You have an idea for a story but don’t know how to get it going. Or you would like to write a story but are out of ideas.
When you write a story, you have to throw a lot of things at your main character, things he or she would rather not have to deal with. In this prompt, you’ll learn two proven methods to get ideas and plunge your character into hot water. In this prompt, you’ll explore three more. (more…)
Have you ever read really boring dialog in a book? You know, like this:
“Jane,” said Tarzan, “have you ever noticed how much the monkeys love me?”
“Yes, Tarzan, I noticed it,” said Jane. “In fact, one is climbing on you right now.”
Tarzan scratched his head. “He’s pulling on my ear. Isn’t that cute?”
Jane smiled up at the little scamp. She raised her hand to pet his furry back. “You know, Tarzan, I think he’s my favorite one. What should we call him?”
“I know!” said Tarzan. “Let’s call him Scamp!”
“Why, Tarzan! That’s just the name I was thinking of!” said Jane.
Yuk! How boring. But why? Why is that dialog boring? (more…)
Here’s a free grammar lesson for your teens from The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School, 2nd Edition. It’s on gender-neutral language in writing—and it has the answers at the end! Keep reading to see this valuable lesson. Enjoy!
Incidentally, the subject of gender-neutral language is not related to the transgender movement or any biological issues.
Today you get to be Shakespeare and write a sonnet.
A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines. The last two lines, however, are separate and either sum up the rest of the poem or provide a new twist, as does the sonnet below.
Let’s look at Shakespeare’s Sonnet 62. The letters at the end of each line are Shakespeare’s rhyme scheme, but ignore that for now. Take a few moments and read the sonnet. Then I’ll explain it: (more…)
April is National Poetry Month. What a wonderful time to try your hand at writing a poem!
Haiku (high KOO) is a beautiful poem form that comes from Japan. It is usually about nature and can be spoken in one breath.
Syllables are important in a haiku. Words can be broken into parts based on their vowel sounds. Those parts are syllables. Tree has one syllable. Forest has two. And timberland has three. When you speak these words out loud, you can hear their syllables.
Haiku poems have another feature: They do not rhyme. (more…)
Let’s write a fun poem to celebrate National Poetry Month!
A diamante (Dee-a-MON-tay) is an interesting type of poem. It is a diamond-shaped poem of opposites, and the last word in the poem is the opposite of the first word. (more…)
Writing tools for all ages!
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