School Visit, Pulaski, Wisconsin (Or, When My Heart Melted)

5 days. 2 schools. 1,000+ students. 30 presentations.

I enjoyed an exhausting but wonderful week visiting Glenbrook and Sunnyside Elementary schools in Pulaski, Wisconsin. As always, I loved sharing my experiences as an author and teaching students about the process of researching, writing, and revising a book, but my favorite part of the visit was the inspiration these young creatives gave me. Check out these amazing books and letters they wrote for me.

One even dedicated his book to me. And another wrote, "When I was just 7 years old, I started to read your books. I thinked, hey, I want to be a writer. I'd always wanted to meet you and it finally came true." 

This right here? It's exactly why I do what I do!

Writing to "THE END"

Whenever I visit schools, I tell students that anyone can be a writer--and I sincerely mean it. So I was especially excited to receive an email from a middle-school student a few days after visiting her school. She said she was amazed by the chance to meet a published author (which made my heart melt a little) and that she'd like to be an author one day. But she was worried that she often lost enthusiasm for a book once she was a few scenes into it. She asked if I had any advice to help her keep up her excitement until she wrote those magic words: "THE END."

Since this is a common problem no matter your age or experience level (it's not just me, right?), I thought I'd share the advice I shared with her, in the hopes that it will help others, too:

• I find it often helps to start with a character. Think about the kind of person you'd like to write about. What is that person's greatest fear or worry? What kind of situation could you put them in that would make them have to deal with and overcome that fear or worry.

• A lot of times (for me at least), the problem with sticking with a story is that I don't know what should happen next. Or you might know how the story starts and ends, but you're not sure what should happen in between. If this is the case, you might do some brainstorming before you start writing (or when you get stuck). Think about the worst thing that could happen to your character--and then make it happen to her (it sounds mean, I know, but you also get to figure out how your character solves/deals with the problem). Or maybe think about completely unexpected plot twists you could add. Or what about a quirky secondary character who might add another dimension to your story? You don't necessarily have to plan out your whole novel (though you can!), but just jotting down some ideas can get you excited to keep going.

• Instead of thinking of your writing as a huge, overwhelming project, break it down into scenes or shorter sections. Just try to write one scene at a time, and don't worry about the rest while you write it.

• Set goals for yourself. Maybe your goal is to write 100 or 500 or 1,000 words a day or to write for 15 or 30 or 60 minutes a day. Try to stick to your goals, even when you aren't sure what to write (but don't be too hard on yourself if some days you just can't stick to it). Track how much you've written each day. Seeing your progress provides great motivation to keep going. Even though National Novel Writing Month is over, you can still create and track goals all year at nanowrimo.org (for adults) or https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ (for students).

• Give yourself permission to write badly. That's what first drafts are for. Try to turn off your inner editor (the voice that keeps telling you to change things) and just write. You can always make changes later--that's what revising is for. Sometimes we worry so much about writing the "right" thing that we don't write anything at all. If you really can't figure out what to write, just spend a few minutes writing whatever comes to mind, even if it has nothing to do with the story. After a few minutes of free writing, let your mind shift to thinking about your story and see what comes out.

• Promise yourself to stick with a story to the end. It's so hard, I know! But once you finish one story, it will be so much easier to finish the next one, because you'll know you can do it. You can even bribe yourself with the promise of a small reward (my favorite: chocolate, a bath, and a favorite book) for your accomplishment.

A few weeks after sending the student these tips, she wrote back to say they were helping--she'd already written 15,000 words of a new novel. If she can do it--and if I can do it--then you can, too! Happy writing!

School Visit: Arcadia, WI

The 3.5-hour drive to Arcadia, Wisconsin, was worth it for the chance to visit with these enthusiastic students! Check out all those raised hands! That's because these kids know that they're all writers, too.

And these brave volunteers helped us learn about the difference between fiction and nonfiction--it's not the topic, it's whether it's true or made up. Like the spiffy costumes I made? Believe it or not, I am not a professional costume designer. You can tell some of them are thinking, "What am I supposed to be?" But they were good sports about it!

To learn more about setting up a visit for your school, check out my Author Visits page or contact me.

School Visit: Oshkosh, Wisconsin

It appears that between writing and visiting schools, I've neglected to keep this spot updated. So to remedy that, here are some pictures from my latest school visit. I had the opportunity to spend two days at Perry Tipler Middle School and ALPs charter school in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Talk about your fun and engaged middle school students! We had a blast! I was so busy talking with students I forgot to take pictures, but fortunately an extraordinary teacher (thanks Mrs. Cottrell) came to my rescue and sent me these. I never realized how many funny faces I make while I speak!

Online Visit with Georgia School

I recently had the opportunity to do a video visit with second graders from Glyndale Elementary in Georgia. I had a great time (even if I was jealous that it was warm with no snow there)! The kids asked great questions, and we were even able to play a game across the miles. Afterward, the Golden Isles News included an article about the visit. You can read more about it here: http://goldenisles.news/news/local_news/author-speaks-to-glyndale-elementary-students-through-video-chat/article_d096454a-f649-5646-b904-c568721cbdde.html. I was especially touched by teacher Dianne Rawls-Griffin's comment that she hopes the visit will "be something [the students] remember for the rest of their lives." Wow, what a privilege to talk with these young students. And I hope I've inpsired them to: Keep Reading. Keep Writing.

