Although this is avail be in e-book, audio CD and Audible Audio, I would recommend the hardcover for the clarity of the pictures.  304 pp.

       Picture books

     1.  And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano, ill. by Erin Stead.  Illustrated by last year's Caldecott winner, a boy and his dog, tired of winter, decide to plant a garden.  But first ....there must be spring.
Any kid who has lived through a winter that lasted just a little too long will identify with this one.
Hardcover only.

     2.  Olivia and the Fairy Princesses by Ian Falconer. Olivia, that precocious piglet, is up to her snout in princesses. In the sparkly-pink world of princessdom, how can a pig who prides herself on individuality, make her mark?  IMHO, this title is the best of the Olivia series (possibly because I too, am tired of sparkly=pink princesses.) Available in e-book.

     3.  Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger.  How many kinds of green are there?  More than you could ever imagine, as this concept book proves.  This is a title to sit and savor, over and over. Hardcover only.

      Here are some more titles I liked.

Young adult:  The Fault in Our Stars--John Green;  The Diviners--Libba Bray;  Ask the Passengers--A.S. King;  Grave Mercy--Robin LaFevers;  No Crystal Stair--Vaunda Michaux Nelson;  The Raven Boys--Maggie Stiefater;  Dodger--Terry Pratchett;  Beyond Courage:  The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust--Doreen Rappaport; Bomb:  The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon--Steve Sheinkin;  Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95--Phillip Hoose;  Cinder--Marissa Meyer

Middle grade:  Legends of Zita the Spacegirl--Ben Hatke;  Nathan Hale's Dangerous Tales:  Big, Bad Ironclad--Nathan Hale; Crow--Barbara Wright;  The Lions of Little Rock--Kristin Levine;  The White Zone--Carolyn Marsden;  Hereville:  How Mirka Got her Sword--Barry Deutsch;  Summer of the Gypsy Moths--Sara Pennypacker; Liar & Spy--Rebecca Stead;  One Times Square:  A Century of Change at the Crossroads of the World--Joe McKendry;  May B--Caroline Starr Rose; Starry River of the Sky--Grace Lin;  Son--Lois Lowry; Temple Grandin:  How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World--Sy Montgomery

Picture books:  Z is for Moose--Kelly Bingham; Unspoken:  A Story from the Underground Railroad--Henry Cole;  The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse--Helen Ward;  Barnum's Bones:  How Barnum Brown Discovered the Most Famous Dinosaur in the World--Tracey Fern;  Sky Color--Peter Reynolds;
Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington--Jabari Asim;  A Home for Bird--Philip Stead;
Electric Ben:  The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin--Robert Byrd; Sleep Like a Tiger--Mary Logue

   In addition, two of my all-time favorites, Kevin Henkes and Rick Riordan have new titles this year.  I didn't include them because these two guys have yet to write a book I didn't love.  Everything by them is great!

    And if for some reason you haven't read Charlotte's Web (the movies do not come close to the book), now is the time.

  Don't forget to enter our Book Giveaway for JoAnn Macken's How to Write a Poem Step by Step.  See JoAnn's guest post for details.

Posted by Mary Ann

Light Winter's Darkness this Poetry Friday!

.
Howdy, Campers ~ Happy Poetry Friday!

Jama's hosting Poetry Friday today at Alphabet Soup 
(which is www.jamarattigan.com in case this link doesn't work)

...and if it's at Jama's it's sure to be tasty!

Update: be sure to hop over to Heidi Mordhorst's

my juicy little universe

when she hosted Poetry Friday

...Heidi's email about offering poems about light in darkness

for the solstice inspired this post.

For my last post of 2012, I'm going to break from our series on publishing opportunities (see Esther's last two posts and Carmela's post, with more to come!)...

I've been thinking about my family and our, well, interesting year (especially the part about my husband dying of a heart attack and being brought back and now being completely and miraculously fine); about hard times and hope, about sunrises, candles, glowing kitchen windows at night, and about the dark of winter and the glint of winter sunlight.

WINTER SOLSTICE: GIRL TALKING TO THE SUN
 by April Halprin Wayland

On a hard day's chill,
when my heart stands still,
Sun, oh, Sun, where do you disappear?

Then Sun answers me,
answers quietly,
Look around, little girl, I am here, I am here.

© 2012 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved

I am Jewish; I just recently learned that the fifth night of Hanukkah (which can be spelled many ways) is the first night in which there are more flames than darkness, more candles lit than unlit, and represents the triumph of light over darkness. 

I love that.

 

Okay...ready for today's writing workout, Campers?

WRITING WORKOUT: A Light in the Darkness

1) Take a cozy moment to scribble ten ideas triggered by the phrase, "a light in the darkness" or by the 1:06 minute video above.  Jot down memories, images, or the name of someone in particular who helped light your way in a dark time.

