My granddaughter, Ebby Clark, reading before bedtime. Have you always wanted to write a book for children but didn't know where to begin? If you live in the Charlotte, NC area than you can take a class that covers the basics of writing and publishing for young readers. Starting January 22, I'll be teaching at… Continue reading Writing for Children
Recently, historical novelist and my good friend, Joyce Hostetter, posed these questions on her blog: “What makes research exciting for you? What unexpected or particularly interesting forms has research taken for you recently?” I took up your challenge, Joyce. Here are some answers from my research excursions: Last year I interviewed Charles Jones, a light brown-skinned African American… Continue reading Why I Love Researching Historical Fiction….Let Me Count the Ways
"In Charlotte in 1950 family secrets unravel when a 13-year-old white girl (Kate) and a 14-year-old light-skinned black girl (Lillie) discover that they have the same great-grandfather."That is the pitch of my Work In Progress (WIP). Although I'm a little younger than Kate and I wasn't raised in the South, it's not too much of… Continue reading Multi-Racial Read #1
One of the instructional themes in Teaching the Story is that the details which an author includes make a difference in depicting a character, setting, or time period. I am repeatedly reminded of this fact in my own reading and writing.Currently I am listening to Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. This story of a young… Continue reading Details Make a Difference
About five miles from where I live is the lovely historical neighborhood of Myers Park. That doesn't exactly qualify as my "backyard" does it? But when my friend and fellow author, Joyce Moyer Hostetter, relayed that her editor, Carolyn Yoder, encourages writers to dig for stories that are figuratively in their own backyards, I decided… Continue reading The Story in Your Own Backyard
Attending an all black school, worshipping at an all black church, not being served at restaurants where Caucasians ate, going to the back of the bus…these were all normal part of Madie Smith's everyday experiences growing up in Charlotte, NC in the 30's and 40's. Last week… Continue reading “That’s the way it was”
On February 16 The Charlotte Observer ran a feature article about GranVille Caldwell and Ryan Marshall—two high school English teachers who have recently written and self-published a book of poetry about their experiences in the classrooms. According to the Observer,"Thoughts & Lamentations of Urban Education" is a "quirky 178-page saga of a year in the… Continue reading Charlotte Mecklenburg English Teachers Make Front Page News
If you are looking for writing classes in Charlotte, you might want to check out Maureen Griffin's website. In addition to being a poet and instructor at Queens College and CPCC, she also has a full schedule of writing classes. A number of people who take her classes and/or use her coaching and critique services… Continue reading Writing Classes in Charlotte, NC