This post has been a long time coming. About 16 years long. There have been times when I thought I was ready to submit my middle-grade novel, HALF-TRUTHS. But now I KNOW it. IN THE BEGINNINGFrom the beginning, I imagined a story about a white girl and a light-skinned Black girl discovering that they were second… Continue reading On Submission
It's always fun to share publishing news with my blog readers--particularly if it's news from one of my own writing friends. I first met Dorothy Price 10 years ago when she joined my SCBWI-Carolinas critique group. I've read her manuscripts and she's read mine. Today I'm thrilled to share her story of how she recently signed with an… Continue reading You Heard it Here First: Dorothy Price signs with Agent, Miranda Paul
Some of you will remember my interview with one of my writing students, Sydney Kirsch, which I posted at the beginning of November. Please welcome her back for Part II. Carol: How did you fit NaNoWriMo into your homeschool curriculum? Sydney: Being in high school, I do have a lot of work to do on a regular… Continue reading A Lover of Words: Sydney Kirsch, NaNoWriMo Teen–Part II
Judy Martialay has a passion for languages. Specifically, she has a passion to teach children from ages 6-10 that learning Spanish is fun and rewarding. ¡HOLA!, Martialay’s first book, includes a fun story written in English with key words in Spanish, a song, a skit, background information about the cultural context, an art activity, and… Continue reading ¡Hola! Let's Learn Spanish: A Review
For the last eight weeks I have had the privilege of teaching fiction to nine talented teens. When I found out that one student, Sydney Kirsch, was gearing up for NaNoWriMo, I suggested she write about her experience for my blog. Sydney emailed me this post ahead of the due date and I commended her… Continue reading Meet Sydney Kirsch: A Teen Tackling NaNoWriMo– Part I
L.M. Montgomery inscribed those two words in the minds of every reader who devoured the Anne of Green Gables books. I am fortunate to have several friends who fit into that category (you know who you are!) and today I connected with two organizations that also fit that description. The first group is Literacyhead, an online magazine that is committed to encouraging creativity… Continue reading Kindred Spirits
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
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
I'm thick into NaNo and realizing that I can describe something to death-- but making up something that hasn't ever existed except in my mind is really HARD for me! As I push along at the keyboard and struggle to produce (gulp!) 2,000 words a day, I barrage myself with hundreds of questions: What will… Continue reading The Teacher Learns to “Show, Not Tell”
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!