Marcia Thornton Jones's Blog, page 208
December 11, 2013
Me? A Multi-Tasking Writer? (December Theme from Jody Feldman)
When I was trying to find my way with this writing thing (still am, always will be, by the way) I got labeled as a multi-tasker. The fact is, I’ve always been able to juggle many things in my life on any given day (writing, cooking, chauffeuring, volunteering, Skyping, doing school visits, working puzzles, watching TV/movies, etc.), but that wasn’t the reason for the label. In my early critique group times, I would work on a first draft in the mornings then, in the afternoons, edit something I’d brought to The End. At the same time, I was likely coming up with a new idea. And so I bought into the label.To keep the charade going, I found myself carving out time every day to both draft and revise. That’s who I was, right? My group had labeled me with a sticker of awe, so I wore it with a sense of pride.
I’d love to tell you about a certain epiphany-laden moment when I realized that it takes one mindset to splash new material all over the page, another to comb through scenes for big-picture issues, and a third to target minute imperfections, but it turns out I had to learn the long way. One day or another, during a period when I was completely absorbed in a shiny first draft, I chucked aside the revision to string together several 5,000-word+ days in a row. I may have decided my writing had improved or I was breathing easier without the scattershot method or I was tired of the multi-tasking catchphrase. I’m not sure. I’m only sure, however, there was no aha! moment.
The aha! moment came the next time a critique mate was extolling my ability to juggle all these stories at the same time. That’s when I stopped her. “I used to think I could do that,” I said, “but it turns out I was just faking it.”
As for my sense of pride at having to admit I was only mortal? Funny thing, I felt even more proud that I had reclaimed my true process from the clutches of vanity.
December 10, 2013
December Theme: Community and WritingBy Marcia Thornton J...
December Theme: Community and WritingBy Marcia Thornton Jones
I’m not a joiner. I’m a starter. Not because I have anything against joining existing groups, but because I often find myself gabbing with like-minded companions about a support void and before I know it, “We should start a group,” pops out of my mouth. That’s how several book groups, a couple critique groups, a creativity group, and a few other writing-oriented groups began.
Why I do it? Why take the time? The effort? Why bother to stoke the creative flames of others?
While teaching a recent writing workshop I noticed how energized I became as I developed lessons, worksheets, and exercises. The act of sharing, encouraging, and motivating others resulted in increased motivation for my own writing. That’s when it hit me. By helping others I help myself.
It’s easy, really, for me to identify who feeds my soul and those that drain it. A strong support system keeps me grounded yet energized. What I need to do is nurture those people and things in my community that create optimism and foster joy…and prune those that don’t.
This talk of fostering a supportive community makes me curious about my story characters. After all, if I do my job right, they’ll have increasing obstacles that will require more and more energy, motivation, and perseverance. I wonder…are my characters:
· Joiners or loners?· Leaders or followers?· What group would they feel compelled to create?· What group would they be tempted to destroy?· What groups would they embrace?· What groups would embrace them?· What groups would they shun?· What groups would shun them?· Who or what energizes them?· Who or what drains them?· Who or what motivates them?· Who or what holds them back?
I think I just discovered tomorrow’s writing warm-up prompt. Who wants to join me? Maybe we should start a group …
I’m not a joiner. I’m a starter. Not because I have anything against joining existing groups, but because I often find myself gabbing with like-minded companions about a support void and before I know it, “We should start a group,” pops out of my mouth. That’s how several book groups, a couple critique groups, a creativity group, and a few other writing-oriented groups began.Why I do it? Why take the time? The effort? Why bother to stoke the creative flames of others?
While teaching a recent writing workshop I noticed how energized I became as I developed lessons, worksheets, and exercises. The act of sharing, encouraging, and motivating others resulted in increased motivation for my own writing. That’s when it hit me. By helping others I help myself.
It’s easy, really, for me to identify who feeds my soul and those that drain it. A strong support system keeps me grounded yet energized. What I need to do is nurture those people and things in my community that create optimism and foster joy…and prune those that don’t.
This talk of fostering a supportive community makes me curious about my story characters. After all, if I do my job right, they’ll have increasing obstacles that will require more and more energy, motivation, and perseverance. I wonder…are my characters:
· Joiners or loners?· Leaders or followers?· What group would they feel compelled to create?· What group would they be tempted to destroy?· What groups would they embrace?· What groups would embrace them?· What groups would they shun?· What groups would shun them?· Who or what energizes them?· Who or what drains them?· Who or what motivates them?· Who or what holds them back?
