Kids Can Write

Point of View is a difficult subject for grown ups, so why would I teach it to kids. Let's just say I love teaching kids, and I believe in them.

Kids are smart. The thing they lack is experience. I believe they can grasp any topic if you teach it right and give them a chance.

Today I taught second graders about point of view. They were really talkative on Monday, so I first had to talk about behavior. They're never to young to learn respect. It's hard to teach anything without a healthy dose of respect. Maybe some kids are born with it, and maybe some kids learn it at home, but a teacher has to insist on it. Without respect, chaos reigns, and learning suffers.

After the behavior lesson we were able to have fun learning about POV or as I prefer to call it, Voice. As kids analyze a story to find the voice, they can also tell you something about the character. What are his good qualities? What are his weaknesses? What does he want? What is he thinking? Feeling?

Kids are especially good at identifying what the character might be feeling. Kids have empathy. Nice.

I love to share my book, Grudge Rock with them, because they can identify with the feelings of the two main characters, Walker and Jake. They are really drawn in to the story as I pull rocks out of my pockets, to illustrate the story. Often they aren't sure what a grudge is at the beginning of the story, but in the end, they get it. Oh, they get it.

Kids who learn to write will have an edge on those who don't. They may never become writers, but the skill is important in education, in business, in life. I do author visits for the kids, because I want to make a difference. I do author visits for me, because it's fun.

Linda Garner

Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?

I love school visits.

Yesterday, Friend-husband invited me to help him teach some writing classes. Friend-husband is a retired elementary school teacher. He does some part time work at the school where he used to teach. Yesterday, he was teaching some writing classes to free up teachers for meetings. He was asked to teach about the writer’s voice. Voice may be my favorite writing topic. Why? Because you can talk about almost any subject if you do it in a character’s voice.

I like to think of voice as the storyteller. Having a great story is not enough. You also need a great storyteller. You need a strong voice. Voice gives the piece personality, uniqueness, and emotion. To understand voice, open any book and read just a few paragraphs. Who is the storyteller? After reading a few paragraphs do you have a sense of the storyteller’s personality? Does the storyteller have unique qualities? Are you aware of their thoughts and feelings?

Put another way, voice is the door into the character’s head. In good writing you can you get inside a character’s head and get a sense of what makes them tick? You see things from their point of view.

After Friend-husband and I discussed voice with the kids, I read them a few paragraphs from my story Grudge Rock. In Grudge Rock, Walker is upset at Jake for tripping him in a basketball game at recess. We invited the students to rewrite the beginning of the story in Jake’s voice. Here are a couple of examples. First is my story, in Walker’s voice.

Jake’s legs got tangled up with mine and I went flying. I could have scored. Jake grabbed the basketball as it popped out of my arms. He did a fancy shot and swish, just as the bell rang. I scraped my knee. It hurt like crazy. I picked a pebble out of my raw skin and stuck it in my pocket. Everyone cheered for Jake and headed back to class. No one noticed me sprawled on the blacktop holding my knee. 

I thought about my knee all afternoon. I even dreamed about it at night. The pebble was back in my pocket when I limped out the front door and headed for school.
Jake and Chris were talking in front of the school. Jake used to walk with me, but not today. Jake used to be my friend, but not any more. I didn’t want to talk, so I slipped in the side door, and stuck my tongue out at them when they weren’t looking.

Here are some examples of Jake’s voice as written by the students. The first group are sixth graders.

I grabbed the ball and won the game. Chris asked me to walk him to school. I was a hero. I don’t know why but Walker was grumpy all day. I tried to talk to him but he just walked by.

At recess today I was playing basketball with my best friend, Walker. Then when we were about to score we tripped and the ball came flying out of his hands. I caught the ball, did an amazing shot and scored at the last second to win the game. Everyone cheered and Walker was on the ground and nobody noticed but me. WaLker was tough but he stayed down. We had to hurry to class so I left him.

