Summer Writing

Here where I live, school's almost out for the summer. Yay! 

Summer means long, long days to hang out with friends, eat ice cream, hang out some more, and...write? 

How to fit writing in when the sun's shining and there are so many other things to do? 

 The Yellow Pencils Guide to Summer Writing

1. Get a notebook. The cheaper the better.
2. Get a pencil. Easy. 
3. Find 15 minutes each day. Also easy.
4. Find a place to write. Your room, the bus, a park--anywhere!
5. Write about anything for 15 minutes. 

What to write about?

• a new story idea
• a poem about Popsicles
• your fantasy vacation
• a description of the unusual person you saw on the street
• the clothes you're wearing at the moment
• the clothes you'd like to be wearing
• your dream pet
• your favorite summer food
• that weird tree in your backyard 
• a language that hasn't been invented yet

Just think. By the end of summer you'll have a notebook filled with words that only you could have written. 

Have a fun summer! 

5 Writing Prompts to Get Your Pens Moving

Need a writing prompt to get your pen or keyboard moving? Try one of these:

1. Invent an ad for a new shampoo made out of vegetables. 

2. Create a superhero who saves civilization with a magic scooter.

3. Find an ad in the newspaper for a lost pet. Describe the family that placed the ad.

4. Think of a movie you've seen recently. Write a new ending. 

5. Compare a person in your life to an animal. Write a story in which the person turns into that animal. 

Try writing for 15 minutes without stopping. That should get your pens moving and the ideas churning! 

Verbs

Verbs are the workhorses of writing. 

Why say "went" when we can write "trudged, skipped, shuffled, scampered, or bolted?" 

Of course sometimes "went" is perfectly fine. But strong verbs use our writing muscles--just as horses use their muscles to charge, sprint, or gallop. Strong verbs paint a vivid picture and draw our readers into the action.  

Take this passage:

The dog went down the sidewalk and saw a cat. He went after it. The cat wasn't friendly.  

How about: 

The dog raced down the sidewalk and spied a cat. He tore after it. The cat spit and arched its back.  

Take a passage from one of your stories and try to put more "muscle" into your verbs. 

See if you can turn your verbs into workhorses. Let your verbs gallop through your sentences! 

Loud Numbers

Last week we talked about a Smelly Alphabet. This week it's Loud Numbers.

Just as the sense of smell makes our writing more vivid, including sound in our stories can make our words pop off the page. 

Numbers don't really create a sound, but we can make them shout, squeak, burp, sizzle, murmur, shriek, and zing. 

Here's now. Count as high as you'd like, including an object and sound for each number. Try not to use the first sound that comes to mind, but one that is fresh and unusual. 

1 horn squawking
2 elephants blaring
3 bells pinging
4 skis whooshing
5 helicopters chugging

If you want to get silly, try nonsense Loud Numbers.

1 horn mooing
2 elephants clucking 
3 bells croaking
4 skis thundering
5 helicopters mumbling 

Keep going! Unlike the alphabet, numbers are limitless. See how far you can go with your rumbling, ringing, tooting, hissing numbers.

A Smelly Alphabet

What is a smelly alphabet?

It's not stinky ABC blocks that fell into the sewer.

It's not a page from a skunk's beginning reader. 

A smelly alphabet is one we create ourselves, using words from A to Z that refer to our sense of smell.  

For each letter of the alphabet, think of something that has an aroma, scent, fragrance, stench, odor, or bouquet. Whatever we call it, smell is a powerful sense to include in our writing. 

Here's the start of my smelly alphabet: 


Argyle socks found in the garbage can
Bread fresh from the oven
Cauliflower soup 
Dirty T-shirt in the laundry basket
Elephant poop

You get the idea. Create your own smelly alphabet and remember to use scents and odors in your writing. 

Whether smells are "good" or "bad," they can bring up vivid emotions. Just think--your smelly alphabet could make someone laugh or cry! 

Haiku

This is our last week celebrating National Poetry Month. And no celebration of poetry is complete without haiku.

Haiku is a form of poetry originating in Japan. A haiku has 17 syllables, broken down like this:

First line: 5 syllables
Second line: 7 syllables
Third line: 5 syllables

Traditionally, haiku is about the natural world.

The most famous Japanese haiku poet, Matsuo Basho, lived from 1644 to 1694. Haiku actually dates from the 9th century, so you can see that it has been around for a very long time! 

When Basho's haiku is translated into English, it doesn't usually follow the traditional number of syllables. 

flower of the harvest moon?
it only looks that way
a cotton field

Here's a traditional haiku by Rachel, a student from Wisconsin.

An orca whale jumps
Sending a cry in the air,
Splashing water high.

You can also add artwork to your haiku. Try writing your own, and have fun experimenting. 
Happy haiku-ing! 

An Earth Day Ode

Today is Earth Day. And we're still celebrating National Poetry Month. So naturally it's a good day to write a poem about....the Earth! 

Earth is a BIG subject, so let's write about one small part of nature. 

I love to write odes. An ode is a poem that celebrates a person, animal, object...or anything. 

To write an Earth Day Ode, first think about your subject. A porcupine, pine cone, or polar star? A cactus, canyon, or caterpillar? 

Choose your favorite animal, your favorite place in nature, or go outside and find a leaf, rock, or stick you'd like to put into an ode.

Odes don't have to rhyme. Often they're addressed directly ("you") to the subject. They can follow any form.

Here's my Earth Day Ode to ice.

Ice

You cover our poles

South and north 

Keeping Earth cooled down.

Frozen bubbles of water.

Silver, white, gray, black.

Your frost and rime and crystals are

Brittle and beautiful as diamonds.

We don't thank you enough

So I'm thanking you now.

Your fields stretch out

Like a frozen blanket

Protecting us.