“Tell Me More” — we tend to be “fixers” rather than listeners. Next time someone comes to you with a problem or a situation, listen — really listen after you say, “Tell me more, go on…” You’ll be surprised at how much information you gather for your stories AND how valued the other person feels.

“I was wrong.” (which is different than “I’m sorry”). Own up to your responsibility for making a mistake. It’s freeing. Think about where “I was wrong” could take on of your characters, where it will take you…

“Minds don’t rest; they reel and wander and fixate and roll back and reconsider because it’s like this, having a mind. Hearts don’t idle; they swell and constrict and break and forgive and behold because it’s like this, having a heart. Lives don’t last; they thrill and confound and circle and overflow and disappear because it’s like this, having a life.”― Kelly Corrigan

Name 2 to 3 of your idea of the absolute best words ever! (In the comments.)

First watch the video! Then…In the comments below – tell us one thing you learned from the video, or if you didn’t learn anything thing – make a comment, a piece of advice to your fellow writers or an observation.

I’m very fond of Gaiman’s works (ya’ll may have noticed…) His book The Ocean at the End of the Lane starts out deceptively sweet, building suspense (most effectively) through the limited point of view of our protagonist (now an older man but recalling the time when he was a young boy who met and befriended, Lettie, a young lady with beyond-universes-old knowledge who lives at the end of the lane.  This remembered-past is simply too inexplicable, too frightening, too whimsically-creepy to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy. The story is really about the unfathomable things that lurk around the corners of reality and seep through tiny cracks into our world. There’s friendship and love, along with utter cruelty, and resentment, and anger; all in a dance that keeps the reader asking, “And then what happens?!” There are monsters, it’s Gaiman after all…. With his master storytelling skills, those monsters come from the characters’ fervent wishes, the narrator’s interior spaces, and really… from the deep-down-darkness that lives inside of all of us, even when we refuse to name it…

“Monsters come in all shapes and sizes, Some of them are things people are scared of. Some of them are things that look like things people used to be scared of a long time ago. Sometimes monsters are things people should be scared of, but they aren’t.” — Gaiman

Your task: Respond with your SUSPENSEFUL book review in the comments! Make sure to tell me what techniques the author used to make the suspense work in the story!

Hey Bloggers,

Your posts go on your OWN BLOGS! Not the class blog… erk…

What conditions are ideal for you to be able to write more easily?

AND

What conditions cause you to drown in the dismal sea of writer’s block?

Reply in the comments section below.

The vast majority of my students have a blog that is NOT SET UP and does not have a single post! So…. you need to:

• set up your front post- make it a sticky-post! This is the one that shows up when people visit your  blog. You can introduce yourself or share a piece of your writing / poetry or prose (your choice).
• Get rid that “Welcome” thingy that edublogs put there
• Do another post – don’t make it a sticky-post
  • share a school appropriate joke
  • put up a funny (school appropriate) meme
  • share your writing
  • post a prompt or a question for classmates
• Metaphorically finally, find a classmate’s blog and craft a meaningful comment – tell them what you like about their post, ask a question, reply to a prompt that they have shared, etc.
• Literally finally – find another classmate’s blog and craft a meaningful comment – tell them what you like about their post, ask a question, reply to a prompt that they have shared, etc.