I think I just discovered tomorrow’s writing warm-up prompt. Who wants to join me? Maybe we should start a group …
December 5, 2013
December Theme: Writing Friends
Writing community means so much more to me than fellow writers. It means being part of a group so that even though writing is a solitary profession—you are not alone. Other writers understand your journey because they walk the same road. You join in this commonality of interest, but for me, the community of writers has led to something far greater—true friendship. The year that JANE IN BLOOM was released, I joined a group of fellow middle grade and young adult authors who were also debuting that same year called the Class of 2k9. The idea of the group was to band together for marketing and publicity purposes. We all contributed to a website and cross-marketing tools. Some of us joined together for book signings and school visits. And we shared the excitement of being published for the first time. But the true value to me was in the friendships I discovered in that group. Through emails and phone calls, we encouraged one another when we received wonderful news about a second or third book sale, and we consoled each other when we received bad reviews or had to part with an agent. Through these ups and downs in our lives as writers, we forged bonds that are as permanent as the words we have set down in print. These are the kind of deep friendships that last longer than the current trends in the market. The amazing thing about building friendships in the writing community is that they grow exponentially. My 2k9 friends have introduced me to other writers, editors, agents—they even led me here to Smack Dab. They are my sounding boards and my favorite critique partners. I have learned so much from all of them, and I admire them so much for their talent, their work, but mostly for who they are inside. So thank you Rosanne, Kathryn, Suzy, J.T., Sydney, Ellen, Cheryl, Susannah, Susan, Albert, Danielle, Donna, Lisa, Fran, Lauren, Edith, Beverly, Lauren, Megan, Joy and Ann (my Smack Dab buddy!) for all the conversations, advice, inspiration and friendship. For those of you who are writers, a writing friend is your secret weapon for success. Writer friends can change your life. I know they changed mine.
December 4, 2013
What's On Tap? Megan's Writing Group
Three writers walk into a bar.
No, it’s not a joke. It’s my old writer’s group in Boston. There were actually more than three of us, but we did meet in bars. It was a rotating crew. Some writers moved out of the city, or got too busy, while other writers pulled up a bar stool. The range of experience went from new writers to those with MFAs.
Even more diverse were our writing choices. John worked on an epic science fiction saga. Tom wrote raw short stories. Brian wrote quirky genre-defying stories that often involved a character raising his fist at the sky. Liz mixed in some nonfiction, including a piece on self-flushing toilets. While I started out working on literary fiction for adults, I decided to try writing for young adults while a part of the group.
Tom, me, and my husband, Nathan, at our annual writing group Festivus party in 2005.
The mix of genres and audiences was extraordinarily helpful as it forced each of us to look at the craft in the new way. Admittedly some were a little hesitant when I shifted to YA, afraid they wouldn’t be able to offer useful advice to someone writing for young people. What we quickly realized, though, was that the elements of good writing are the same, no matter your genre or audience: story, character, setting, voice.
When I moved to Maine, leaving the writing group was one of my biggest losses. It was shortly after my move that I sold my first book, Secrets of Truth & Beauty. When I emailed the group to share the news, I suggested they should all move to Maine, and they, too, would be published. Unfortunately member Kate Racculia foiled that plan when she sold her first novel a few months later. Her second book, The Bellweather Rhapsody is out later this year. Pitched as being a mix of Heathers, Glee, and The Westing Game it promises to be the perfect adult book for lovers of kid lit.
Since moving to Maine I’ve found a community of other kid lit writers with whom I share triumphs, swap reviews, and commiserate over the rough times, but I still think of that group in Boston as my writer’s group.
No, it’s not a joke. It’s my old writer’s group in Boston. There were actually more than three of us, but we did meet in bars. It was a rotating crew. Some writers moved out of the city, or got too busy, while other writers pulled up a bar stool. The range of experience went from new writers to those with MFAs.
Even more diverse were our writing choices. John worked on an epic science fiction saga. Tom wrote raw short stories. Brian wrote quirky genre-defying stories that often involved a character raising his fist at the sky. Liz mixed in some nonfiction, including a piece on self-flushing toilets. While I started out working on literary fiction for adults, I decided to try writing for young adults while a part of the group.