These Kids Write: Zoe D.

Here are two more entries from Zoe D. First, some great facts about dolphins, one of my favorite animals!

Dolphins eat fish. A baby dolphin is called a calf. Dolphins are great swimmers by moving their tails up and down. Dolphins are mammals. Dolphins live in oceans in New York and Florida and California too. And dolphins get along with humans. Dolphins are afraid of killer whales and sharks and humans too. And they love you too.

And here is Zoe's piece about foxes.

Foxes eat mice. A baby fox is called a kit. A fox lives in Africa and South Africa too. Foxes can be pets too. They can be killed by coyotes. There are red fox and orange and arctic fox. And I love foxes forever and forever.

fox-in-hunting-wallpapers-free-picture on free pictures

Thanks for some more great work, Zoe! Don't forget, kids, if you want to publish your own writing on my site (fiction or nonfiction), send it to me here. Be sure to let me know that you want it published. You can tell me a little about yourself, too, if you'd like. Plus, I'll enter you in a drawing to win a signed copy of one of my books.

These Kids Write: Hannah B. and Elijah B.

Wow! We now have two published young authors in the house! My daughter Hannah had a poem published in the May issue of Zoobooks:

Even though the bears may not roam
Near our city home
The birds and the bees
Fly over the trees
With the deer in the meadow
And the fish in the stream.

And my son Elijah had a second story published on the Zoobooks website in May:

Once there was a deer. She went to a stream to get a drink. She met an otter. The deer said that she was an otter. Then she met a fox. She said that she was a fox. Then she met a bird. She said that she was a bird. Then she got a drink and went back home. She went to an adult to ask what she was. The adult said she was a deer. "I thought I was an otter, a fox, and a bird. But I am a deer," she said.

According to Zoobooks, they receive more than 800 entries a month, so Hannah and Elijah both did a great job to get chosen! This writer mom couldn't be prouder!

If you want to publish your own writing on my site (fiction or nonfiction), send it to me here. Be sure to let me know that you want it published. You can tell me a little about yourself, too, if you'd like. Plus, I'll enter you in a drawing to win a signed copy of one of my books.

Author Visits: Ripon and Muskego, Wisconsin

Finished out the school year with two great visits. The first was to Ripon, Wisconsin, where I had a chance to talk to the first grade students of my mom's best friend (who has known me since I was a baby) before she retired. Another great group of kids! And I had a chance to read the nonfiction books they had written about animals. Some had even written books about the same animals I've written about!

We had to adjust the Muskego visit by a day due to a water pump problem that closed the school the day I was supposed to visit. Fortunately, we were visiting family, so it was easy to reschedule (and I spent the day off with my family at the park!). And the visit was worth the wait. The kids in Muskego were great - engaged and attentive, even though it was almost the last day of school!

   

   

I always love when kids stick around afterward to chat and ask more questions! Nothing better than talking books and writing with kids!

These Kids Write

Enjoyed a great week of author visits in Holmen, Wisconsin, and met some more young authors. Here's a story from one of them!

Today started kind of rushed. I woke up at about 5:45 when my sister’s alarm went off. So I woke up, got sweatpants on and then just went back to sleep.I slept for a while, but then I woke up around 6:45, but I thought it was around 8:00, because it was bright as can be outside! So I ran up to the living room and said to myself "Aww man, I missed the bus?" I finally get into the living room and my Nina says, "No, it's just six." "Oh thank goodness!" I sigh in relief. So I wait, play with my birthday toys, and eat breakfast, and then it is finally 7:43 and time for me to go to the bus stop. As I walk to the bus stop, I see a couple of birds so I make a gun with my hand and pretend to shoot them. Right when I cross the street to get to my bus stop, a car comes out of nowhere and almost hit me! So I wait a few minutes and the bus is finally here.

Keep them coming, kids! If you want to publish your own writing on my site (fiction or nonfiction), send it to me here. Plus, I'll enter you in a drawing to win a signed copy of one of my books.

These Kids Write: Zoe D.

Time to feature another student author. Here is Zoe's nonfiction piece about dogs:

Dogs have pads on their foot and they eat dog food. Dogs play outside and dogs have sharp teeth and I love dogs and I have a dog at home.

Thanks, Zoe, for sharing your writing with the world!

Kids, if you want to publish your own writing on my site (fiction or nonfiction), send it to me here. Plus, I'll enter you in a drawing to win a signed copy of one of my books.

Author Visit: Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Thanks Star Center, Central-Denison, and Eastview for a great week of visits! Keep reading! Keep writing!

Author Visit: La Farge, Wisconsin

Thanks, La Farge students, for a great visit last week! Keep reading, keep writing, keep learning!

These Kids Write: Elijah Bodden

I love how excited kids get about sharing their work. My seven-year-old son just had a short nonfiction piece he wrote published on the Zoobooks website, and he was ecstatic. "I'm a published author, mom!"

Well, I want to be a part of bringing that excitement to kids! So, kids, send me your work (fiction or nonfiction) by clicking here. I'll publish as many as I can on my site. Plus, I'll enter you into a drawing to win a signed copy of one of my books.

So, I'm going to start this feature with my son Elijah's work, first published on the Zoobooks website:

I am a camel. I can hold fat in my hump. Did you know I live in the desert? So I have to be good at finding food and water.

Thanks, Elijah, for sharing your writing with the world!