Origami BookWyrm

My creative daughter came up with another BookWyrm for me. :)  Isn't he cute?

(Back view)

Rules for Writers

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net

A humorous look at some writing rules from William Safire's column "On Language" in The New York Times, 1979:

1. Remember to never split an infinitive.
2. A preposition is something never to end a sentence with.
3. The passive voice should never be used.

4. Avoid run-on sentences they are hard to read.

5. Don't use no double negatives.

6. Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it is appropriate; and never where it isn't.

7. Reserve the apostrophe for it's proper use and omit it when its not needed.

8. Do not put statements in the negative form.

9. Verbs have to agree with their subject.

10. No sentence fragments.

11. Proofread carefully to see if you words out.

12. Avoid commas, that are not necessary.

13. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.

14. A writer must not shift your point of view.

15. Eschew dialect, irregardless.

16. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.

17. Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!

18. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.

19. Hyphenate between sy-

llables and avoid un-necessary hyphens.

20. Write all adverbial forms correct.

21. Don't use contractions in formal writing.

22. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.

23. It is incumbent on us to avoid archaisms.

24. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.

25. Steer clear of incorrect forms of verbs that have snuck in the language.

26. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.

27. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.

28. Never, ever use repetitive redundancies.

29. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.

30. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, resist hyperbole.

31. Also, avoid awkward or affected alliteration.

32. Don't string too many prepositional phrases together unless you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

33. Always pick on the correct idiom.

34. "Avoid overuse of 'quotation "marks."'"

35. The adverb always follows the verb.

36. Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; they're old hat; seek viable alternatives.

To see the Summer Sky

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net

To see the Summer Sky

Is Poetry, though never in a Book it lie --

True Poems flee.

by Emily Dickinson

Just a note...

I am heading to a scrapbook retreat for the weekend, and probably won't have computer access.  I have scheduled posts to appear here each day while I am gone, but I won't be able to approve any comments  made until I get back.  In other words... I'm not ignoring you. :)

Zedonk

The word this week is another fun one -- zedonk.  Have you heard it before?  Zedonk is a noun meaning "the offspring of a zebra and a donkey".  I first heard this word from my son Nick, who loves animals of all kinds.  (He thinks they should be called donkzees, though!)  He is our resident animal expert, and we learn all kinds of things from him!

From Horse Dictionary: An A to Z of Horses,
written by Don Harper, illustrated by
Michael Langham Rowe and Robin Carter

Zedonk is a real word that combines two other real words.  Sometimes I like to make up my own words the same way.  We have a room in our house that the whole family calls the "scraputer" room -- it's where I do all my scrapbooking, and it's also where we keep our computer.  What words can you make up, mixing two or more real words?

When I'm not reading or writing...

Camping on Lake Isabella, BWCA, August 2010

Like all moms, I stay really busy -- taxi-ing my kiddos to one place or another, making meals, helping with homework, doing fun things as a family, etc.  Every once in awhile, though, I have some free time, time for me.

If you've looked through this blog, you know by now that I often use my free time to read or to write.  Both of those activities are way up at the top on my list of favorite things to do.  Here are some other things that I like to squeeze into my free time when I can:

• scrapbooking
• gardening
• camping
• canoeing
• watching movies
• hiking
• spending time with friends
• baking
• traveling
• and much more!

Why am I even mentioning these activities on this blog, since they don't involve reading or writing?  Well, first of all, I wanted to let you know a little bit more about me.  Also, they do relate to writing in a way -- my writing. 

You've probably heard the expression "write what you know".  I think that's good advice.  For one thing, it's easier to write about subjects that you're already familiar with.  I've also found, though, that the process of writing is much more enjoyable for me when I'm writing about things that interest me! 

For example, several years ago I wrote a short story for middle grade readers, called "Emma and the Bear" (which, so far, remains unpublished).  It centers around a girl who is camping and canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) in Minnesota with her family.   I have camped there many times, and think it's a fantastic setting for stories.  I have several other BWCA story ideas swirling around in my head, for both picture books and middle grade fiction -- I just need to start getting them down on paper!