Tom, me, and my husband, Nathan, at our annual writing group Festivus party in 2005.
The mix of genres and audiences was extraordinarily helpful as it forced each of us to look at the craft in the new way. Admittedly some were a little hesitant when I shifted to YA, afraid they wouldn’t be able to offer useful advice to someone writing for young people. What we quickly realized, though, was that the elements of good writing are the same, no matter your genre or audience: story, character, setting, voice.
When I moved to Maine, leaving the writing group was one of my biggest losses. It was shortly after my move that I sold my first book, Secrets of Truth & Beauty. When I emailed the group to share the news, I suggested they should all move to Maine, and they, too, would be published. Unfortunately member Kate Racculia foiled that plan when she sold her first novel a few months later. Her second book, The Bellweather Rhapsody is out later this year. Pitched as being a mix of Heathers, Glee, and The Westing Game it promises to be the perfect adult book for lovers of kid lit.
Since moving to Maine I’ve found a community of other kid lit writers with whom I share triumphs, swap reviews, and commiserate over the rough times, but I still think of that group in Boston as my writer’s group.
December 3, 2013
9 REASONS TO SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR WRITING CRITIQUE GROUP
image found hereWhere would we be without community? Writers and other creators especially need the company of other writers and creators. It helps us feel like maybe we're not all that crazy after all. Or, maybe we are, and isn't it wonderful?Writing critique groups are one form of community, and they can feed the creative spirit and help improve skills. But every now and then these groups sour. It's no one's fault -- it's just part of growth. And like any other relationship that once was good but now isn't, leaving can be stressful and painful. Yet it must be done.
Here are some indicators that it's time to protect your creative life and walk away:
1. You can predict the responses of the members - and sometimes you are thinking of their responses when you are writing.
2. You've become something like a dysfunctional family, with resentments and alliances and unhealthy competitiveness.
3. Everyone's work begins to sound the same.
4. The workshop has become a substitute for publication -- the group has become your sole readership.
5. You don't actually take anyone's advice when you sit down to revise, or you don't revise at all.
6. You lose confidence in your work after hearing the group's opinions.
7. You are reluctant to share your tender new idea for fear of the group's response.
8. You grow impatient with other members for not taking your advice.
9. You attend out of habit or obligation rather than passion.
And finally, this, from Twyla Tharp's THE COLLABORATIVE HABIT: LIFE LESSONS FOR WORKING TOGETHER:“I can't emphasize this idea enough.
Getting involved
with your collaborator's problems
almost always
distracts you from your own. That can be tempting.
That can be a relief. But it usually leads to disaster.”
November 26, 2013
Say No to Negativity
Several years ago I had the great fortune to participate in a writing workshop called "Zen Writing" at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education from a marvelous woman named Brina Cohen. The workshop had only one ironclad rule. Participants were not allowed to criticize each other's work.
To be perfectly honest, I probably never would have signed up for the class if I'd understood this ahead of time. I'd been in writing workshops before, and I knew they weren't suppose to be pleasant. They were the place I came to have my work torn apart. They were a place where I would somehow grow my craft by being made to feel ashamed and/or defensive about my work.
But I stayed through that first class and listened as the established members of the group began to read their work. And the work I listened to that day was amazing--by far the best writing in any workshop I'd ever been in. And when the workshop was over, I'd given up any ideas I might have had about dropping out of the class and asking for a refund.
Brina's philosophy was that as writers, we are often already sure that everything we've written is bad--and that sometimes, there is more to learn by hearing what people like about our work instead of what they hated. And negative criticism is often meaningless anyway--it is easy to nitpick minor points, espouse a theory about where the story should go (which is often not at all what the writer is thinking), or use the critique as an opportunity to grandstand about one's own brilliance. But talking about what we like in each other's stories requires a completely different set of skills. I found that it instantly forced me to really think about what the writer was trying to achieve, and then I found that my comments were geared toward helping him/her actually achieve it--which is a lot more fun.
There wasn't a single person who came into that workshop who didn't become a much better writer within weeks. It's amazing what a little positivity can do for craft.
As for myself, I see this workshop as the starting place on the road to being a professional writer. It was there I learned where my strengths were. It was there I developed confidence in what I was doing, and it was there that I learned that the best workshops don't involved tears, or hot seats, or cruelty, or one-upmanship--or any of the other silliness we put ourselves through in the name of self-improvement.
