After a really long time… seriously, I can’t remember the last day we did this and that is only partly because of the memory lapses due to my advanced age :)… what was I saying?
And today we’re going to play Writer’s Taboo, a fun new game I just made up right this very minute!
Here’s how it works:
For your Short & Sweet you have to describe, in a few sentences, your choice of a setting common to childhood, or a common childhood experience or milestone (don’t worry, there’s a list!) without using the words most commonly associated with it! And you have to do it well enough that we can guess what it is!
That means you have to crawl out onto the creative limb a bit and stretch your descriptive skills.
As writers, we focus a lot on words – choosing just the right words to say what we want to say.
But sometimes we take the easy way out. We know, for example, that if we mention Valentine’s Day our readers are instantly going to think of pink and red construction paper hearts, white lace doilies, chocolate candy with red foil wrappers, and those little Conversation Hearts that look and taste like chalk 🙂 So we say it’s Valentine’s Day and leave it at that. (Okay, I’m oversimplifying a little, but you get the idea :))
The point is, don’t go for the obvious or the easy. Try for something a little fresher and more interesting. If you do it well, your reader will feel transported and far more delighted than if you say something the same way it’s been said a thousand times before.
Here are your choices: (for those of you who like randomness or have trouble making decisions at this hour Monday morning, pick a number between 1 and 15 and go with whatever you get :))
You may not use the words of the thing itself (e.g. birthday and/or party for Birthday Party) or any of the 5 words listed after it in your description. And I recommend you write your own description before you read the others in the comments – there are only 15 choices so it will be fun to see how alike or different they are but it will be really hard to do if you’ve read someone else’s before you try to do your own. Just write your description – don’t tell which one you picked or what words you’re avoiding.
1. Birthday Party: cake, present, balloon, candles, guests 2. Losing First Tooth: wiggle, loose, tongue, gap, pillow 3. Playground: swing, slide, sandbox, jungle gym, run 4. Picnic: basket, blanket, ants, lunch, grass 5. Doctor’s Office: nurse, scale, needle, stethoscope, thermometer 6. Fourth Of July: firecrackers, barbecue, parade, bonfire, American flag 7. Getting Dressed Up: tight, itchy, hate, uncomfortable, stiff 8. School: book, teacher, classroom, recess, pencil 9. Tree House: ladder, rope, high, trap door, boards 10. Camp: summer, poison ivy, bunkhouse, swimming, arts & crafts 11. Riding A Bike: learn, wobble, two-wheeler, helmet, training wheels 12. Field Trip: bus, partner, bag lunch, museum, walk 13. Halloween: costume, jack o’lantern, spooky, candy, trick-or-treat 14. Getting A Pet: new, dog, cat, bowl, responsibility 15. Fear Of The Dark: scared, monsters, nightlight, shadows, black
(If anyone has a great idea of an item to add to the list, email me and I’ll add it in so there are more choices – and of course I will credit whoever’s brilliant idea it is!! :))
Here’s an example. I’ll use an item that is not on the list so as not to ruin any of the 15 on the list for you.
The classroom smells like sugar and worry. On each desk sits a box, made in art last week. Ms. Rousseau, the art teacher, said we couldn’t use the usual colors and shapes to decorate – she said we had to think outside the box. Then she laughed at her own joke. I painted mine rose (so there, Ms. Rousseau!) and pasted arrows cut out of lacy white doilies all over it, flying every which way, all of them missing the mark. The boxes have a hole in the top so that kids can drop cards or small candies in. I sneak a look around the classroom. Dave Hannigan stuffs a football into the hole on top of his box and looks like he’s getting ready to punt. Missy O’Haus’s is so full that little folded cards are spilling out the top. Be Mine, says one with a cherry tootsie pop taped to it. I’m afraid to pick my box up. It looks empty. What if it’s empty? Whose idea was this dumb February 14th holiday anyway?
Gosh! It’s surprising how hard it is to talk about something without using the words you most want to! But the idea is that it makes you reach for more – different sights, scents, sounds, tastes, emotions, experiences, and descriptions so you can hopefully come up with details you might not have otherwise. Can you guess what mine was? (And I will tell you I avoided the words red, pink, chocolate, heart, love. Can you hear me sobbing that I wasn’t allowed to mention chocolate? Oh, the cruelty! :))
I think it’s fun (even if I don’t do it all that well) – but then you know how much I love games and puzzles and this is sort of like that 🙂
I hope you all enjoy trying this! I can’t wait to read your descriptions and see what you come up with to beat around the bush! 🙂 Remember, don’t tell which one you’re doing or what words you’re avoiding! And actually, if you’re not up for the full challenge, if you even just want to write a setting/milestone/experience and the 5 things you can’t use to describe it (as I did for the list above), that is helpful too – it gets you thinking about what the most obvious choices are, which is helpful in trying to avoid them!
Looking forward to what you all have to share, whether list items or creative descriptions!
Months have I slaved in secrecy, awaiting the moment to unveil my latest hair-brained scheme, and what should happen? It accidentally gets unveiled elsewhere before I got to tell you!
I’m kind of hoping most of you didn’t see it… but I know some of you did because you told me! And on the off chance you did… or might… I thought you really ought to hear about it here first – straight from the horse’s mouth, as it were 🙂 (I know – first with the cat, now the horse, all this ridiculous cliche…! Sorry, it’s nerves :))
So, slightly before I am truly ready, I will share my long-kept secret!
Ready? (Steady now! Deep breath…)
2013 is the first year since 1987 to have four different numbers!
Hee hee. That is actually true but it’s not my long-kept secret. I’m just foolin’ with you 🙂
Seriously, are you ready?
What’s that? You need Something Chocolate? Well of course you do! It’s Wednesday! Go get something. I’ll wait. In fact, here, let me offer you some Monkey Cake!
Photo copyright Stacy S. Jensen 2012 used by permission
Mm mm good and chocolaty!!!
Now then, ready for the secret?
Frankly, I’m a little afraid to tell you in case you don’t think it’s as fun as I do. Maybe that’s why I’ve been hemming and hawing, tweaking and perfecting and generally mucking about and finding reasons not to tell you. But the time has come. Stiff upper lip and all that. (See? There’s the cliche again! It’s like a disease… a disease of nerves! :))
Last May I thought to myself, you know, self? I think I’d like to write a writing course. I know a little about writing and a little about teaching, and I would like to share with people who would like to learn.
So I got to work and, in between other writing and blogging and taking our son to visit every college on the eastern seaboard and westward into Ohio this summer and on into fall… and then winter…, I wrote a course on how to write picture books. I polished and tweaked and roped in some beta testers (who shall not be named to protect the innocent but you all know them :)) I added lessons and took lessons away, turned some lessons into supplements and some supplements into lessons. I reached out to 10 talented artists who very kindly contributed their fabulous work at a fraction of its worth to decorate the lessons and inspire my hopefully someday students.
