Books & Writing
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The letter that made me cry
The letter that made me cry When I have author visits with schools I tell the students my inspiration behind writing MYSTIC. Arielle. Before I knew I was going to write a fantasy, I knew I would have a protagonist who used a wheelchair. Arielle was reading many books as a fourth grader in the Accelerated Reader program and not one of them had characters using a wheelchair. Meanwhile, I watched as Arielle’s life changed and she had to persevere through many obstacles while surrounded by able bodied people who she continually had to educate about these obstacles. Kids as well as adults could behave in ways that were insensitive. Playgrounds were not accessible and often her friends would run…
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Can you handle the truth?
Can you handle the truth? Can you handle the truth/Find the fib was one of may favorite games to play with my students. I’d separate them into groups of five and ask each person to write two truths and one lie about themselves. Everyone in the group would have to guess the lie. We all learned a little more about each other and the game helped the quiet kids gather courage to speak. Jamie Ayers is celebrating the release of her second book 18 Truths by hosting a Can you handle the truth blogfest! Here’s how it’s played Read numbers 1-3 below. Decide which one is the fib. Tell me in the…
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Five Steps to Meeting Your Goals in 2014
Five Steps to Meeting Your Goals in 2014 December 31st! The very last day of 2013. There’s a certain stress to this day isn’t there? The questions linger. Did I meet my goals for 2013? Did I make the most of every day? What do I need to do better in 2014? I know from the amount of new members at our gym that I’m not the only one feeling as though some changes have to be made in 2014. Here’s how I look at my life. I break it up into categories. Family, Writing, Health and Fitness, Friends, Education, Spirituality, Community Service and Home life. Home life is everything from laundry to home repairs. Because…
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Author Interview – Tim Flanagan
Introducing one of the most motivated authors I’ve ever met. Well, technically we’ve only met online. He lives across the pond. Tim’s new book The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown (A Lawrence Pinkley Mystery) is a hit with teens! Check out his awesome blog and Author’s Marketing website. Author Interview – Tim Flanagan What books did you enjoy reading when you were growing up? I think a lot of things that influenced me as a writer stem from early in my life. I read loads of books as a child. When I was a teenager, I went through a phase of reading all 76 Agatha Christie books! I liked…
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Procrastination
Procrastination Writers are often faced with great resistance, otherwise known as procrastination. For me, there is a feeling within that I must write, yet when I sit down at the keyboard suddenly I’m checking email, Facebook and Pinterest before I click to open my manuscript. I learned from watching an interview with Steven Pressfield on Super Soul Sunday that what I’m feeling is resistance and when the pain of resistance becomes greater than the pain of facing a blank page then I’ll get to work. It’s like when I was little and learning how to dive. I would stand on the edge of the diving board for a loooong time staring at the water – afraid.…
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Feeling Inadequate
Feeling Inadequate Yesterday, I tried something new. I went to Vino Picasso to drink wine and paint with some friends. When I arrived I saw a blank canvas on an easel and said, “where are the numbers?” My friends laughed but I was serious. Did they really expect me to paint from scratch? I was worried and rightly so because the only thing I’ve ever been able to draw is a cube. It’s my one and only doodle. They wanted me to paint a Halloween scene. I felt the stress and quickly understood why wine is usually involved. The teacher kept telling us to stand back and look at our painting from…
