Pam Withers's Blog, page 3
March 14, 2018
Twenty Questions
There’s a new 20-questions interview template going around, and it goes deeper than most shallow media questionnaires. Created by French novelist Marcel Proust, it has been adopted by all kinds of media outlets to interview all kinds of politicians, celebs and noncelebs. Just for fun, I decided to try it on myself. And I dare you […]
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March 7, 2018
The Oscars honor my favorite YA author, Deborah Ellis
Everyone has a favorite author. Mine is award-winning Canadian young-adult novelist Deborah Ellis, who has more than 30 titles to her name So for me, the past weekend’s Oscars wasn’t about the glamorous actors and actresses pausing on the red carpet, or the directors/special-effects people/costume designers and whatevers sashaying up to pick up their little […]
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February 17, 2018
Drawing Information-Lovers into Fiction and Vice Versa
Today I have the privilege of speaking to educators at the The Write to Learn Conference in Osage Beach, Missouri. Below are the digital handouts for attendees of my second session, “Drawing Information-Lovers into Fiction and Vice Versa.” Handouts for Pam Withers’ presentation: “Drawing Info-Lovers into Fiction and Vice Versa” Fiction includes the letters I, […]
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How to Help Reluctant Learner Boys
Today I have the privilege of speaking to educators at the The Write to Learn Conference in Osage Beach, Missouri. Below are the digital handouts for attendees of my first session, “How to Help Reluctant Learner Boys.” How to Help Reluctant Learner Boys © February 2018 Pam Withers, www.pamwithers.com QUOTES “Not only do reading rates […]
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13 Ways to Turn Kids – Especially Boys – On to Reading
Why Comfort With Reading Leads to Success in School & Life Tips from Jump-Starting Boys by Pam Withers and Cynthia Gill Q: Why is it important for kids to be comfortable with reading? A: Studies show that the most important predictor of academic success is the amount of time children spend reading books – more important […]
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February 14, 2018
Missouri this weekend! (Write to Learn Conference)
Hello educators! I’m on my way to the Write to Learn Conference: Feb. 15-17, 2018. It’s at the Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, Missouri, and I will be offering two seminars there this Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. I’m looking forward to exploring Missouri. before and after the conference. Though I’ve never been to the state, I grew up […]
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February 7, 2018
Who’s reading in what format? And are we over-addicted to smartphones?
65% read books in print format 28% read e-books 14% read via audio devices African-Americans.: 16% read on smartphones, 8% on computers, 4% on e-readers 40% read print books only 6% read digital only College grads are four times more likely than high school grads to read e-books, and twice as likely to […]
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January 31, 2018
Characters need flaws
It’s easy to become so fond of your protagonist that you forget he’s not all swarthy, handsome, admirable hero. He’s far more interesting if he has faults, past trauma, inner struggles, etc. To ensure that these ring true, and to spawn characteristics that are consistent, I recommend the following book: The Negative Trait Thesaurus: A […]
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January 24, 2018
In praise of librarians (by a humble YA author)
Picture a shy girl living in a very small Midwestern town where there’s not a lot to do but daydream. The second of six children, she needs to escape the boisterous noise of her household now and again. She needs space to think and dream and be alone. She discovers the local library. It’s small […]
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January 17, 2018
Very original young-adult novel
I I read lots of young-adult novels — it’s part of my job. I don’t usually blog about them, but this one is different. This one is so incredibly original and clever and engaging. This one I would like to shout from the rooftops. Not just for fans of young-adult novels, but for writers […]
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