And the result is my little writing course: Making Picture Book Magic! (I wish I could make that sparkle or something! How about we all pretend it’s sparkling? :)) Look! Here’s the awesome header graphic designed by our own fantastic Loni Edwards!
Making Picture Book Magic is designed to fit into a busy life-style and be fun, friendly, and affordable. Each lesson will be delivered in a manageable-sized piece by email. I did not reinvent the wheel, but I hope I do have something to offer that isn’t quite like anything else out there. It is my opinion, for what it’s worth :), that it’s helpful to take multiple courses if you can because different people say things and explain things in different ways, and sometimes one way will make more sense to you than another. Different courses stress different things and offer different exercises, resources and experiences. There are lots of great writing courses available – Emma Walton Hamilton’s, Anastasia Suen’s, the Institute Of Children’s Literature’s (which I took many years ago) just to name a few. But I’d like to be able to add mine to the mix in case it’s helpful. And by working hard to make it affordable, I’m hoping it will be an option for lots of people. You will note that there is now a tab in the header above. You may click on it, or HERE, and learn all about the course if you are interested.
But in case you aren’t, I won’t go on about it any longer now. It’s time for Would You Read It!!!
Today’s pitch comes to us from Wendy. In what seems like a former life, Wendy was a middle school science teacher and principal. Now a writer and mom, she has published several personal essays and articles on parenting and education. When she is not pulling her sons around the backyard on a sled (100 laps on a recent afternoon), she works on her middle grade novel and her blog, The Family That Reads Together.
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Civil Age/Genre: Middle Grade/Fantasy Adventure The Pitch: Five seventh graders–a sensitive ballplayer, a new student from Africa, a feared social outcast, a popular cheerleader, and a 9-year-old technical genius–are invited to join a secret time-traveling society. Soon, they must work together to chase an enemy through the bloody battlefields of Gettysburg, an increasingly dystopian Washington, DC, and their own dangerous school hallways. Charlie, Thabo, LV, Adriana, and Caitlin fight against time to restore history, rebuild a country, and survive middle school.
So what do you think? Would You Read It? YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest. If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Wendy improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read Itor on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above. There are openings in February, so you have time to polish 🙂 for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Wendy is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! And I am looking forward to getting the finishing touches done on my course just in case anyone ever wants to take it!
Oh, and if you haven’t signed up yet but you’d still like to, the Free Virtual Conference runs until Saturday the 12th (one more expert was added) so hop over and check it out!
Have a supercalafragilisticexpialidocious kind of day, everyone 🙂
Today, we have a VERY special blog post to celebrate the birthday of a VERY special member of our writing community!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERIK!!!
As our special birthday gift to you, we have written you a Choose Your Own Adventure story! We hope you’ll have fun with it! 🙂
(And we hope LOTS of other people will set out on Erik’s adventure too because it’s extremely fun :))
Start below. Read each section and at the end you’ll have a choice of where to go next. Make your choice and see what happens! You can always go back.
I must confess, before we begin, that this was a bit of a rush job. I’m truly hoping all the sections will be posted in time, and that all the links will work properly, but on the off chance they don’t I will put a list of the sections and links at the bottom of this post so you can find your way if need be. But don’t peek unless you have to because it will give away the story! 🙂 Also, we had to start with generic blog links, so if you follow a link and don’t see a section of the adventure, you might have to scroll to the December 24th post. We will do our best to update with post-specific links as we get them.
I would also like to thank the lovely Ms. Klostermann for designing and sharing your birthday banner. And I would like to extravagantly thank the lovely Ms. Stilborn for writing half the sections – I literally could not have done this without her! But boy did we have fun writing 🙂
I hope you enjoy your adventure, Erik, and I hope you have a wonderful birthday and a Merry Christmas 🙂
Ready? Here we go… 🙂
The Start Of The Adventure – Guardians Of The Gift
Erik was polishing Sir Lionel’s armor and dreaming of the day when he’d have armor of his own when a small pageboy dashed into the antechamber.
“Erik!” he gasped. “You’ve been summoned to the Great Hall!”
Erik dropped his polishing rag. “Me? Are you sure?”
The pageboy nodded solemnly.
Erik swallowed nervously. Was he in trouble? He had never been summoned to the Great Hall before!
He swiped at his hair trying to smooth it, brushed himself off, and hurried after the pageboy.
The doors to the Great Hall stood open. Erik paused on the threshold.
“Welcome, Erik!” said the king. “Come in! We have a surprise for you!”
Sir Gareth stepped forward and presented Erik with a box. “Happy Birthday, Erik!” he said.
“For me? Gee, thanks!” Erik was delighted. He hadn’t received many birthday presents in his life, and none today.
He lifted the lid of the box eagerly. But what was this?
“Uhh…” he said. “I don’t get it.”
Sir Gareth looked down. “Hey!” he exclaimed. “Where’s the present that’s supposed to be in here?”
The other knights gathered around to look at the empty box. “It’s been stolen!” cried Sir Lionel.
“Well I guess I’d better go find it!” said Erik. “Someone must know what happened to it!”
“The court jester is always at the center of activity,” said Sir Gareth. “He might know what happened.”
“Or one of the castle guards,” suggested Sir Lionel. “They ought to know who comes and goes.”
“Then I’m off to discover the truth!” declared Erik. “I don’t want to miss out on my only birthday present!”
The Blog Link List (to be looked at and used only in extreme emergency :)) (and not helpful if the posters simply haven’t gotten their posts up yet… :))
I don’t know about you, but I am completely floored by a) how many entries we got for the Holiday Contest (40!!) and b) how good they all were!!!
What a job it’s been trying to winnow down 40 fantastic entries to a manageable number of finalists! It’s actually a great exercise in understanding what editors must go through. I could find at least something to like about every entry – it was a question of weighing and balancing strong points and weaker points and overall impression – and it gives me an appreciation for the subjectivity aspect of editorial choosing – it’s entirely possible that some of the finalists my assistant judge and I settled on are not the same ones you would have chosen.
All of this to say that everyone really did a wonderful job. It was a pleasure to read every entry, and even if you didn’t make the list of finalists, please know that our decision was agonizing and there were many great things about every single story – we really wrestled with choosing the finalists and went back and forth for a LONG time! – so you should feel good about your effort no matter what! And my assistant judge and I, as well as ALL the readers (there were over 1200 views of the Holiday Contest post alone, not to mention how many visits you all got on your individual posts) got loads of enjoyment and entertainment out of your wonderful stories, so thank you all so very much for participating and sharing your creativity with us all!
In the final analysis, though, the finalists were chosen on the basis of 1) kid appeal (it is a children’s story after all!) 2) originality/creativity 3) writing quality and story quality, and 4) if you chose to write in rhyme we were pretty strict about how well you did it since there was a prose option (although of the 40 entries, only 15 were in prose.)