I've also found that activities I loved as a child -- climbing trees, playing with teddy bears, riding bikes, etc. -- often make their way into my stories.  In fact, the current draft of my fantasy novel begins with the main character, Kyra, climbing a tree... and a teddy bear is a major "character" in the book I sent to publishers last month, "Silly Sally McMally & Sam".

Now that I have kids of my own, their interests sometimes enter my writing as well.  Emmalie gets excited about art projects of all kinds, especially drawing and origami.  Nick has adored animals all of his life.  Ben loves vehicles.  So far I've been inspired to write two fun poems about vehicles, and many of my stories have animals in them.  I'm sure one day I will incorporate origami into a story, as well!

What are some of your favorite pastimes?  Try thinking of ways you could write about those activities... in a story or a poem or a nonfiction article.  Any ideas beginning to swirl around in your head?  If so, grab a pen and some paper (or your keyboard and computer) and start writing!  I'd love to hear what you come up with. :)

Happy Fourth!

Wishing you all a wonderful Fourth of July, filled with fun, your favorite summer foods, and fireworks! :)  To celebrate America's birthday, here are two short poems I found.

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net


The first is from the great Shel Silverstein:

The Fourth

Oh
CRASH!

my

BASH

it's
BANG!

the

ZANG!

Fourth

WHOOSH!

of

BAROOM!

July

WHEW!

by Shel Silverstein,

from Where the Sidewalk Ends, 1974

And the second comes from a book I remember ordering at school, through Scholastic Books, when I was about seven:

From A Rocket in My Pocket,
compiled by Carl Withers,
illustrated by William Wiesner, 1974

I've got a rocket

In my pocket,

I cannot stop to play.

Away it goes!

I've burnt my toes.

It's Independence Day.

Happy Fourth, one and all! :)

Bed in Summer

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net

Bed in Summer

In winter I get up at night

And dress by yellow candle-light.

In summer, quite the other way,

I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see

The birds still hopping on the tree,

Or hear the grown-up people's feet

Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,

When all the sky is clear and blue,

And I should like so much to play,

To have to go to bed by day?

by Robert Louis Stevenson

from A Child's Garden of Verses, 1885

Junior BookWyrms


I just found this picture and knew I had to share it here.... :)  Start 'em young, I say!

Emmalie and Nicholas... BookWyrms from the start,
(completely unposed), May 2000

Spotlight on G. Brian Karas: Illustrator and Author

Back in 1997, when my first story was published in Babybug,  I was a new mom.  I didn't have much experience yet with contemporary picture book authors or illustrators.  I loved the pictures that G. Brian Karas created to go along with my story (to see them, please check out my earlier post, A lucky break), but at the time, I didn't recognize Karas's name.  I didn't realize the illustrations were made by a famous and well-loved children's book artist!

About a year later, Emmalie and I visited the library.  Among other things, we checked out the book Like Butter On Pancakes, written by Jonathan London and illustrated by Karas, 1995.  When we returned home, we sat down to read through our big pile of books.  Immediately, I recognized Karas's delightful style, and his name.  I was thrilled!  I remember showing the book to my husband later that night and shouting, "This is by the same artist who illustrated my story!"  (He thought that was pretty cool, too.)

Since that time, our family has read and enjoyed many of the books illustrated by Karas.  (He's created wonderful pictures for at least 94 books so far!)  Karas has also written a few stories of his own.  (Nine, in all.)  Here are a few of his creations:

The Windy Day, 1998

I Like Bugs, written by Margaret Wise Brown, 1999

The Class Artist, 2001

Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!, written by Candace Fleming, 2002

Atlantic, 2002

A Place Called Kindergarten, written by Jessica Harper, 2006

and The Village Garage, 2010

In 2009, while trying to look up one of his books online, I discovered that Karas has his own website:  g Brian Karas.  A contact email was listed there, so I decided to send him a little note, thanking him for illustrating my story.  I really wasn't expecting to ever hear anything back.  Just a few days later, however, Karas replied with a kind, encouraging email.  I still have it. :) 

To learn more about Karas -- and to view more of his illustrations --  please visit the website mentioned above.  Be sure to check out his work at the bookstore and the library, as well!