Mile Marker
“Assumptions” cause misunderstandings in life, but they can be a handy tool for writers.
character
On the Trail of …
Here’s one of my deep, dark secrets: I’m a huge fan of the reality TV show “Finding Bigfoot.”
Driving Miss Daisy
When I was a kid, one of my neighborhood gang’s favorite summer games was to “play chauffeur.” We’d jump on our bikes and gather for shoptalk at chauffeur headquarters (a.k.a. the middle of our quiet side street). Then we’d race off in different directions to pick up members of the enviably wealthy and pampered (yet of course imaginary) families that utilized our driving services.… more
Traveling Back Through Time
One of my favorite pieces of writing advice comes from author Faith Sullivan. I share it here for you to pass along to your students. When you are writing about a story’s setting, don’t leave the reader feeling like a distant observer.
Drive-by
When I visited Los Angeles not long after the 1992 riots, a home-town writer told me a story that made me feel what it was like to live there in those uncertain times.
His drive home passed a large police station. He was always on alert as he drove by; everyone thought there could be more trouble at any time, and he assumed that a police station might be a key target.… more
The place I go back to…
There is a particular road trip that has become a summer ritual for me, a journey that takes me to another time as well as another place: going to The Lake.
Let me show you this great video I took on my trip…
Developing your voice as a writer is a little like bouncing to “un-stick” an airboat...without the danger of alligators.
Journeying Inside
A surefire revision tactic: reading something out loud ensures that students will hear mistakes they have never noticed before.