So this November, I say no to negativity. Be kind to those you critique. Insist they be kind to you. Then see what happens.
To be perfectly honest, I probably never would have signed up for the class if I'd understood this ahead of time. I'd been in writing workshops before, and I knew they weren't suppose to be pleasant. They were the place I came to have my work torn apart. They were a place where I would somehow grow my craft by being made to feel ashamed and/or defensive about my work.
But I stayed through that first class and listened as the established members of the group began to read their work. And the work I listened to that day was amazing--by far the best writing in any workshop I'd ever been in. And when the workshop was over, I'd given up any ideas I might have had about dropping out of the class and asking for a refund.
Brina's philosophy was that as writers, we are often already sure that everything we've written is bad--and that sometimes, there is more to learn by hearing what people like about our work instead of what they hated. And negative criticism is often meaningless anyway--it is easy to nitpick minor points, espouse a theory about where the story should go (which is often not at all what the writer is thinking), or use the critique as an opportunity to grandstand about one's own brilliance. But talking about what we like in each other's stories requires a completely different set of skills. I found that it instantly forced me to really think about what the writer was trying to achieve, and then I found that my comments were geared toward helping him/her actually achieve it--which is a lot more fun.
There wasn't a single person who came into that workshop who didn't become a much better writer within weeks. It's amazing what a little positivity can do for craft.
As for myself, I see this workshop as the starting place on the road to being a professional writer. It was there I learned where my strengths were. It was there I developed confidence in what I was doing, and it was there that I learned that the best workshops don't involved tears, or hot seats, or cruelty, or one-upmanship--or any of the other silliness we put ourselves through in the name of self-improvement.
So this November, I say no to negativity. Be kind to those you critique. Insist they be kind to you. Then see what happens.
November Theme: No to New Ideas by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
"The Having of Wonderful Ideas" is a lovely book* and the kind of concept I can get behind. I may not have a whole lot of things, but I've got ideas. I walk through the world and get ideas in quick, staccato bursts, inspired in different ways on different days. Once, I woke up with what I'm TELLING you was the PERFECT picture book idea. Seriously. Like, I know nothing about writing picture books, and that night, it clicked.
I had a Wonderful Idea.
But I didn't write it down.
And in the morning, I'd forgot it.
It's still forgotten.
So now I write the ideas down, wherever, whenever I am. If I'm somehow without paper and pen, I voice memo myself while I'm walking (and try to look official, or at least Secret Agent-y, and not just weird.) I take the ideas, make many notes to self and then...put them away.
Because, sometimes, every once in a while, I use my propensity for idea-having as a most effective procrastination tool. I mean, it feels righteous, no? I may not be working on that revision or those chapters, but I'm having ideas, being creative and all thinkery. That is a thing to celebrate, to be proud of, to revel in. Right?
Well, sometimes. But a lot of the time I have to say a big fat NO to the ideas, for now. When I am faced with the half-filled or blank page, when I am struggling and challenged by my characters or faltering plot, I cannot and should not whisk myself away into the joys of Coming Up With Something New. I have to keep going, muddle through the boring parts, the fear, and blank screen. Sometimes I have to work with what I have. And then maybe a wonderful idea about THAT will come. Maybe, maybe not. But I have to deal with it, worry it like a bone until I know I need to turn away (for a while.) Of course, sometimes an idea hits and it makes sense to put whatever I'm working on aside, to take a dip in the newness and play for a while. But, really, most of the time, I know that I should say "No," and "Wait" to the New Ideas. And "Get Back To Work, Self." And I know the difference. So I give the new idea a gentle pat, make another cup of tea, and keep pushing through.
The Wonderful Ideas will keep.
As long as I write them down.
*It's really a great book!
I had a Wonderful Idea.
But I didn't write it down.
And in the morning, I'd forgot it.
It's still forgotten.
So now I write the ideas down, wherever, whenever I am. If I'm somehow without paper and pen, I voice memo myself while I'm walking (and try to look official, or at least Secret Agent-y, and not just weird.) I take the ideas, make many notes to self and then...put them away.
Because, sometimes, every once in a while, I use my propensity for idea-having as a most effective procrastination tool. I mean, it feels righteous, no? I may not be working on that revision or those chapters, but I'm having ideas, being creative and all thinkery. That is a thing to celebrate, to be proud of, to revel in. Right?