My legs got tangled up with Walker’s. Walker fell and the ball popped out of his hands. Luckily, I caught it! I did one of my best tricks and…BOOM! I made an awesome basket right when the bell rang! Everyone cheered for me! Walker ignored me and limped the rest of the day, and I don’t know why.

Today I was playing basketball. I saw that Walker was going to score a basket so I tripped him and got the ball and shot it in. I’ve always hated that loser, Walker. When we were going back to class I noticed Walker on the ground, but I thought he could get up on his own. The next day, I walked with Chris instead of Walker because I would look bad being by him. He was my friend till he tried to steal my glory. When we were at school I noticed that he stuck his tongue at me so when he wasn’t watching I stuck my tongue at him.

Walker ran right into me. We both fell to the ground but I got right up again. As Walker was laying on the ground I got the ball from him and did a few allstar moves and swoosh, the ball went right in! Everyone cheered for me. It was like I was a celebrity for the rest of the day. The next morning I got up and walked outside. I looked around for Walker, but he wasn’t there. So I walked to school with Chris. We talked about school, then I saw Walker jog by. I told Chris that I wanted to talk to him, but Chris told me not to go. I felt bad but I didn’t see him again. It was like he was avoiding me. Oh well.

Here are some examples from the fourth grade.

I got my legs tangled up with this other kid. The ball popped out of his arms. I reach out, grab it, and do my fancy double dribble shot. If I was a millimeter off I wouldn’t have made it. The bell rang as I made the winning shot. As we walked back to class everyone was cheering for me. They put me up on their shoulders. I was so popular…

My legs got tangled up with Walker’s. As the basketball popped out of his arms I grabbed it. I did a fancy shot and right as the bell range, swoosh it went through the hoop. My whole team cheered for me. When we walked back to class I noticed that Walkers wasn’t there… I wish I had caught Walker and said sorry.

I was right by my friend, Walker playing basketball. I’m the one who should have had the ball. I pushed Walker away and did a fancy shot for my girlfriend Jaimeo. Then the bell rang. My ball went in. I scored the winning shot! Then everyone crowded around me and I couldn’t see Walker. I hope I didn’t hurt him…

Today my legs got tangled with my friend as he shot. I twisted and turned and made an amazing shot, right as the buzzer happened. I broke up with my friend Walker and didn’t walk with him to school. I would sneakily peek behind me and just barely see Walker stick his tongue back in his mouth.

We forgot to collect the papers from the fifth grade, but they were just as fun. If you have questions about voice, maybe you could ask your kids.

And by the way, Are you smarter than a fifth grader?

Linda Garner

Getting in Character by Christy Monson

I'd like to introduce you to Christy Monson, one of my new writer buddies. Christy did a Guest Blog for us a couple of weeks ago. She's joining our blog as a regular, as soon as we can figure out the technicalities of adding her to our blog. Okay, so Carolyn and I are a little technically challenged. (Where are you, Laura, when we need you.) Christy will post on Mondays, so check back for more from her next Monday. I'll be back again next Tuesday. LG

I attended a workshop with Clint Johnson at the League of Utah Writer’s Roundup in September. He had us write an incident from one character’s point of view, and then he asked us to write the same scene from another character’s point of view. In each exercise, the setting was seen from different eyes. The smells and sounds were different. The voice of each carried a unique view of the world. Internal and external dialogue differed according to the person.

When I write my scenes, do I take time to get into each character’s head to really know their world? Do I really let them have their own thoughts and actions?

Relationships with my characters can be tricky sometimes. It takes time for me to become friends with my characters. And, as friends, sometimes we don’t think alike. We have to discuss issues and come to an agreement, and I’m the one who usually has to ‘listen up.’