Please review the finalists’ entries below and then vote for the one you think should win! You have until midnight Christmas Eve to vote (December 24 11:59 PM EST.) There are 10 finalists (I know! I’m sorry! But I did get it down to 25% of the entries, and a lot of you will have read them all already and there will be 5 prizes given!) and they’re all fantastic, so we’re going to need all the votes we can get! 🙂 Oh, and one more thing – if you make it all the way to the bottom, the girls and I have a special Holiday message for you and I really don’t think you’ll want to miss it 🙂
#1 Dashing Through The School
Dashing through the school,
The bell’s about to ring,
I can’t be late again,
And disappoint Miss Sing.
I’ve got the leading role,
The play’s about to start,
Through the doors and up on stage,
I’m born to play this part!
Oh,
There’s the bell, there’s the bell,
I’m in the nick of time,
The auditorium is packed,
And the curtains start to climb.
Oh,
“Jingle bells, jingle bells,”
The chorus sings in tune,
My tummy’s feeling funny,
‘Cause I know it’s my turn soon.
I take a big deep breath,
Step forward on the stage,
Look out at the crowd,
Is that my Aunty Paige?
The lights shine in my face,
This costume’s far too hot,
The words catch in my throat,
An actor, I am not.
Oh,
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
They’re ringing in my head,
At practice I was doing fine,
But now I’m filled with dread!
Oh,
I’m not well, I’m not well,
I’m really feeling ill,
I wonder if it’s not too late,
To swap my part with Bill.
I take another breath,
Deliver my first line,
The butterflies are gone,
Suddenly, I’m fine.
When the play is done,
Applause rings ‘round the hall,
I take my final bow,
I’m an actor after all!
Oh,
I did well, I did well,
My heart is beating fast,
I never thought I’d feel this way,
The day that I was cast.
Oh,
“Jingle bells, jingle bells,”
I’ll sing it loud and clear,
I wonder if they’ll let me play,
This part again next year.
#2 Christmas Bash-A-Roo
Tromping through the pines In their woolen socks with toes, Yetis march in lines Grunting Ho, Ho, Ho’s! They meet their Sasquatch friends, And Bigfoot buddies too. The time is here to all attend The Christmas Bash-A-Roo!
Oh… Bigfoot tap, Yeti rap, Sasquatch line dance too— Gathered in the forest For their Christmas Bash-A-Roo!
High up in the sky A flash caused them to pause. “Could this be the guy? Could this be Santa Claus? We’ve heard the tales of old. We’ve heard the human lore, But never has he joined our fold At Christmas time before.”
Oh… Bigfoot tap, Yeti rap, Sasquatch line dance too— Gathered in the forest For their Christmas Bash-A-Roo!
They heard a Ho! Ho! Ho! And saw a red-nosed gleam. Coming through the snow Was Santa and his team. “I think we can agree— Though sightings have been few It can be reality— Yes, legends can be true”.
Oh… Bigfoot tap, Yeti rap Sasquatch line dance too— Gathered in the forest For their Christmas Bash-A-Roo!
Santa flashed a grin And said, “Hey guys, let’s bop.” The reindeer joined right in And did the Reindeer Hop. He handed out sweet treats To each and every beast. Then said, “Let’s dance a few more beats Before we fly on east.”
Oh… Black-boot tap, Santa rap Reindeer line dance too. What a holly-jolly, Hairy Christmas Bash-A-Roo!
Santa waved goodbye And headed to his sleigh. He winked a twinkling eye As he flew away. Oh, what a joyful night— A Santa Claus debut. Oh how merry! Oh how bright! The Christmas Bash-A-Roo!
Oh… Bigfoot tap, Yeti rap Sasquatch line dance too— Gathered in the forest For their Christmas Bash-A-Roo!
Tromping through the pines In worn out socks with toes Yetis march in lines Grunting Ho, Ho, Ho’s! They wave at Sasquatch friends And Bigfoot buddies too. And say, “We’ll see you all again At next year’s Bash-A-Roo.
#3 Garbage Truck, Garbage Truck
Trashing through the snow, in a noisy garbage truck,
The bins are hard to empty, with boxes getting stuck.
Crumpled wrapping paper, chunks of Styrofoam,
Packing peanuts everywhere are blown from home to home.
Oh, garbage truck! Garbage truck! After Christmas trash.
Load it in the garbage truck and watch it mash and smash.
Garbage truck! Garbage truck! Haul it all away.
What looked so festive yesterday is now J-U-N-K.
Dried-up wreaths with bows, Lights that didn’t light,
Toys already broken, clothes that got too tight.
The garbage man is tired. He’s handled lots of stuff.
He wishes folks could see that they already have enough.
Oh, garbage truck! Garbage truck! After Christmas trash.
Load it in the garbage truck and watch it mash and smash.
Garbage truck! Garbage truck! Haul it all away.
What looked so festive yesterday is now J-U-N-K.
The garbage man goes home, and hugs his kids and wife.
They eat and read together, a calm, uncluttered life.
He’s happy with his job, but wishes people knew
That things don’t bring you happiness, but times together do.
Oh, garbage truck! Garbage truck! After Christmas trash.
Load it in the garbage truck and watch it mash and smash.
Garbage truck! Garbage truck! Watch it blend and mix.
So much turns to garbage on December 26.
#4 The Tree
Sliding through the snow
in Granddad’s beat-up truck,
Looking for a tree.
Not having any luck.
Evergreens galore.
The Spruce and Firs abound
Nothing fits our search –
too dense, too big, too round.
Finally I spy
the perfect Christmas tree.
Granddad swings his axe,
“Ready. One, two, three!”
“Granddad, stop!” I shout,
“I see a mouse nose there.
Don’t you see that nest?
And isn’t that a hare?”
Thoughts swirl round my head.
I tell Granddad my plan.
He wags his graying beard,
then shakes my mittened hand.
Singing as we drive,
we race back to the farm.
I raid the kitchen store,
while Granddad raids the barn.
Night begins to fall.
We truck back through the snow –
find our lonely tree,
lit up in starry glow.
Stringing beans and hay,
instead of paper chains.
Nuts and seeds in fat,
we cover all in grains.
Then we sit and wait.
and slowly they appear.
The bestest gift and tree
from any Christmas year.
#5 Humphrey The Humbug
Dropping through the mail slot in a BAH-Mobile, came Humphrey. Humphrey was no ordinary bug. He was a Humbug. And being a Humbug, Humphrey had to follow one simple rule: ‘Make Christmas cheer disappear.’
It was Christmas Eve. Humphrey’s well-trained eye zeroed in on the slightly tilting Christmas tree. “All I have to do is give that tree a push, knock over the glitter, and let the cookies burn and the Holly Household’s Christmas cheer will soon melt into the Grinchy grumps,” Humphrey said to himself.
But I can’t wreck another Christmas, thought Humphrey. The truth was, Humphrey was a half-hearted Humbug. He secretly liked everything about Christmas: the tree, the lights, and especially the music.
