Every once in awhile I google my name along with Teaching the Story. I found some sites that I expected, and some surprises:Not Surprised by:My "interview" with Joyce Hostetter on her blog. Not only do Joyce and I teach together, but I also consider her to be my writing mentor. When she invited guest bloggers,… Continue reading Google Surprises
Tag: Joyce Hostetter
Family Connections
Knowing my interest in connections between African Americans and whites, Joyce Hostetter shared a link to an interesting article. Bound by the Past tells the story of how a black imam and a white administrator from a Christian Seminary met at a church and discovered a startling connection: her great-grandfather owned his ancestors. IndyStar columnist,… Continue reading Family Connections
Look Mom, I'm in Highlights!
Do you remember reading Highlights Magazine in a doctor's office as a kid? Remember the page where other children sent in poetry and drawings? Didn't you always want to see your own work displayed in those pages?Children's writers and illustrators still aspire to be published in Highlights. For many of us, it's a milestone that… Continue reading Look Mom, I'm in Highlights!
Writing into the Unknown
The last time you enjoyed a novel I bet you didn't stop to think if the author deliberated over what point of view to use, if she worried over the scene sequence, or if she wondered about just how much dialect to include. My guess is that you didn't question why the author gave the… Continue reading Writing into the Unknown
NCCAT: Looking Back and Looking Forward
LOOKING BACKBefore we left our week at NCCAT, participants shared what they learned and Henry Wong, the NCCAT Center Fellow, led the group in song and dance. During the week several teachers wrote ABC books. Reflecting their work and honoring everyone's efforts, several teachers wrote the following ABC book and read it that morning. (Inside… Continue reading NCCAT: Looking Back and Looking Forward
Monday Morning Mini-Blog
After my last blog post on Incognegro, my editor informed me that Maupin House has started a new blog for teachers for the forthcoming book, Teaching Graphic Novels by Katie Monnin. If this is a genre you use in your classroom, be sure to check out the blog and the book. Last night I was… Continue reading Monday Morning Mini-Blog
Talking Story is Live!
For days my fellow author, Joyce Hostetter, has been tweaking our newsletter, Talking Story. Writing the articles was the easy part. Putting it all together was another story. Although I moaned and groaned about the hours I spent editing and uploading addresses, to be honest, Joyce conceived the project and is responsible for how professional… Continue reading Talking Story is Live!
How Writing a Nano Novel is Different than “Normal” Novel Writing
On the ride to NCCAT with Joyce Hostetter, my fellow presenter, we talked about our NaNoWriMo books. This is my first foray into historical fiction; this is Joyce's fifth book. Her story is about a teenager who for unexpected reasons finds himself working in a mental hospital in the 40's. I was curious to know… Continue reading How Writing a Nano Novel is Different than “Normal” Novel Writing
Literary Odds and Ends
Since working on NaNo depletes my brain, this blog will be a consortium of quotes from other people who are inspiring me at the moment. Appropriate for writers as well as teachers, I hope these words inspire you too:This is how I feel when I am writing: "Writing a first draft is like creating clay… Continue reading Literary Odds and Ends
Let the Writing Begin!
When friend and fellow author (and soon-to-be partner in a crazy writing adventure) Joyce Hostetter asked me to join her at NaNoWriMo when other out of their mind writers attempt to write 50,000 words during November...I thought, I can't do that. I have a presentation for the NCAIS coming up and a week of teaching… Continue reading Let the Writing Begin!