2) Consider imitating the rhyme scheme of the poem above:
A/A/B
C/C/B

3) Or write a 100-word story.  

3) Or write forget #2 and #3 and write the poem or story you were meant to write today.

4) Write like a little kid who is so jumpy-excited to get a piece of paper and a pencil she can barely sit still.  Give that little kid a chance; let's see what gift she creates for you this holiday season!

And speaking of gifts, don't forget to enter to win a gift for yourself or for some lucky teacher in your life: an autographed copy of JoAnn Early Macken's, Write a Poem Step by Step. I have her book and it's terrific!  See JoAnn's guest post for details.

Not actually in Southern California where I live, 
but in Phoenix, several years ago.
Still, a pretty note of light and hope 
with which to end the year...

Happy Holidays One and All!

Building A Writing Portfolio

Most of the adults who sign up for my writing classes have the same goal: to get a book published by a traditional publisher. They're usually shocked to learn what a long, slow process book publication typically is, whether they're working on a picture book or a novel. To help cope with the wait, I recommend they work on building a portfolio of writing credits they can mention in their cover/query letters. On Monday, Esther shared links to information on how to get published in Highlights magazine. Highlights is a well-respected magazine that's been around for years, and an impressive credit to include in your writing portfolio. Unfortunately, that means they receive a huge volume of submissions, making them a tough market to break into. I like to remind my students that there are other children's magazines, many of them more open to material than Highlights or the Cricket Magazine Group, which publishes high-quality magazines for toddlers to teens.

One of my favorite lesser-known children's magazines is Pockets, published by The Upper Room, for 6 to 12-year-olds. Like Highlights, Pockets runs an annual fiction contest. They also accept a variety of material, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, puzzles, and activities. Although Pockets is a Christian magazine, not all content is explicitly religious. I recall studying a sample issue years ago that happened to include a story that had won their fiction contest. It was a wonderful story about a girl learning to accept her new stepfather. I don't believe it mentioned God at all.

As it says on the Pockets website:

"Each issue is built around a specific theme with material that can be used by children in a variety of ways. Submissions should support the purpose of the magazine to help children grow in their faith, though all submissions do not need to be overtly religious." 

The magazine's monthly themes are listed on their website, along with a submission deadline for each issue. To paraphrase something I heard Richard Peck say years ago, "A deadline is a writer's friend." When I first learned of Pockets and their theme/deadline list, I submitted some theme-related puzzles. To my delight, they were accepted! That success led me to try my hand at writing a short story specifically for an issue focusing on "prejudice." They accepted that piece, and "The Cupcake Man" became my first published children's story. Pockets also published my first children's poem. (Is it any wonder why I'm so fond of this magazine?)

Of course, the key to success when writing for Pockets or any other magazine is to study several issues so that you can draft a submission that fits with the magazine's overall feel. You should be able to check out copies of well-known magazines like Highlights and Cricket at your public library. For smaller magazines like Pockets, you can usually request a sample copy from the publisher. Instructions for doing so are often listed in the "Magazines" section of the annual Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market (Writer's Digest Books). You may be surprised by the number and range of magazines you'll find listed there. If you're a member of SCBWI, you can also download the latest SCBWI Magazine Market Guide, which also includes general tips on writing for magazines.

Besides magazines, another good market for building your writing portfolio is the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books. Their upcoming titles are listed on their website along with their submission deadlines. (Remember: Deadlines are our friends!) When Chicken Soup put out a call for the book Teens Talk High School: 101 Stories of Life, Love, and Learning for Older Teens, I submitted a poem in two voices called "Questions," which they accepted. My Writing Buddy, Leanne Pankuch, recently had her second Chicken Soup story published in Hooked on Hockey. Again, to place a story in a Chicken Soup book, it's important to study past issues, and also to carefully read their guidelines. While Chicken Soup stories are nonfiction, they must read like well-crafted fiction--with a beginning, middle, and end; action; dialogue; conflict, a theme, etc.

By the way, all the markets I've discussed today pay for your writing. While it's not exactly a "pot of gold," receiving payment for our work is affirming. And it has given many of my former students the confidence to say "I am a published author," even as they wait for their first book contract.

Don't forget: there's less than a week left to enter for a chance to win an autographed copy of JoAnn Early Macken's, Write a Poem Step by Step. See JoAnn's guest post for details.

Happy writing!
Carmela

Good Ol' Opportunity: Redux

As reported in my December 5 post “Good Ol’ Opportunity,” in which I offered my Thumbs Up  review of Melissa Ambramovitz’s guide to writing nonfiction children’s magazine articles, A Treasure Trove of Opportunity, a multitude of publishing rainbows besides those first sought await children’s book writers on their road to publication.