He poked his head out of his BAH-Mobile. The coast was clear. First, he made his way to the tree but, instead of giving it a push, he made it stand taller, tightening the bolts in the stand. Next, he took the jar of glitter and tightly screwed on the lid. Finally, he set the kitchen timer so the Holly’s would take the cookies out of the oven.
Humphrey settled down inside his BAH-Mobile, happy for the first time. I spread Christmas cheer this year, he thought, as he drifted off to sleep.
Humphrey awoke to a laugh. “Ho, Ho, Ho,” chuckled Santa. “I’ve caught a Humbug!” He gently placed Humphrey on his knee.
“I know I’m on the Naughty List, Santa, but let me explain,” started Humphrey. Santa held up his hand.
“You are mistaken, Humphrey. You are on the Nice List this year.”
“I am?”
“You, my friend, have had what is called a ‘Change-of-Heart.’
“Yes!” said Humphrey. “I don’t feel like a Humbug anymore.”
“Did you know,” asked Santa, “that Humbugs are very musical?”
“I do like to hum,” said Humphrey.
Santa handed Humphrey a small package. “My first present!” he shouted. Tearing it open, Humphrey found a book of Christmas carols. “Oh, thank you!” he beamed.
Now, at Christmastime, Humphrey, the humming bug, follows his own rule: “Hum carols far and near to make Christmas cheer appear!”
#6 That’s Not Santa!
Walking through the mall,
In my brand new Christmas Shoes,
Look at that kid bawl,
I have got the blues!
–
My mom smiles at me,
She wants this photo,
Can’t anybody see,
That’s NOT SANTA -NO!
–
(Chorus)
OH!
His beard is fake,
His eyebrows snake,
His mustache is dark brown,
I feel bad for the lad,
That Santa just put down!
–
OH!
He has a belt,
It’s made of felt,
That just makes me pause,
His suit’s off-red, like I said,
THAT’S NOT SANTA CLAUS!
–
(Second Verse)
I don’t have a choice,
Four more kids to go,
I hear Santa’s voice,
He says “Hoo Ha Ho”?
–
The girl on Santa’s knee,
Looks as scared as she can be,
The camera makes a flash,
The girl makes a dash!
–
(Chorus)
OH!
His beard is fake,
His eyebrows snake,
His boots are made of plastic,
I’m ahead and my mom said,
“This will be fantastic”!
–
OH!
He has no belly,
That shakes like jelly,
I am feeling sick,
On his lap is when I yap,
THAT’S NOT OLD SAINT NICK!
#7 Jingle Sheep
Tiptoeing through the fog On teeny tiny feet, Six hundred wooly sheep Were sneaking down the street.
Poor Santa had the flu. His temperature was high. His doctor told him, “Stay in bed And stay out of the sky.”
OH Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Come to Santa’s aid Wearing beards and Santa hats And antlers that they made.
Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Glad to help St. Nick Spreading joy and happiness With a festive, merry kick.
The sheep tried very hard To visit every child. They tried to keep it quiet But soon got very wild.
The children did not dream Of sugarplums and toys. They peeked out of their bedroom doors To wonder at the noise.
OH Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Come to Santa’s aid Wearing beards and Santa hats And antlers that they made
Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Glad to help St. Nick Spreading joy and happiness With a festive, merry kick.
At first the children stared And some began to cry. They then began to giggle And not be quite so shy.
The sheep shared all their hats And danced around the tree. The children shared their gingerbread With shouts of happy glee.
OH Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Come to Santa’s aid Wearing beards and Santa hats And antlers that they made
Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Glad to help St. Nick Spreading joy and happiness With a festive, merry kick.
The sun began to rise. The party had been grand. The gifts had been delivered, Though not like Santa planned.
He thanked them just the same, The dear sweet, sneaky sheep. He asked them what they wanted. They asked for sixty jeeps.
OH Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Come to Santa’s aid Wearing beards and Santa hats And antlers that they made
Wooly sheep, sneaky sheep Glad to help St. Nick Spreading joy and happiness With a festive, merry kick.
#8 New Skates Please, Santa!
Wobbling on the ice In my sister’s worn-out skates, I might as well be wearing Great big wooden crates! The blades are really dull, They’re too big for my feet, and when I try to glide along I end up on my seat!
Ohhhhhh, Scrape, scrape, scrape, Skid, skid, skid, I do a crazy dance, I can never learn to skate While sitting on my pants! Ohhhhhh, Thump, thump, splat, Ow, ow, drat, Falling’s not much fun, I’d really rather glide and twirl And whirl like everyone.
My friends all have new skates They glide around with ease While I just watch them swish right by Me, fallen on my knees. It’s almost Christmas Eve, I’ve wished upon a star, I hope that Santa hears my plea And brings skates from afar.
Ohhhhhh, Scrape, scrape, scrape, Skid, skid, skid, I do a crazy dance, I can never learn to skate While sitting on my pants! Ohhhhhh, Thump, thump, splat, Ow, ow, drat, Falling’s not much fun, I’d really rather glide and twirl And whirl like everyone.
The presents are unwrapped, No shiny skates in sight, Just sweaters, hats, and oranges – but what about tonight? My sis hands me a box and much to my surprise Bright shiny skates, the kind I wished, And look! They’re just my size!
Ohhhhhh, Swish, swish, swish, Zip, zip, zoom, My skates are really fast, I can whirl and twirl all day And never be outclassed. Ohhhhhh, Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, Jump, twirl, spin, Across the ice I glide, This is better than I dreamed, I’ll never go inside!
#9 How The Grinch Spends Christmas
Dashing through the snow
In Santa’s stolen sleigh
Over Santa’s toe
Laughing all the way. MUA-HA-HA!
Flying snowballs sting
I’m not at all contrite
How fun it is to toss and fling
The gifts into the night.
Oh, bah humbug, Christmas, ugh!
Mischief saves the day
Trouble making – Reindeer MUSH!
In Santa’s stolen sleigh
Bah humbug, Christmas, ugh!
Mischief saves the day
Trouble making – Reindeer MUSH!
In Santa’s stolen sleigh
This morning when I woke
I thought, “The fun begins,”
I’ll lick the cookies clean
Return them to their tins
Pluck festive door wreathes bare
Chop down Christmas trees
Cram stockings — not the kind you wear —
With coal lumps to the knees
Oh, bah humbug, Christmas, ugh!
Mischief saves the day
Shelf Elf shaking, snow globe breaking
Reindeer led astray
Bah humbug, Christmas, ugh!
Mischief saves the day
Snowman baking, present taking
In the mall Santa’s toupee.
Whooshing far and near
Dropping water bombs away
Then, Santa calls his deer
And rats! They do obey
He hums a little tune
Shakes his head so slight
Nails me with the last balloon
And flies into the night.
Oh, bah humbug, Christmas, ugh!
