Debbie Ridpath Ohi's Blog, page 24
October 7, 2017
October 1, 2017
Doing Donalyn Miller's #BookADay Through The Year (and how able to read more these days)
I've decided to try doing Donalyn Miller's #BookADay Challenge throughout the year instead of just during the summer.
I'm reading a lot more picture books than I used to, but often lack the time to post about them. I'm also behind in posting about some of the wonderful middle grade and YA I've read recently! So I've created this post along with the live-updated Padlet showing many of my notebook-style "what I read" posts. For those who have been asking: I created these by taking a photo of a blank Hilroy notebook page, then adding graphics and handwriting using Photoshop.
One tip for getting more reading done, I've found: to embrace ALL formats. I read in print, ebook and audiobook. I listen to audiobooks while I'm doing housechores or doing repetitive illustration stuff that doesn't need my full attention on the art. If I'm waiting in line at the grocery store or in a crowded subway car, I'll read books on my iPhone (I can flip pages with my thumb).
I hope some of these tips help some of you get more reading done!
Short URL for this post: http://inkygirl.com/bookaday-collage
September 24, 2017
September 22, 2017
September 18, 2017
September 12, 2017
What would YOU do if you were a character in a fairy tale? A fun character-generating exercise for young writers from Josh Funk
A Guest Post by Josh Funk
What would YOU do if you were a character in a fairy tale?
That’s what I thought about as I wrote It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk. If I were Jack, I’d have a little more common sense than to sell my cow for a handful of beans, or climb an enormous beanstalk (how do you even climb a beanstalk?), or steal from a giant!
But how did I really get into character? By reading my writing out loud. By actually being the character. Along with some friends (er- my family), the cast was as follows:
● The Storyteller: Me
● Jack: My daughter
● The Giant: My son
● Cinderella: My wife
We would read this out loud for friends and at family gatherings. We’d see which parts got laughs and which parts didn’t connect. And sometimes we’d improvise - and really get into character. Later, I’d often add the best of those improvised lines back into the actual story.
So next time you’re trying to write from the perspective of a character - actually become that character. Read your story out loud to your friends. Maybe what you thought your character would do, doesn’t really jive when the story is put into action!
Also see Three Questions With Josh Funk (includes his advice for young writers).
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Josh Funk writes silly stories and somehow tricks people into publishing them as books - such as Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast and its sequel The Case of the Stinky Stench along with It's Not Jack and the Beanstalk, Pirasaurs!, Dear Dragon, and the forthcoming Albie Newton, How to Code a Sandcastle (in partnership with Girls Who Code), Lost in the Library: A Story of Patience and Fortitude (in partnership with the New York Public Library), and more coming soon!