In other words, Opportunity knocks often and loudly in the Children’s Book World.

Check out the following pots o’gold waiting for you should you answer your door:

(1)   Highlights Magazines Current Editorial Needs – for both nonfiction and fiction

(2)  the Highlights 2013 Fiction Contest

This coming year, the judges welcome stories of any genre (mystery, historical fiction, sports, humor, holiday, etc.) as long as the stories are intended for kids ages 6 to 8.
Three prizes of $1,000 or tuition for any Highlights Founders Workshop will be awarded.
Entries must be postmarked between January 1 and January 31, 2013.

(3)  The 12x 12 Picture Book Writing Challenge

This is the perfect follow-up to PiBoIdMo.  
Participants will be encouraged to write one picture book draft a month, for 2013’s twelve months.
Registration is now open.
You’ll receive support, motivation and accountability, not to mention insights and instruction from authors, illustrators, editors, art directors and agents.

Please note: NaNoWriMo participants can continue learning at the challenge's blog.

Be sure to check back for the first TeachingAuthors post of the New Year when we offer our readers yet one more opportunity to work their writing muscles throughout the coming year.

Good Luck! – and – Happy Holidays!

Esther Hershenhorn

P.S.
Don’t forget our TeachingAuthors  autographed Book Giveaway of former TA JoAnn Early Macken’s newest, Write a Poem Step by Step: A Simple, Logical Plan You Can Follow to Write Your Own Poems.

To enter our drawing, you must follow the TeachingAuthors blog. If you’re not already a follower, you can sign up now in the sidebar to subscribe to our posts via email, Google Friend Connect, or Facebook Network blogs.

You may enter the contest one of two ways: 1) by posting a comment below OR 2) by sending an email to teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com with "Book Giveaway" in the subject line.

Whichever way you enter, you MUST give us your first and last name AND tell us how you follow us (via email, Google Friend Connect, or Facebook Network blogs). If you enter via a comment, you MUST include a valid email address (formatted this way: youremail [at] gmail [dot] com) in your comment.

Be sure to tell us about a book that influenced your own teaching or writing.

This contest is open only to residents of the United States. Incomplete entries will be discarded. The entry deadline is 11 p.m. (CST) Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. I'll announce the winner on Wednesday, Dec. 19. Good luck!

Guest Post, Book Giveaway, and Poetry Friday!

I used to be a regular contributor here at TeachingAuthors, but now I am a guest. In my last post, I explained my difficult decision to step away from the blog because of an overwhelming workload. Now my busiest teaching semester ever is coming to a close, and I have a new book to celebrate. Hooray! 

Write a Poem Step by Step: A Simple, Logical Plan You Can Follow to Write Your Own Poems evolved from the poetry workshops I’ve been presenting in schools for the past fifteen years or so. Poems written by students in my workshops illustrate each step in the process. I’m delighted that the TeachingAuthors have invited me back to tell you about it and to give away an autographed copy.

I used to be a regular contributor here at TeachingAuthors, but now I am a guest. As soon as I wrote that sentence, I remembered one of my earliest inspirations for helping students write poetry. Anyone familiar with Kenneth Koch’s classic Wishes, Lies, and Dreams: Teaching Children to Write Poetry will probably recognize the form of the “I Used to Be/But Now I’m” poem that he used as a structure for student poems. When I started working with elementary school students, I pored over that book and his Rose, Where Did You Get That Red? Teaching Great Poetry to Children. What I took away from Wishes, Lies, and Dreams is underlined in my tattered copy: “Children have a natural talent for writing poetry and anyone who teaches them should know that. Teaching really is not the right word for what takes place: it is more like permitting the children to discover something they already have.”

A Celebration of Bees: Helping Children to Write Poetry by Barbara Juster Esbensen was an even bigger influence on my developing teaching/helping techniques. I took her words to heart: “If any one word can stand for the essence of creating a climate, an atmosphere that allows the creative impulse to grow and flourish, I think it would be the word accepting. Every child needs to feel that you respect and accept what he or she is trying to do.”  I also latched onto her practice of asking questions to draw out children’s own ideas.

For the Good of the Earth and Sun: Teaching Poetry by Georgia Heard convinced me of another important aspect of my approach. “Poems come from something deeply felt; it’s essential for student poets to be able to choose their own topics according to what’s important to them.”

With those concepts in mind, I’ve developed and fine-tuned my own approach to working with student poets over the years. What I wanted from the start was a method students could follow all the way through the process of writing a poem. I didn't want to give them a form to fill in; I wanted them to find their own way, step by step. That process is at the core of Write a Poem Step by Step.

