Let’s face it. Many of the prompts your state provides for your students are boring. The students will diligently write to the prompt, but the prompts are usually out of touch with current issues or topics that interest your students. So what is the answer? *Note: Before you launch this lesson plan, be sure toContinue reading “An 8 Step Collaborative Essay Lesson Plan Tailored to Your Student’s Needs”
Tag Archives: writing process
10 Things to Consider Before Writing a Novel
Currently life is preventing me from reaching my daily quota on my new writing project. I suppose if I hadn’t considered a few rules to set for myself before I began this project, I would be spinning my wheels in the endless morass of counter-productivity. I set some basic ground rules before I began writing,Continue reading “10 Things to Consider Before Writing a Novel”
5 Ways to Stay a Writer
This quote by one of my favorite writers (Harlan Ellison) is irrevocably true. How many students have I taught to write over the years who most likely do not use that skill now that they are adults? I’m sure the number is more than I’m willing to admit. I consider myself a pretty prolific writer. I’veContinue reading “5 Ways to Stay a Writer”
When Do You Hit Your Stride?
Writing a novel like writing anything is hard work. It takes determination, skill and careful planning to get a novel off the ground. It is definitely not like writing a short story or a poem because of the sheer amount of words necessary, the characterization, the subplots and all of the other bells and whistlesContinue reading “When Do You Hit Your Stride?”
Writing a Novel: When to Research
For This Broken Earth I spent at least 6 months researching everything from super viruses to Syrian end games. I interviewed a U.S. Army colonel, an astrophysicist, a biologist, police officers, a computer security specialist and several others in order to write a novel that was as believable as possible. Research is highly important to writingContinue reading “Writing a Novel: When to Research”
Your Blog Is Too Cerebral
d There is a famous story about Gene Roddenberry’s pitch to NBC about his “wagon train to the stars” idea he ended up calling Star Trek. He told them that it would be a space adventure and that each episode would focus on some kind of deep philosophical or allegorical idea that commented on something thatContinue reading “Your Blog Is Too Cerebral”
Writing a Novel: A Retrospective
This Broken Earth is finished, as far as the series versions. I will go back these next few weeks to fine tune and tweak the entire thing so that I might produce them as one volume. These will include a print edition through CreateSpace, and a Kindle, Nook and iTunes version as well. After spendingContinue reading “Writing a Novel: A Retrospective”
Inspiration Comes from Everywhere
As you all know, I just finished the rough draft of This Broken Earth: Book 1, The U.S. of After and after revising a few times sent it off to my readers for review. This does not mean I stop working. I am simply in a holding pattern while I work up the nerve to startContinue reading “Inspiration Comes from Everywhere”
5 Ways to Work With Stubborn Writing
I spent last week with my son at camp and then visiting my uncle, and today it’s back to the laptop to start working on the novel again. My only problem is that this scene I am about to write just doesn’t flow out of my head and through my keyboard like I’d prefer. ItContinue reading “5 Ways to Work With Stubborn Writing”
What Could Have Been: When One of Your Ideas Ends Up On Screen
I have been writing since the age of 14. I began writing because I took a high school creative writing class and found that my peers at the time thought I had a knack for it and also I loved doing it. I loved the process, the meticulous nature of it, and the joy IContinue reading “What Could Have Been: When One of Your Ideas Ends Up On Screen”
Writing Is Hard Work 