Well, Happy Monday Folks. It has been a full week and a weekend of most everybody in Florida being released from the restrictions of the lockdown. I have noticed a lot more traffic but then there was always traffic around our area as most people either work in the food or transportation areas. It has been hard not being able to see my mom whenever I wanted. The grandkids have been and are still on an extended summer vacation but not that they can go on the beach for a little while that helps.

I thought I would share a listing of tips I put together for a presentation I gave to an elementary writing class some years ago.

1. READ! READ! READ! You have to be a reader in order to be a writer!
2. WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! I try to write every day, some authors set a limit on how many words they must write. (practice, practice, practice)Use a journal – Share some.
3. Read the BEST BOOKS: award winners – Caldecott and Newberry winners Share Picture book winners: My Friend Rabbit and Where the Wild Things Are Newberry Winner – Kate DiCamillo – Because of Winn Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux
4. Accept HELP (constructive criticism) Revising! Critique groups – Your path to perfection!
5. Books should be interesting and entertaining. From the very first sentence, you should want to read on and on and on. Remember that! Hook ‘em! Don’t waste a word!!! The words you use are very important. (dictionary and thesaurus = tools) The beginning is an event (usually life-changing for your character)
6. Create a real character – lifelike. Get to know your character: What does he/she want (desire/goals). Why? What must be done to get it? What stands in the way? Get into your character’s head. Eventually, he/she will tell you the story.
7. The scene is the place where your story takes place. It helps put your reader there with the character. Paint a picture with your scene.
8. Show don’t tell. Use your senses: smell, touch, taste, sight, sound
   Ex. TELL – Tommy came into the house and put his books on the table.
   Ex. SHOW – The door opened with a whoosh and Tommy skidded on the rug as he flung his books on the table. Mathematics for 5th Grade thudded on the floor. Tommy leaped over it and rushed through the house toward the back porch.
9. When writing children’s books you don’t need too many characters, or scenes, and very few adults. (In longer books there are 6 major scenes)
10. The ending should be a surprise, yet satisfying…happily ever after!

I’ll be including more information from this talk on another post later. I hope this helps. You can also find other writing tips for college students online as well. There are lots and lots of tips and tricks all over the internet that you can read about.

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