Well, sometimes. But a lot of the time I have to say a big fat NO to the ideas, for now. When I am faced with the half-filled or blank page, when I am struggling and challenged by my characters or faltering plot, I cannot and should not whisk myself away into the joys of Coming Up With Something New. I have to keep going, muddle through the boring parts, the fear, and blank screen. Sometimes I have to work with what I have. And then maybe a wonderful idea about THAT will come. Maybe, maybe not. But I have to deal with it, worry it like a bone until I know I need to turn away (for a while.) Of course, sometimes an idea hits and it makes sense to put whatever I'm working on aside, to take a dip in the newness and play for a while. But, really, most of the time, I know that I should say "No," and "Wait" to the New Ideas. And "Get Back To Work, Self." And I know the difference. So I give the new idea a gentle pat, make another cup of tea, and keep pushing through.
The Wonderful Ideas will keep.
As long as I write them down.
*It's really a great book!
November 25, 2013
NO!-VEMBER (Or, I AM NEVER GETTING ON ANOTHER AMUSEMENT PARK RIDE AGAIN. PERIOD.) HOLLY SCHINDLER
I’ve tried. Really. I’ve tried to act like it’s great fun, those amusement park rides that flip you upside down sixteen times or spin you faster than a rocket. Growing up, my family used to have season tickets to Silver Dollar City, and every year I’d force myself to get on Fire in the Hole or American Plunge. I’d act like getting off one of those rides was not complete and utter relief.
The last time I went, I stood in line (again) for the Plunge…when I arrived at the top of the line, I looked down into the hollow log I was about to board (I’m not joking. You board a hollow log with no seats and nothing to hold you in—just metal bars down the sides for passengers to grip. And with no seats, you all squat into the log, and basically sit in each other’s crotches…) and this voice popped to life in my head. I’ll censor here, but basically, it was something along the lines of: What the #$%&*^$%##$ am I doing?????I sucked it up and got on the ride, picturing myself flying out of that crazy hollow log the moment it rounded the top curve on the steep..well…plunge. Heart going crazy, eyes shut tight, unable to scream when we raced down the slide and the water washed over us. When I got my wobbly legs off the crazy thing, I knew this much: I was officially done. With the Plunge, with Fire in the Hole, and with any other amusement park ride. With Ferris wheels (which make me feel like I’m being tossed into the stratosphere over and over), with all of it. If you want to go to the fair, fine, but I’ll be eating a corn dog with mustard and checking out the live music while you stand in line at the Tilt o’ Whirl. Done. Kaput. Finished. THE END.
…After I was through making all these proclamations (to anyone who would stand still long enough to hear them), I realized that “no”s can also be helpful in our early attempts to create a well-rounded character. It’s so easy to wind up focusing on the things that person does do or have: my character is smart (or athletic or funny), my character does have red hair (or braces or freckles or a brother)…Sometimes, remembering the things our own characters say “no” to (and why) is every bit as helpful in creating a rich backstory and defining who our character is…
November 24, 2013
November Theme: Choosing No = Book sale!
by
Stephanie J. Blake
In September, my small high school class celebrated our 25th class reunion. We were all very close, and I wanted to attend so badly, but the RMC-SCBWI conference was scheduled for the same weekend.
My writing career had stalled. I wanted to make some new connections. I had to make a choice! There would be other reunions, sure. And other conferences while we're at it. but something told me that this conference was important and after looking through the editors and agents who were schedule to attend, I chose to go to the conference.
I was determined to get the most out of it. I paid extra for a novel critique and for the novel intensive. A few weeks after registering for the conference, I wavered. I had doubts about the manuscript I was working on for the critique. I almost talked myself out of canceling.
The morning of the conference, I printed out the first page of a novel for the Novel First Pages session. At the last minute, I decided to enter a silly picture book manuscript in the Picture Book First Pages session instead.
How could I know that this small choice would change my future?
Fast forward to the afternoon First Pages session. I was nervous even though I was anonymous. The reader picked my page, and I cringed as she read it. The agent and the editor on the panel loved it! The audience laughed in all the right places.
I got a FEELING.
I got the editor from the First Pages session later for my novel critique. We had a nice talk about my novel and at the end of the 20 minutes, I mentioned the first pages critique. She requested the manuscript on the spot.
On November 11, she made me an offer!
MY ROTTEN FRIEND will come out with Albert Whitman & Co. some time in 2015. The amazing editor who discovered it is Kelly Barrales-Saylor.
