Posted by Rachel on January 9, 2012 in
anecdote,
animals,
writing |
∞
I have a confession. I love school. I love learning. Now that I am (possibly…maybe…at the least, currently) through with my education I feel it’s an appropriate time for this admission. Now, just like everyone else I had a favorite subject. Three guesses what it was, and the first two don’t count. Yup, English. Fourth grade, when I was nine, was definitely the year this became a solid fact.
My teacher, Mrs. Kirby, would gather her gaggle of rambunctious students in a circle on a tattered rug and read Roald Dahl stories. There were others: Bridge to Terabithia and Where the Red Fern Grows, but Dahl’s stories were a memorable staple. While other children picked at their scabs or fell asleep against the blue bean-bag chair, I was engulfed in every word. I didn’t want the stories to end. And when the chapter came to a close, I could almost hear the film reel in my head clicking off.
It came as a natural next-step to start writing my own stories. We were assigned vocab-related short stories to complete each Wednesday that I penned with fervor. As an additional means of enticing the class to write, Mrs. Kirby gave the opportunity to write a poem. Not only would it be shared with the class, but it would be published in a book for New England’s Young Writers. As far as nine year-old me was concerned, she had me at published.
On the ride home from school, I fumbled together some animals (surprise, surprise) and rhyming words to create my masterpiece. It lay on the page as the quintessential depiction of spring time. I would love to share the piece with you, but alas, it has disappeared into the depths of my bookcase. I recall bees and trees, spring and a bird’s wing, many flowers and hours. It was my grand entrance to poetry. Thank goodness I’ve since chosen fiction.
Posted by Rachel on January 5, 2012 in
cliches,
ending,
how-to,
opening,
structure,
writing tips |
∞
Hoist anchor! There’s a reader on the line! Sure, the middle of your novel may be grand, but without a hook to catch readers, they’ll swim off to another, tastier story. There are plenty of books on the shelf as it is. OK. Enough with the finishing metaphor. My point is, if the opening of […]
Posted by Rachel on January 2, 2012 in
characters,
plot,
review |
∞
Caution: Spoilers! Think War Horse is another silly animal movie? Wrong. Panning shots of the English countryside set the backdrop for a colt’s birth and eases viewers into the vast world that surrounds us all as we are welcomed into life. Young Albert Narracott and his equine counterpart, Joey, train each other in the disciplines […]
Posted by Rachel on December 30, 2011 in
guest post,
voice,
writing |
∞
Many thanks to Jennifer Willis for this wonderful guest post about the individuality of a writer’s voice and its ever-evolving nature! One of the nice things about writing is the more you do it, generally the better you get at it. When I wrote my first novel — “rhythm” — ten years ago, I was […]