For instance, in my novel, CLAWING EAGLE, my main character (a Hopi Indian Youth) and his friend go to the Grand Canyon to capture a young eagle. At first I had them climb down a ledge and throw a blanket over a sleeping eagle, but both the boys let me know that wasn’t how they wanted to catch the bird. Besides, didn’t I know the eagle would fly away. Then I had them throw a net over the raptor when he was eating a rabbit, but that wasn’t right either. They informed me that was how you catch fish. Finally, I contacted a raptor expert who told me exactly how to build a blind to catch the bird. The boys constructed a shallow grave and covered it with pine branches. One of them crawled inside to wait. The other tied a rabbit to the cover. When the eagle dove for the rabbit, the boy inside the grave reached between the branches and caught the eagle’s leg. Both boys liked it, and they were successful.

Go figure! Whatever works, I say.

Christy Monson christymonson.blogspot.com

You've Got Syle, Baby

I’m back in school and working on the last of my degree. I hope to be finished by the end of this year of school. (Oh please, please. *fingers crossed*)

I‘m also in the middle of revising my dystopian TORN.

Plus, I post here on my blog. Which I love.  (Love ya blogger buddies!)

The funny thing is…when I write—in my book, for my school projects, on my blog—my tone of writing changes. Yup, my voice changes.

I try to be articulate when I write for school, making sure every word sounds elaborate and knowledgeable. (For example: “The obscure editorial's statistics do not calculate in favor of variation. Therefore, I conclude that it does not work.”)

When I’m writing in my book, I put myself in my character’s head, writing only words and thoughts that she would say. (Like, “Her voice was sweet. Too sweet. And she blinked at him way too many times for her eyeballs to be moistened.” She's a little jealous.)

On my blog, I write in more of myself. I like fun light things, so that’s how I write. (Plus I always add in a little random thought here and there, which sometimes makes no sense at all. But I can do it, because I’m a writer—at least that’s my excuse.)

See? My writing style changes.

I think as writers, when we are looking  more than one character in our wip, we need to look at the style and voice we want to give them. Because no two people are alike, neither are our characters or their circumstances. They talk differently, they act differently. That’s how you can differentiate them and give them style. 

What do you do to make your characters’ voices and style different?

p.s. Thanks Carolyn A (her name totally rocks!) for the awesome Strangely Irresistible ~ Yo Gabba Gabba award! I love it. I will pass it on, hopefully soon. =D

Shhh! Do you hear them? The Voices?

So I know I’ve talked about voice before (check it out here), but I think it is important enough to bring it up again. I learned in my language d. class (last quarter, I’m battling the math now…save me). Anyways, like I was saying, in my LD class they taught us a little bit about learning to write. They said it was only the lucky ones that ever found their “voice.”

As a writer I grinned, because I think if you write long enough, you find your voice. If you are persistent.

If you have been reading our blog for some time, you will be able to pick out each of the different voices or writing styles Linda, L.T. and I have.

For example, Linda’s voice. Linda is a very uplifting writer. All her posts are encouraging, she has a passion for helping people and you can hear it in her writing. She writes children's books.

L.T. is so good at using the right word. Her posts have elegant mixtures of literary fusion. She really takes her time to find the right words. She writes fantasy.

I write like I’m a kid. Probably because I am around them all day. But I enjoy things that make me laugh – and yes, it comes through in my writing. I write YA.

So what are some things you can do to find your voice? I have a wonderful book by Wyndham (revised by Madison) called Writing for Children and Teenagers. If you haven’t read it, you need to find it. Excellent book. They recommend:

1. Listen. Listen to the group of people you are writing for. Find out how they talk, their tempo, their choice of words. (one word of warning for those writing YA. Don’t use fad words, like “bodacious” from the 80s – it will date your book).

2. Use good dialogue. This may take lots of practice, but if your dialogue isn’t believable, your characters won’t be either.

3. Use your dialogue to move your story forward (but please don’t info dump. I read a story where a character opened his mouth and spewed out tons of information that I didn’t think a real person would do.)

Good sound advice. They have more suggestions in the book, but I felt like these three were a good place to start.

So, those of you who have been writing for a while, how do you feel like you have found your voice? I’m interested.

