A String of Pearls

Have you noticed that I've been using word games and storytelling games for summer writing activities? Any time of year is great for word play, but summer seems especially good because we're often hanging around with friends. Friends make a word game or storytelling game even more fun.

I ran into Nancy Lewars the other day. Nancy teaches an improv acting class (short for "improvisational") on Bainbridge Island where I live. Nancy told me about a great improv storytelling game called "A String of Pearls." Here's how you play.

You need at least three people (that's where your friends come in). Imagine an invisible string in front of you. The first person starts by stringing the first pearl--by saying a sentence that begins a story.

Beginning: One day a mouse jumped out of the heating vent.

The second person strings the second pearl--by saying a sentence that will be the middle of the story. The second sentence doesn't have to be related to the first.

Middle: The paper bag filled with marbles flew across the street and under the bus.

The third person strings the third pearl--by saying a sentence that will be the end of the story. The third sentence doesn't have to be related to the first or second.

End: The giraffe drove the stolen car to the police station.

So far we have three pearls on our string:

Beginning: One day a mouse jumped out of the heating vent.

Middle: The paper bag filled with marbles flew across the street and under the bus.

End: The giraffe drove the stolen car to the police station.

Now the three people (or more) string the rest of the pearls by filling in the story. How will you create a story by connecting a mouse, a paper bag filled with marbles, and a giraffe driving a stolen car?

Have fun stringing your own pearls!

The License Plate Game

I'm going on a trip next week. I'm flying to Boston, and then driving to Vermont with a friend. Thinking about driving reminds me of cars, which reminds me of license plates, which reminds me of the License Plate Game. It's a great game for writers!

Even if you're not going on a trip this summer, you can see license plates almost anywhere. Here's how the game works.

Find five license plates that include letters. Then make a phrase out of the letters.

For example:

SFA = Stop Feeding Aliens

MLH = Monsters Live Here

DSOM = Don't Step on Marvin

LL = Lizard Landing

UNH = Unicorns Need Help

For extra fun, use one of your phrases as a story title, and then write a story about aliens, monsters, Marvin, lizards, or unicorns. See how creative you can be, all because of the humble license plate.

Alliteration

Summer is a splendid season to soak up the sun.

That's alliteration, when we use the same letter at the beginning of words. Alliteration is fun, it's rhythmic, and it's poetic. It has a nice sound. When readers see a sentence with alliteration, they enjoy saying the words out loud.

Let's try another one:

Larry was so lazy, he lounged till noon.

Not every word in a sentence needs to start with the same letter. Here's a line from The Jade Dragon by Carolyn Marsden and Virginia Shin-Mui Loh. The main character, Ginny, is thinking about the disappointing Christmas presents she received.

Socks. Underwear. A pair of pajamas. Pencils.

Say it out loud. The "p" sounds with their little puff of air show how frustrated Ginny is. Later on the page, she repeats the line, so we get to hear the "p" sounds again.

Socks. Underwear. A pair of pajamas. Pencils.

Try writing your own alliteration. It's fun, fabulous, and fantastic!

The Translation Game

Q B X M P C Y D A H U K S E Z N L T W O V F G

I J R

Here's a word game I learned from Nancy Lewars. It's a great game for summer, because you can play it outside while the weather's warm and sunny.

Three people sit in a row. The person in the middle is the Translator. The first person says something to the Translator in a made-up language (gibberish). The second person, or Translator, "translates" that to the third person in English. The third person answers the Translator in another made-up language (gibberish). The Translator then "translates" that back to the first person.

Sound complicated? It isn't. Here's an example:

First person: "Eee-ee ha la, moo hani la?"

Translator: "Why are you wearing a wool coat in June?"

Third person: "Sher trekk ponter dred trekk setin klakervin."

Translator: "Someone took my clothes."

First person: "Moo?"

Translator: "Why?"

Third person: "Sher trekk klakervin bettlever dagin."

Translator: "Because the clothes didn't belong to me."

You get the idea. Create a story using the Translation Game, and see how long you can keep it going. Have fun making up your gibberish language on the spot!

P.S. Lemonade goes great with this game.

School's Out for Summer!

SCHOOL'S OUT!

School's out for summer.

It's really a bummer.

Just kidding!

I miss all my classes

and wearing my glasses.

Just kidding!

The bus smelled so great.

I was never late.

Just kidding!

My teacher was cool.

I really loved school.

Just kidding!

I did all my work

and was never a jerk.

Just kidding!

Now summer's here

and I'm shedding a tear.

Just kidding!

I can ride my bike

and go for a hike.

I can sleep till noon

and act like a goon.

I can watch TV

and water ski

ride my skateboard all day

and play, play, play, play!

NOT kidding!

What do YOU think about school being out for summer? Write a poem about it!

Libraries

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE libraries!

What's better than a library? A story set in a library.

Think of all the story possibilities for a library:

• you get locked inside the library overnight
• you see someone stealing a book
• you're hiding from someone in the library bathroom
• you're at the library computer when a magical dragonfly whizzes past
• you find a talking tarantula with a chef's hat in the cookbook section

Try setting a story in a library. In YOUR library, no one will say, "Shhhhhh!"

Memory

Today is Memorial Day. It's a holiday, which means no school, right? It's good to know why Memorial Day is a holiday. On this day, we remember soldiers who have died. We also remember family members and friends who have died.

So Memorial Day is about remembering. It's about memory. Are you remembering someone special today? Maybe it's your grandma or grandpa. Maybe it's your pet. Or maybe you're remembering someone who's living--your mom, dad, aunt, or uncle in the military or away from home for another reason.

Think about someone you're remembering today. Write down five things about that person.

Today I'm remembering my mom who died a few years ago.

My Mom

1. Made the best chocolate chip cake.

2. Took the bus with me because she didn't drive.

3. Helped me with my spelling words (and that's why I'm a good speller).

4. Taught me some words in Polish.

5. Loved to go shopping.

What do you remember about a special person or pet? Happy Memorial Day!