Santa made my day
I think I saw him gloating
As he rode his sleigh away
Bah humbug, Christmas, ugh!
Mean is in my genes
I can’t wait for him to find
I fed his reindeer beans.
#10 Dashing Through The Snow
“Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh…” The song floated from the kitchen radio. Holly heard her neighbor, Mrs. Frost, humming along.
Holly stared out the window at the snowless neighborhood and sighed. Would she ever have a white Christmas? She picked up the snow globe from the table and shook it. Tiny white flakes swirled about the miniature horse pulling a sleigh with two riders.
Mrs. Frost poked her head into the living room and smiled. “The first batch of cookies is almost done. Once they’re cool, you can help me ice them, okay?”
Holly grinned. “Sure!”
Mrs. Frost was Holly’s favorite grown up…besides her mom and dad, of course. There was something kind of magic about her, especially at Christmas. Her house glowed with red and green lights and holiday decorations. She even had a Christmas name. Like Holly.
Holly shook the snow globe again and set it on the window sill. She watched the tiny flakes spiraling inside. The song continued to play. “Dashing through the snow…” Her eyelids drooped. “I wish we had snow,” she whispered.
Suddenly, wind whipped through her hair, and she squinted as wet flakes splattered her face. “What?” She gasped in the chilly air. “Where am I?”
“Dashing through the snow, of course!” Mrs. Frost sat beside her, chuckling. She held the reins to a horse covered in white. Its neigh echoed like laughter.
Holly glanced down. Tiny houses flickered with Christmas lights far below. “We’re flying!” she yelled.
Snow flurries danced around them. “We’re dashing!” Mrs. Frost snapped the reins.
“It’s time,” she said.
Someone gently shook Holly’s shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Mrs. Frost standing beside her. “It’s time to ice the cookies.”
Holly blinked. A dream? She shivered. But it felt so real.
“Oh, look!” said Mrs. Frost.
Holly peered out the window. “It’s snowing!” Fluffy white flakes tumbled down.
She turned to Mrs. Frost and spotted something sparkling in her hair. Could it be?
Mrs. Frost’s eyes twinkled.
Holly was sure she saw a snowflake…before it melted away.
I told you it was going to be tough! Ready, set, VOTE!
And my assistant judge and I felt we really must give Honorable Mention to Julie for Splash! Crash! Dash! – sibling Christmas vacation, very well written!, Renee for Holidaze – quite possibly the cleverest entry and amazingly well done, Carrie for Christmas In Lights which had a wonderful message about helping neighbors, Maria for Elmer The Christmas Sprite – a lovely, original, quiet story, and Linda for In A Daddy Open Buggy – excellent, excellent small child POV! Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Jill whose story I Believe brought tears to my eyes with its wonderful ending, and Delores’s A Christmas Memory with it’s evocative writing and lovely nostalgic feel… And now I’m going to stop before I’ve got the entire list up here 🙂
Have fun voting everyone! And here’s a little holiday message from me and the girls 🙂
P.S. I wasn’t going to post on Monday… and I still might not… but there may be a special surprise post going up that day if I can get it written and organized and if the stars are properly aligned… 🙂 If I can’t pull it off, then I’ll see you on Wednesday the 26th with the winners. Happy Holidays Everyone! 🙂
I can barely contain my excitement because IT’S HERE!!!
The2ndAnnualHolidayContest!!!
I look forward to these contests so much, because everyone who enters is so creative and writes such terrific stories that it’s like Christmas morning – or maybe like each new day of Hanukkah – clicking over to new entries as they go up, full of anticipation for another entertaining read! I literally cannot wait! (It occurs to me that I sound like a five year old :))
For those who are just arriving on the scene and might want to take a crack at it, here are the rules:
The Contest: Write a children’s holiday story beginning with any version of “Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh.” You may use that actual opening, or you may change it to any similar version “[Verb of your choice]ing through the [any substance you choose] in a [conveyance of any kind].” For example, “Dashing through the sand in a two-wheeled donkey cart” or “Sloshing through the swamp in a green and white canoe” or “Flying through the air in a striped hot air balloon…” You get the idea, I’m sure 🙂 But “Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh” is completely acceptable too – whatever works for you 🙂 Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 350 words (because I have to read them all in the week before Christmas! :))
Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog any time between today and Wednesday December 19 at 11:59 PM EST, and your post-specific link should be added to the link list below which will remain up through Wednesday December 19 (there will be no new post on Monday December 17 to get in the way :)). If you don’t have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comments below. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email me and I’ll post your entry for you!)
The Judge: My lovely assistant and I will narrow down the entrants to seven (or possibly a couple more :)) finalists which will be posted here on Friday December 21 (no PPBF that day) for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed on Christmas Eve and the winner(s) will be announced on Wednesday December 26. Whoever gets the most votes will be first and so on down to fifth place.
The Prizes!: When I said the prizes were fantastic, I wasn’t kidding. In the spirit of the holidays, winners will be named for 1st – 5th place, and will each receive a picture book manuscript critique AND a $20 Amazon gift card to spend on the reading material of your choice AND the incredible fame of being able to say you won (or placed in) the Pretty Much World Famous 2nd Annual Holiday Contest! The critiques have been generously donated by the following fabulous children’s authors (in alphabetical order by first name :)):
Alison Hertz: author and illustrator of FLAP! (Magic Dreams Publishing, November 2012)
Amy Dixon: author of MARATHON MOUSE (Sky Pony Press, October 2012)
Corey Rosen Schwartz: author of Hop! Plop! (Walker Children’s Books, April 2006), THE THREE NINJA PIGS (Putnam Juvenile, September 2012), and the forthcoming GOLDIROCKS AND THE THREE BEARS and NINJA RED (both coming from Putnam). Corey also writes the Meter Maids blog with Tiffany (below).
Sarah Frances Hardy: author and illustrator of PUZZLED BY PINK (Viking Juvenile, April 2012)
Tiffany Strelitz Haber: author of THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN (Henry Holt, July 2012). Tiffany also writes the Meter Maids blog with Corey (above).
So! With prizes like that on offer are you…
…Ready, set, GO!
Here is my pathetic and clearly hurriedly composed sample 🙂 It requires that you sing it to the tune, and even then there are a couple places where I may have taken some liberties with the meter 🙂 The good thing is, I’m sure everyone else’s is way better than this, so you can all take comfort in knowing that and feel brave about posting your entries! 🙂
Christmas Eve Travel Trouble
(341 words)
Flying through the air in a sleigh pulled by eight deer Santa and his elves were filled with Christmas cheer When suddenly the sleigh gave an unexpected pitch “Look out!” warned Comet from the front, “we’re heading for that ditch!”
OH….
Lying in the snow, presents scattered everywhere The reindeer tangled up, the sleigh needing repair, Santa’s Right-Hand Elf said, “This will never do! We’re only halfway ’round the world and it’s quarter to two!”