Stephanie J. Blake
In September, my small high school class celebrated our 25th class reunion. We were all very close, and I wanted to attend so badly, but the RMC-SCBWI conference was scheduled for the same weekend.
My writing career had stalled. I wanted to make some new connections. I had to make a choice! There would be other reunions, sure. And other conferences while we're at it. but something told me that this conference was important and after looking through the editors and agents who were schedule to attend, I chose to go to the conference.
I was determined to get the most out of it. I paid extra for a novel critique and for the novel intensive. A few weeks after registering for the conference, I wavered. I had doubts about the manuscript I was working on for the critique. I almost talked myself out of canceling.
The morning of the conference, I printed out the first page of a novel for the Novel First Pages session. At the last minute, I decided to enter a silly picture book manuscript in the Picture Book First Pages session instead.
How could I know that this small choice would change my future?
Fast forward to the afternoon First Pages session. I was nervous even though I was anonymous. The reader picked my page, and I cringed as she read it. The agent and the editor on the panel loved it! The audience laughed in all the right places.
I got a FEELING.
I got the editor from the First Pages session later for my novel critique. We had a nice talk about my novel and at the end of the 20 minutes, I mentioned the first pages critique. She requested the manuscript on the spot.
On November 11, she made me an offer!
MY ROTTEN FRIEND will come out with Albert Whitman & Co. some time in 2015. The amazing editor who discovered it is Kelly Barrales-Saylor.
November 22, 2013
Smack Dab in the Classroom by Dia Calhoun
As part of the Smack Dab in the Classroom series, I am so pleased to offer librarian Kathleen Dale's imaginative ideas for engaging kids with middle grade books.
Dia Calhoun: How do you engage a group of kids with the same book? Kids who might have different interests?
Kathleen Dale: It is always difficult to find one book that 100% of the kids will love. Motivated students will read anything, so I try to get my students motivated by doing a classroom/library setup for the book. Here is an example of how I got all the kids on board reading the following books:
Revenge of the Whale by Nathanial Philbrick I hang fishnets from the ceiling, a calendar of whales and dolphins (picture side out) laminated together and dangle them on strings, small fish dangling around the classroom, a sailors uniform, a giant wallpaper map of the world covering the back wall, an outline of a boat on the floor when students come in with a life-size skeleton laying on it with blood dripping around it, and lots of fog when students arrive. I set up eight different stations around the classroom or library. At each station is a dictionary and laminated vocabulary words I think students will struggle with during the book. Also at each station I have a variety of items to go with the story, such as music at one station, of songs of the sea, cake donuts and water to represent hardtack and the lack of fresh water, rough oyster shells to represent barnacles, etc. After going to each station, their task is to write a short story of what they think the book (our class novel) is about. During the book we track, on the world map with pins, the route of the whale ship Essex.I have done this with Beowulf, A New Telling by Robert Nye, Seedfolksby Paul Fleischman, Whirligig by Paul Fleischman, Peak by Roland Smith and lots more.
In the library, I do the same set up and then display alike books. I hang the vocabulary words in the library along with the display, and then have a writing contest about the sea to go with the display.
Dia Calhoun: Do you remember a specific activity with a specific book that really set kids’ imaginations on fire?
Kathleen Dale: Reading the book Nightby Elie Wiesel, I covered the back wall of my classroom with white butcher paper and divided it into four sections with marker. I labeled each section: poetry, articles, comments and thoughts. After reading the book for that day I allowed approximately seven minutes for students to take markers and fill up the sections. Under comments, students were allowed to draw a line and make a comment on another’s comments. I even had teachers coming in and commenting on some of the things the students wrote. We did this each day until we finished the book. Here is a poem one student wrote, “I have been warned once, but I did not pay heed. I have been warned twice, but I did not believe. I have been warned thrice but will only ignore, I’ve been warned once again only to close the door. And now before me is a horrible fate, I cannot turn back, it is too late.”
Dia Calhoun: Have you ever done something “outside the box” that worked really well?
Kathleen Dale: Yes, the book club I started eight years ago has expanded from thirty-six to over 100. We hold our book club four times a year before school. As a teacher I taught Literature Circles and loved giving the students choice. For my library book club I choose and read thirteen to fourteen different selections of books. When students arrive they sit at the table that is marked with the book they read, discuss that selection, Dia Calhoun: If you could give teachers/librarians one piece of advice for engaging kids with middle grade books, what would it be?
