by Sharon Watson | Jun 14, 2015 | Middle School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS
Dogs and cats are going places they’ve never gone before. They’re visiting children in daycare, older people in assisted-living facilities, and patients in hospitals.
Love on a Leash is an organization that is filled with therapy pets—pets that are specially trained by their owners to make people happy, reduce stress, and help educate people about the benefits of owning pets.
One fun thing these dogs and cats do is go to school so children can read to them. Children who have trouble reading out loud or who are shy enjoy reading to a dog or cat that will sit there and listen to them. (more…)
by Sharon Watson | Jun 7, 2015 | Literature, Middle School Prompts, Middle School Tutorial, Sharon's Blog, teaching aids, tutorial, Writing Prompts
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS
One of the first rules story writers learn is this: Show, don’t tell.
What does that mean? Check out the following examples to see what I mean.
Show It
When you write a story, try not to tell your readers what your character is feeling, like this:
Jeremy was angry.
Instead, show your character in action, like this: (more…)
by Sharon Watson | Jun 7, 2015 | High School Prompts, High School Tutorial, Literature, Sharon's Blog, teaching aids, tutorial, Writing Prompts
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS
In a recent tutorial, you practiced plunging your character into hot water with two powerful methods many writers use. You can find that prompt here.
This week you’ll examine three more methods of getting your main character deep into a story. As Stanley Elkin reveals, “I would never write about someone who is not at the end of his rope.” (more…)
by Sharon Watson | May 31, 2015 | High School Prompts, High School Tutorial, Literature, Sharon's Blog, teaching aids, tutorial, Writing Prompts
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS
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…)
by Sharon Watson | May 31, 2015 | Middle School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, tutorial, Writing Prompts
MIDDLE SCHOOL PROMPTS
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…)
by Sharon Watson | May 24, 2015 | High School Prompts, Sharon's Blog, Writing Prompts
HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS
“There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home,” says Dorothy Gale in the movie The Wizard of Oz.
L. Frank Baum, the author of the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the other Oz books, was born in May in 1856. That’s more than 150 years ago, but his statement is still true. There’s no place like home, and there’s no place like your home. (more…)