OH…
Cleaning up the mess, Santa said “I’ve got a plan! If our sleigh won’t fly, we’ll use this gift for Dan. Help me load the pack. Everybody climb on quick!” Soon they were bouncing on their way aboard a pogo stick!
OH…
Hopping through the snow, they got to France’s shore But then old Santa gasped, “I can’t jump any more! Let’s find a better way. There’ve got to be a few.” His Right-Hand Elf said, “How ’bout this? A bicycle-built-for-two!”
OH…
Cycling through the drifts, they reached Saskatchewan Then Santa said, “That’s it. I simply can’t go on. What else is in the pack? We need a better choice.” They took a look and settled on the gift for Jen and Joyce.
OH…
Rowing through the snow, in a fiberglass canoe Their arms soon tired out. They switched to something new. But traveling by kite, it’s very hard to steer! When heading for the USA they landed in Zaire.
Flailing ‘cross the ice in a plastic wading pool…
Sailing o’er the plains in a LEGO pirate ship…
Riding through the hills on a wooden rocking horse…
Santa sighed. “I miss my sleigh. There’s got to be a better way!”
They reached the final stop at three minutes ’til dawn “We made it!” Santa said, with a gigantic yawn. Just then the sleigh caught up, hitched to the flying eight. Comet said, “I fixed the sleigh. Why didn’t you just wait?”
OH! Jingle bells Santa’s swell He will find a way To get the toys to girls and boys In time for Christmas Day!
HappyHolidaysEveryone! Please remember to check the comments for entries! There are stories there from Linda, Yvonne, Jill, Marci, RJ, and 2 different entries from Bara (also one from Deborah, but hers is on the link list now)!
First off, we’ll be having birthday cake because we have a birthday in our family today 🙂 Happy Birthday, Justin! Cake anyone?
Yum! Now that we’re all supplied with a nutritious breakfast (why do you think I put strawberries on?), we’ll have a Short & Sweet to get our writerly gears turning for a week of exceptional productivity.
For today’s Short & Sweet we’re going super simple:
There’s been some kind of holiday mishap, mix-up, miscommunication, mistake, or potential disaster. Write the newspaper headline (and a couple lines of the article if you like)!
(Admit it. You didn’t think I could come up with anything that simple! Well, I’m giving you a break after my very long-winded post on Friday 🙂 Also, my mouth is full of cake :))
Here are a couple examples 🙂
Santa’s Letters All Delivered To South Pole Penguins! Postal service blames malfunctioning GPS. The penguins only comment was, “Hrowrrk, Hrowrrk!”
Viking Delegation Arrives At Rockefeller Center. “We thought you asked for a Norway Truce!” exclaims Harald V whose senior advisor is looking into new hearing aids for the king.
Monopoly Dispute May Ground Sleigh! “I called first dibs on the shoe!” Dasher yelled as he was hauled off to time out. Dancer was quoted as saying, “You poopy head!” which earned him a stint in time out as well. A spokesman for the Clauses said, “This is trouble. The sleigh won’t fly with only 6 reindeer!”
Post your headline (and as much article as you like :)) in the comments and hopefully yours or someone else’s will give you a great idea for a story!
And finally!! The moment you’ve all been waiting for!! Announcing….
The2ndAnnualHolidayContest!!!
The Contest: Write a children’s holiday story beginning with any version of “Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh.” You may use that actual opening, or you may change it to any similar version “[Verb of your choice]ing through the [any substance you choose] in a [conveyance of any kind].” For example, “Dashing through the sand in a two-wheeled donkey cart” or “Sloshing through the swamp in a green and white canoe” or “Flying through the air in a striped hot air balloon…” You get the idea, I’m sure 🙂 But “Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh” is completely acceptable too – whatever works for you 🙂 Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 350 words (because I have to read them all in the week before Christmas! :))
Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog between Saturday December 15 and Wednesday December 19 at 11:59 PM EST (no WYRI that day), and your post-specific link should be added to the link list on the official holiday contest post which will go up on my blog on Saturday December 15 and remain up through Wednesday December 19 (no new post on Monday December 17). If you don’t have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comments on my December 15th post. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email me and I’ll post your entry for you!)
The Judge: My lovely assistant and I will narrow down the entrants to seven (or possibly a couple more :)) finalists which will be posted here on Friday December 21 (no PPBF that day) for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed on Christmas Eve and the winner(s) will be announced on Wednesday December 26 (no WYRI that day). Whoever gets the most votes will be first and so on down to fifth place.
The Prizes!: When I said the prizes were fantastic, I wasn’t kidding. In the spirit of the holidays, winners will be named for 1st – 5th place, and will each receive a picture book manuscript critique AND a $20 Amazon gift card to spend on the reading material of your choice AND the incredible fame of being able to say you won (or placed in) the Pretty Much World Famous 2nd Annual Holiday Contest! The critiques have been generously donated by the following fabulous children’s authors (in alphabetical order by first name :)):
Alison Hertz: author and illustrator of FLAP! (Magic Dreams Publishing, November 2012)
Amy Dixon: author of MARATHON MOUSE (Sky Pony Press, October 2012)
Corey Rosen Schwartz: author of Hop! Plop! (Walker Children’s Books, April 2006), THE THREE NINJA PIGS (Putnam Juvenile, September 2012), and the forthcoming GOLDIROCKS AND THE THREE BEARS and NINJA RED (both coming from Putnam). Corey also writes the Meter Maids blog with Tiffany (below).
Sarah Frances Hardy: author and illustrator of PUZZLED BY PINK (Viking Juvenile, April 2012)
Tiffany Strelitz Haber: author of THE MONSTER WHO LOST HIS MEAN (Henry Holt, July 2012). Tiffany also writes the Meter Maids blog with Corey (above).