Not About Elephants

Bobby: "Psssst. Don't tell anyone. It's our secret! There's an elephant in the living room, but we're pretending it's not really there and it's not really an elephant."

Billy: "But it smells and it's enormous!"

Bobby: "Just ignore it. Maybe it will go away."

Sounds pretty silly, doesn't it? Ignoring an elephant in the living room. How could anyone ignore an elephant in the living room?

Just think for a minute what it would be like. An elephant would take up most of the room. It would be difficult to watch TV, look out the windows, or see each other. Carrying on a conversation with an elephant in the living room would be tricky. And think what an elephant could do to the carpet.

How can you think of much else except how to clean up the mess the elephant makes? What do you do when company comes...put a doily on it? How can you even talk on the phone when there's an elephant trumpeting in the living room? And how do you convince the children, your friends, your family, and yourself there's not an elephant there?

Okay, so no sane person would keep an elephant in their living room.

The dialog about the elephant in the living room was written about alcoholism, but alcoholism isn't the only elephant, is it? An elephant in the living room is any problem that we don't want to talk about. It's the thing that we pretend isn't real, that we hide in corners and we sweep under the rug.

I chose to write a book about an elephant. My elephant is called sexual abuse.

This is the way I began my keynote address to the students who attended Wending Words, Journeying Toward Meaning. It was a great attention getter, and it set the stage for my topic, writing about a sensitive subject. I was able to share with the students my journey to publishing Some Secrets Hurt and why I write about sensitive subjects. I write to make a difference.

I shared with the kids my TV interview, we read my book together, and we talked about the statistics. As you may know, current stats indicate that one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before the age of eighteen. This is shocking for most people to hear, but the kids never batted an eye. What do they know that we don't know?

We talked about what those numbers might represent in their individual high schools. Given the stats, everyone knows someone who has been sexually abused. One third of those who have been abused will never tell anyone. I asked the students what they could do to help someone who has been abused, especially if they don't know for sure. I suggested that we all could be a little kinder to everyone we meet, especially the ones who don't seem to fit in. What if the reason they don't fit in is because they are carrying a secret; a secret shame, a secret hurt, a secret that has shattered their self-esteem? Some Secrets Hurt.

I talked about some of my favorite illustrations in the book, and showed them how Brandilyn brought Maggie to life. I told the students how Brandilyn and I met and shared our passion for making a difference. I highlighted some of the important ideas presented in the book: Sexual abuse is never the victim's fault. Teenagers as well as children are targets for sexual abuse. Abusers are rarely strangers. Whether you are a child or a teenager, you need help to stop the abuse. The only way to get help is to tell an adult that you trust. If the adult you tell does not believe you, or does not help you, talk to someone else. Keep telling until you find someone who helps you. You can heal if you get help. It's really hard on your own.

I told the young writers that point of view is a writer's secret weapon. Point of view is what allows us to get into a character's head and understand what he or she is feeling and thinking. Maggie is what makes Some Secrets Hurt real. She softens a difficult message. We identify with her. We cheer for her. We want her to tell. We want her to get help. We hope her parents will believe her. Maggie is my hero.

If you want to write about an elephant, it is important that you

1. Believe in your elephant. How big is your passion? Is your passion as big as your elephant?
2. Know your facts. This helps you to tell the truth and be convincing.
3. Create a believable character and allow them to tell your story. You can talk about anything, if you do it in a character's voice. Get inside your character's head.

When I wrote Some Secrets Hurt, I wanted to give children and teenagers a voice. I wanted to give parents a tool. I wanted a book that was simple enough for young children, yet meaningful enough for teenagers. I wanted to write a book that was informative enough for parents and teachers, yet powerful enough to promote healing for victims of all ages. How could I write a book that would cross age boundaries, gender boundaries, cultural and religious boundaries?

This would have been a difficult task if I had tried to do it alone, but I had help. I had help from a little girl named Maggie.

Linda Garner

P.S.

If you would like to read about my closing address, Making a Difference, visit http://www.somesecretshurt.com/ tomorrow.