The results in workshops have been amazing: students do have original ideas, extensive vocabularies, and creative ways of expressing themselves. Here’s an example from a long-ago series of visits with one class for which I received the Barbara Juster Esbensen 2000 Poetry Teaching Award:

My Imagination

My mind plays tricks on me

in the dark.

An invisible man

in my closet

is wearing my jacket and shoes.

Miguel Rowell-Ortiz, Grade 3

Write a Poem Step by Step is available now from Lulu, amazon, Barnes & Noble, and bookstores. You can read more about it on my web site. Enter the Book Giveaway for a chance to win an autographed copy!

Book Giveaway!

For a chance to win an autographed copy of Write a Poem Step by Step: A Simple, Logical Plan You Can Follow to Write Your Own Poems, tell us about a book that influenced your own teaching or writing.

To enter our drawing, you must follow the TeachingAuthors blog.  If you’re not already a follower, you can sign up now in the sidebar to subscribe to our posts via email, Google Friend Connect, or Facebook Network blogs.

You may enter the contest one of two ways:  1) by posting a comment below OR 2) by sending an email to teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com with "Book Giveaway" in the subject line.

Whichever way you enter, you MUST give us your first and last name AND tell us how you follow us (via email, Google Friend Connect, or Facebook Network blogs). If you enter via a comment, you MUST include a valid email address (formatted this way:  youremail [at] gmail [dot] com) in your comment.

This contest is open only to residents of the United States. Incomplete entries will be discarded. The entry deadline is 11 p.m. (CST) Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. I'll announce the winner on Wednesday, Dec. 19. Good luck!

It's Poetry Friday! Today's Roundup is at READ, WRITE, HOWL.

Good Ol' Opportunity!

Thanks to more years on task than I’d ever imagined, I’m personally acquainted with the proverbial carrot that swings beneath our writers’ noses whilst we bravely and anxiously navigate our Writer’s Journeys. 
Its name?
Publication.
We travel here, there and everywhere, despite unrewarded efforts, creatively visualizing our stories when printed and bound, covered and blurbed – in other words, published.

But you know what?

If we stop for a second and look around at our Children’s Book World, a multitude of publishing rainbows are there for our viewing before we reach our wished-for, worked-for destination.
Each offers its very own pot o’gold, an opportunity to achieve publication and thus experience pride, satisfaction, affirmation and sometimes even $$$.
There’s a treasure trove of opportunity awaiting us writers, besides the one we first set out to capture.

For instance, what about writing fiction for children’s magazines? 

Or what about writing nonfiction articles for educational publishers?
Even better, what about writing nonfiction children’s magazine articles?!

Thanks to Melissa Abramovitz’s Thumbs-Up guide, coincidentally (and appropriately) titled A Treasure Trove of Opportunity: How to Write & Sell Articles for Children’s Magazines (E & E Publishing, 2012), we can now put our writing skills, interests and talents to work mining other paths to publication.

There is indeed a market for nonfiction children's magazine articles.

Highlights senior editor Debra Hess shared with Melissa, “While we publish roughly the same amount of fiction and nonfiction in Highlights, we receive substantially more fiction submissions than nonfiction submissions.  As a result, nonfiction has a higher chance of being purchased.  We are always looking for new nonfiction writers.”

Melissa knows all about writing – for all age groups, from preschoolers through adults.  Her publishing credits include educational books on health topics, as well as science, nature and history, fiction, poetry and five rhyming picture books.  But she especially knows all about writing nonfiction magazine articles.

In this one-of-a-kind resource based on her twenty-five years of experience and extensive body of work, as well as interviews with other nonfiction magazine writers and editors, she generously shares insights she’s gleaned, proven tricks of the trade and the tools she uses to move from generating ideas to researching to structuring, on to creating whole pieces, formatting and revising, on to querying likely publishers, considering contracts and marketing your work.

Concrete learner that I am, I was especially taken with Melissa’s “Show, don’t tell” examples when making a point.  She shares her own published articles as well as those of others.  She offers the nitty-gritty details -  of referencing references, photo inclusions, author rights, and nailing a story’s audience, just to name a few.

Her listing of “salable structures” sparked all sorts of ideas:  How-to articles, puzzles, quizzes, sidebars, nonfiction verse, personal experience articles, slice-of-life or inspirational articles, profiles and as-told-to articles.

Appendix A: Grammar Gateway even offers tips on sentence structure, spelling, punctuation and unbreakable rules – good for any writer, no matter the format, genre, audience and publishing segment.

Consider this post, consider Melissa Abramovitz's book but one knock at your Writer’s Door.

(And we all know how many times Opportunity knocks.)

 

Happy Mining!

 

Esther Hershenhorn