Wow! Would one of those critiques be an awesome prize to win or what?! And $20 to spend on a book you wanted but didn’t get for the holidays? Plus bragging rights? So put on your thinking caps! Sharpen your pencils! Fire up your imagination! And start writing those holiday stories 🙂 You’ve got 2 whole weeks! 🙂
Just to be clear, in case it wasn’t above, in the interest of leaving time and space for the contest and giving y’all time for the busy-ness of the holidays and all the things I know you have going on in your homes and lives at this time of year, my usual posting schedule will be in a complete shambles between Dec. 15 and 26. I will have a special post on Saturday December 15 (not a usual posting day for me) to kick off the contest, there will be no new post on Monday Dec. 17 (so we can keep posting and reading each other’s stories), no WYRI on Wednesday Dec. 19 (so we can finish posting and reading each other’s stories), no PPBF on Friday Dec. 21 (so I can post the finalists and you can vote), no new post on Christmas Eve (because it’s Christmas Eve :)) and no WYRI on December 26 (so I can post the winners!) Hopefully that will free you up to write, read all the wonderful entries I sincerely hope we’re going to get, because with 5 such fabulous prizes to give away it would be very sad if we only got 3 entries :(, vote, and still have time for your families 🙂 I think we got somewhere between 30 and 35 entries last year – I hope we can meet or exceed that this year so our critique donors will feel loved and appreciated 🙂 I can’t wait to read your Short & Sweet headlines :), and then I guess I’d better get to work on my sample entry for the holiday contest since I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to write! 🙂 Happy Monday, Everyone! And please spread the word of the Holiday Contest to anyone you think might be interested. It’s a chance for some writing fun, lots of blog visits, and maybe even a prize 🙂
Now, I know all about woolly bear folklore… the whole 13 segments, one for each week of winter (OK, well, that’s just hogwash – around here we definitely have more than 13 weeks of winter!), and how a lot of black at the front means early winter will be harsh, and a lot of black toward the hindquarters means the end of winter will be harsh (and if you don’t know which end is which, well, you’re just going to have to figure that one out on your own :)), and generally you want a nice wide band of brown because the brown means mild. So I’m thinking an allblack woolly bear is either a true pessimist, or is having a Halloween trick on us a bit late (or just hasn’t changed out of his Dementor costume yet), or really likes dark chocolate and is campaigning for world wide recognition of a National Dark Chocolate Rules Day.
I think I’d like to vote for number 3 🙂
But I do not think it is a harbinger of a serious, cold, snow-filled winter, because unlike our friend the black woolly bear, I am not a pessimist 🙂
(I also really like the word harbinger… it’s fun to say! But I digress…)
Now that I’ve come up with a very clever way to sneak in a picture of a woolly bear because I think they’re really cute AND we’re all on the same page about how we will most certainly not be having a Little House In The Big Woods type of winter, let’s warm up with something Short & Sweet, shall we?
Remember (because it’s been a couple weeks and you might have forgotten) – Short & Sweets are meant to be fun and quick. No agonizing! Just write!
Okay, ready?
First…
Pick a holiday, any holiday.
Of course Halloween, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, National Deviled Eggs Day (no I did NOT make that up – it’s November 2 – you can check!), Kwanzaa, Make Your Own Head Day (November 28th if you’ve never celebrated before) etc. are clearly foremost in our minds right now, but I hope some of you free spirits will dance to your own tune and pick National Gum Drop Day (February 15) or Easter or Look Up At The Sky Day (April 14), or maybe Sidewalk Egg Frying Day (the lesser know July 4th holiday) or Ear Muff Day (March 13) 🙂
Okay.
Got your holiday?
Write down the name of your holiday.
Now, write down – something you see on that holiday – something you smell on that holiday – something you hear on that holiday – something you taste on that holiday – something you touch on that holiday
Then write down the name of the holiday one last time.
Guess what?
You just wrote a holiday poem!
And maybe it will be even more than that and give you a great idea for a story! (Or at least your PiBoIdMo idea for the day if you’re participating in that festival of inspiration and frivolity as I most certainly am!)
I’ll give you an example. Remember… short… sweet… off the top of our heads here (because let’s be honest – I used up most of my available time rambling on about woolly bears :))
Christmas Delicate ribbons of tinsel shimmering silver and gold Spicy pine breathing the outside in Joy To The World singing clear to a starry sky Bright peppermint, cool and sweet, and Peace On Earth warming every heart Christmas
So, are you ready? Get set… WRITE!!!
Please share your holiday poem in the comments so we can all admire them and become inspired for a whole week of great writing!
Also, if you have a word you love to say (like harbinger, or maybe Terpsichore or multitudinous, please share that as well! :))
I can’t wait to read your Holiday poems! I hope someone picks Race Your Mouse Day (May 28th)!
(P.S. I will announce the winner of the October Pitch Pick on Wednesday during Would You Read It!)
I don’t know exactly what that is (or how to spell it :)) – something the nuns called Maria in The Sound Of Music 🙂 – but that’s what I feel like!
So today’s Short & Sweet is going to be very short and sweet because I have a school visit and 47 million things to get done before I go (no, I am not exaggerating! :))
Pick one (or all if you’re feeling ambitious :)) of the following actual openings of actual books (well, I changed some names) and write 3-5 sentences of your own story starting with that opening, AND/OR a brief synopsis of what your story would be about. (I’m not telling you what books they’re from because if you knew that might bias the direction of your story or, worse, limit you!)
1. “Ouch!” said Princes Amelia as she stabbed herself with the needle.
2. One day four big chickens peeked out the coop window and saw a wolf sneak into the farmyard.
3. Violet was a little white cat with bright green eyes.
4. “There she is!” Mandy whispered excitedly. “She’s coming back!”
5. Rocky and Blossom lived in a meadow on the mountain.
6. In the moon of the raspberries in a long time ago a baby sleeps, dreaming.
7. Cyrus Squirrel stood at the edge of the forest and cried.
Example: first 3-5 sentences starting with #7:
Cyrus Squirrel stood at the edge of the forest and cried. His fur was wet. His paws were cold. He was hungry. He was lost. But worst of all, his brother Stewie and tricked him again!
Example: synopsis starting with #1:
“Ouch!” said Princess Amelia as she stabbed herself with the needle. Synopsis: Princess Emmeline from the neighboring kingdom is coming to visit and Princess Amelia wants to impress her. But Princess Amelia is not good at sewing. She is not good at dancing. Her table manners make the dogs look like royalty. And no matter how hard she tries, her hair always seems to be messy and her gown always seems to have dirt on it. How will she get Princess Emmeline to like her?
I hope you’ll have fun with this! Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
And when I say Short & Sweet, I mean it! Seriously! Somehow October snuck up on me, never mind Monday, and I’ve got SOO much to do!
Today is Princess Blue Kitty’s first birthday. (For those of you who didn’t spend the summer here, Princess Blue Kitty is my car.) And I will have you know that yesterday, on the way home from Stop & Shop her odometer rolled over 35,000 miles. That is a lot of miles to collect in one year.
But it got me to thinking about collecting things. If you have kids, spend any time around kids, or have ever been a kid, you know that kids love to collect things. Pokemon cards and baseball cards. Build-a-Bear outfits and accessories. Vacation tee-shirts. Rocks. Matchbox cars. Comic books. Beanie Babies. You name it, there’s probably a kid somewhere who collects it 🙂
So for today’s Short & Sweet think up something a kid collects. Then think about why they collect it and what that tells you about who they are.
Then, in the comments (or if you can’t comment because of my @$!%*%! blog you can email me and I’ll post for you) write a sentence, or a couple sentences, or however much you want, that tells us something about your character, what they collect, and why.