Kathleen Dale: Give students all the prior knowledge they need to help them understand the book. Too many teachers just plop a classic in to a students’ hands and expect them to love the book as much as the teacher. Before giving students To Kill A Mockingbird, read aloud Mississippi Trial 1955, and then as you read aloud this young adult novel, bring in articles about the Jim Crow Laws, the facts about the south during the 1950’s, have them read articles, and show them pictures/videos about the courthouse where the trial took place. The students’ love of literature is directly related to the understanding the student has prior to reading. Make reading fun and motivate them to read.
Thank you so much for these wonderful ideas, Kathleen Dale!
Kathleen Dale is a Media Specialist at Riverview Junior High School in Utah. The Smack Dab in the Classroom runs on the 23rd day of each month.
Dia Calhoun: How do you engage a group of kids with the same book? Kids who might have different interests?
Kathleen Dale: It is always difficult to find one book that 100% of the kids will love. Motivated students will read anything, so I try to get my students motivated by doing a classroom/library setup for the book. Here is an example of how I got all the kids on board reading the following books:
Revenge of the Whale by Nathanial Philbrick I hang fishnets from the ceiling, a calendar of whales and dolphins (picture side out) laminated together and dangle them on strings, small fish dangling around the classroom, a sailors uniform, a giant wallpaper map of the world covering the back wall, an outline of a boat on the floor when students come in with a life-size skeleton laying on it with blood dripping around it, and lots of fog when students arrive. I set up eight different stations around the classroom or library. At each station is a dictionary and laminated vocabulary words I think students will struggle with during the book. Also at each station I have a variety of items to go with the story, such as music at one station, of songs of the sea, cake donuts and water to represent hardtack and the lack of fresh water, rough oyster shells to represent barnacles, etc. After going to each station, their task is to write a short story of what they think the book (our class novel) is about. During the book we track, on the world map with pins, the route of the whale ship Essex.I have done this with Beowulf, A New Telling by Robert Nye, Seedfolksby Paul Fleischman, Whirligig by Paul Fleischman, Peak by Roland Smith and lots more.
In the library, I do the same set up and then display alike books. I hang the vocabulary words in the library along with the display, and then have a writing contest about the sea to go with the display.
Dia Calhoun: Do you remember a specific activity with a specific book that really set kids’ imaginations on fire?
Kathleen Dale: Reading the book Nightby Elie Wiesel, I covered the back wall of my classroom with white butcher paper and divided it into four sections with marker. I labeled each section: poetry, articles, comments and thoughts. After reading the book for that day I allowed approximately seven minutes for students to take markers and fill up the sections. Under comments, students were allowed to draw a line and make a comment on another’s comments. I even had teachers coming in and commenting on some of the things the students wrote. We did this each day until we finished the book. Here is a poem one student wrote, “I have been warned once, but I did not pay heed. I have been warned twice, but I did not believe. I have been warned thrice but will only ignore, I’ve been warned once again only to close the door. And now before me is a horrible fate, I cannot turn back, it is too late.”
Dia Calhoun: Have you ever done something “outside the box” that worked really well?
Kathleen Dale: Yes, the book club I started eight years ago has expanded from thirty-six to over 100. We hold our book club four times a year before school. As a teacher I taught Literature Circles and loved giving the students choice. For my library book club I choose and read thirteen to fourteen different selections of books. When students arrive they sit at the table that is marked with the book they read, discuss that selection, Dia Calhoun: If you could give teachers/librarians one piece of advice for engaging kids with middle grade books, what would it be?
Kathleen Dale: Give students all the prior knowledge they need to help them understand the book. Too many teachers just plop a classic in to a students’ hands and expect them to love the book as much as the teacher. Before giving students To Kill A Mockingbird, read aloud Mississippi Trial 1955, and then as you read aloud this young adult novel, bring in articles about the Jim Crow Laws, the facts about the south during the 1950’s, have them read articles, and show them pictures/videos about the courthouse where the trial took place. The students’ love of literature is directly related to the understanding the student has prior to reading. Make reading fun and motivate them to read.
Thank you so much for these wonderful ideas, Kathleen Dale!
Kathleen Dale is a Media Specialist at Riverview Junior High School in Utah. The Smack Dab in the Classroom runs on the 23rd day of each month.