Who: can be as vague as “he” or “she”, or as specific as “Molly, a little brown field mouse” The Collection: can be absolutely anything you want! – the more interesting/unusual/downright bizarre the better 🙂 (And I mean anything! Having trouble thinking something up? Just look around and pick the first thing you see – dog bones, acorns, picture frames, super balls, macaroni, potholders, toenail clippings (sure! why not go for the gross?! :)), grass trimmings, song lyrics, cocoons, seeds…. the possibilities are endless!) … (and in case you were wondering, which I know you were since I told you to look around and pick the first thing you see, I do not have acorns and toenail clippings etc. lying around my living room… only the dog bones :)) Why: hopefully the why of this collecting will give us a peek inside your character and will be the spark that ignites story ideas 🙂
Here are a couple examples:
Henry collected seashells on the beach where he had fished so often with Grandpa. He searched for those that neither the ceaseless tumbling of the tide nor the careless steps of hard-soled feet had cracked or broken. Only shells that were whole and perfect made his collection. Whenever he found a new one, he brought it to Grandpa. He never said it out loud, because that would ruin it, but in his heart he harbored the hope that somehow, if he laid something flawless and familiar in Grandpa’s gnarled hands, his tangled thoughts would unsnarl, and his mind would become, once again, as whole and perfect as the shells.
Nobody listened to Anne, so she collected words. Not just any words, not plain, ordinary words, but unusual, unpredictable words that rolled off her tongue in a pleasing way. Someday she would use her saved up words – words like tangential, garrulous, idiosyncratic, vituperative, onomatopoetic, ecclesiastical and catastrophic – sprinkle them into her speech like spices, and then, people would listen! How could they not?
His shoelace collection started because of the orange ones he found with the baseballs on them. Next he discovered the blue ones with green lizards, and after that, yellow ones with NASCAR flags. He hung them from the handlebars of his bike, like streamers, and hoped that when he sped past she would look up from where she sat on the bottom step of her front porch stringing beads.
Or you can go as simple as:
Mabel collected milkweed pods because she liked to open them up, pull the soft silk from inside, tuck it into her hair and pretend she was an ancient enchantress in a forbidden forest.
Get the idea?
Even if your own character/collection doesn’t spark a story for you, someone else’s might. And your offering might spark a story for somebody else! So let’s all share. And please feel free to write as many as you’d like! 🙂
Shall we fire up our imaginations and see what kind of stories we can spark with our collections?
Have fun, everyone! I can’t wait to see what you come up with! 🙂 Hopefully we’ll be so inspired that we won’t be able to write fast enough! 🙂
P.S. If anyone happened to take the new Short & Sweet badge 2 weeks ago when I first put it up, please swap it for this one – the first one was missing the kitty’s whiskers! 🙂
Well, here we are. It’s Monday September 17 and I promised you a Short & Sweet, so a Short & Sweet we shall have! And just look at this beautiful, updated badge we have to go along with our non-summer Short & Sweets! Thank you, Loni 🙂
Actually, now that I think about it, Monday seems like a good day for Short & Sweets – a good way to get those writing gears greased up and ready to go for a productive writing week, don’t you think?
Given the extreme hecticness of the last couple weeks, as we’ve all striven (is that even a word?) to get our kids back to school, or get used to doing homework again, or tried to vacuum ourselves out from under the dog hair mound (oh, is that just me?) we will be very short and sweet today – nothing too taxing.
Let’s make up fun characters, shall we? Since it’s Monday morning, I’ll give you the chance to think on your own, but I’ll also give you options to choose blindly in case your brain isn’t quite awake yet 🙂
Here’s what to do:
1. Choose a name you like, male or female, any kind of name, e.g. Harper, Frisky, Stinky Pete. Too broad, too vague, too wide open for this hour on Monday morning? I’ll give you a list to choose from 🙂 Pick a number from 1-10 (no peeking!) and use the name you get.
1. Sophie 2. Alex 3. Rocky 4. Kyle 5. Princess 6. Lindsay 7. Becca 8. Ethan 9. Tiger 10. Taylor
2. Pick 4 descriptive traits, e.g. cautious, hopeful, athletic, smart Again, if you need choices, I’ll give you some. Pick 4 letters from A to Z (no peeking) and use the traits you get.
A= argumentative B= bold C= curious D= desperate E= eager F= feisty G= grateful H= home-loving I= impatient J= joyful K= kind L= lazy M= mean N= nosy O= opinionated P= passionate Q= quiet R= rambunctious S= serious T= tired U= unimaginative V= vacillating W= worried X= extra (I know that doesn’t really begin with x!) Y= yellow Z= zippy
3. Pick one: only child or sibling of. If you choose sibling of, list names of siblings. example: only child example: sibling of Howard, Henry and Hugo
4. Pick two things your character loves, e.g. elephants and birthday cake Need help? Let’s go with the letters again, that was fun 🙂 Pick 2 letters from A-Z and use the things you get.
A= apples B=bears C= cacti D= dinosaurs E= easter eggs F= flowers G= giants H= hotdogs I= ice cream J= jumping rope K= kite-flying L= licorice M= mountains N= nighttime O= ocean P= pumpkins Q= quilts R= racing S= snow T= traveling U= umbrellas V= violin W= white-water rafting X= extra helpings (yeah, I know that doesn’t really start with x either :)) Y= yodeling Z= zip-lining
5. Pick something your character fears, e.g. spiders Can’t think of anything? Choose a number from 1- 20 and go with what you get.
1= the dark 2= snakes 3= the dentist 4= being alone 5= getting a haircut 6= going to school 7= having a babysitter 8= losing a tooth 9= falling off a bike 10= heights 11= going on an airplane 12= going to sleep-away camp 13= swimming 14= ghosts 15= thunderstorms 16= loud noises 17= big dogs 18= talking to new people 19= bad dreams 20= monsters
6. Pick something your character wants, e.g. to learn to ride a bike Need inspiration? Choose a number from 1-20 – you know the drill 🙂
1= a pet 2= to go to the moon 3= to be famous 4= to be in the school play 5= a brother or sister 6= to stay up later 7= to be independent 8= to be brave 9= to have a best friend 10= to go to the circus 11= to get allowance 12= to go camping 13= to bake a cake 14= to be good at something 15= to be popular 16= to lose a tooth 17= to be first 18= to feel important 19= to be listened to/recognized 20= to get a job
Now. Put your character all together in the comments like this:
Jemima short, loyal, adventurous, brave sibling of Pete lover of horses and going fast who fears being invisible and wants a pony of her own
If you want, write the opening of a story about your character, for example:
Sometimes Jemima was a little too brave for her own good. Like the time Pete dared her to climb to the top of the apple tree… and she ended up with her arm in a cast for 6 weeks.
The idea here is that, with lots of participants, we’ll generate a great list of possible characters, any of which might spark a story idea for anyone! The same character might spark 10 different stories in 10 people! Have fun with it – it should be a pretty quick exercise – and feel free to do more than one! 🙂
I hope we’ll get lots of good ideas percolating this morning! Have a lovely day, everyone, and Happy Rosh Hashanah to those who are celebrating! 🙂
Susanna Leonard Hill 
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