Shakespeare for Young Writers

While Yellow Pencils was on vacation, I saw a production of William Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" at Door Shakespeare in Door County, Wisconsin. (Funny that my last post was about doors.)

I didn't read Shakespeare until I was in high school, and I think that's too bad. Shakespeare's plays can be complicated and even violent, but they also contain wonderfully playful and inventive language. 

In "Macbeth," the three "weyard" sisters recite this spell:

Double, double, toil and trouble:
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. 

Into the pot goes "adder's fork and blindworm's sting, lizard's leg and howlet's wing." 

It's okay if you don't understand what all the words mean. They're still fun to say out loud.

Try finding a Shakespeare play adapted for young people in your library. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a great play to start with, with fairies and other fantastic characters. 

For a writing prompt, copy out a short passage into your journal and say it out loud.

Then try writing something with a similar pattern, but using your own words.

For  example, for the "double, double" spell above:

Four, four, fox, bear, wolf, and boar:
Scour the woods, and search for gore. 

Will Shakespeare lived 400 years ago, but his words last forever. Every writer--even young ones--can have fun exploring his language. Don't wait till high school to discover him! 

Yellow Pencils Goes on Vacation!

While Yellow Pencils is on summer vacation, I thought it would be fun to leave you with writing prompts about...pencils!

Remember, take your notebook and pencil (or pen or tablet or laptop) wherever you go this summer. You never know when a brilliant idea will strike. 

When you have a quiet moment with your notebook, try one of these prompts about our favorite writing instrument--the modest pencil. 

Happy writing until Yellow Pencils returns July 29th! 

• The dull, gray pencil was so jealous of the shiny, blue pen, he couldn't see straight.

• The pencil was headless when her eraser fell off. 

• Mr. Percival Pencil was the spiffiest guy in the desk drawer.

• The cat rolled the pencil under the sofa, hoping it would stab the mouse.

• The pencil had six younger brothers, making it very crowded in the pencil case.

• All her life, the yellow pencil had longed to write a famous novel--but she didn't think she'd be writing it in jail. 

Happy penciling! 

Opening Doors Part 2

A couple of years ago I wrote in Yellow Pencils about using doors as a prompt to start a story. 

I took this photo in Stratford-upon-Avon, the English town where William Shakespeare was born and lived. 

Do any story ideas spring to mind with this blue door? Who or what do you think lives behind it?

A door is an invitation to a new place where anything can happen. Doors exist in our real world, and they can play an important part in imaginary worlds. 

Try using one of these lines as a first sentence to a story. 

• The blue door creaked open slowly, and I gasped.

• My mom had warned me about the blue door.

• It's a well-known fact that blue doors can sing.

• When the blue door flew open, I fell through it flat on my face.

• He knocked on the blue door, ignoring the word "Beware" whispering in his head. 

Enjoy creating your own world through this door!   

Alphabet Brainstorming

Creativity guru Jurgen Wolff posted a great writing prompt in his e-newsletter. No, it doesn't involve playing with ABC blocks, but it does involve the alphabet. 

If you'd like to brainstorm about a character in your story, try this prompt. It's fun! I'm using it for a teenage character I'm fleshing out. 

Write down the letters of the alphabet, from A to Z, on the left-hand side of a paper or screen. For each letter, come up with a random word. (Don't think about it too much--just whatever pops into your head.) 

For each word, jot down ideas that relate to your character. 

For example:

A - artichoke. My character has never eaten one because her mom cooks meat, potatoes, carrots, and peas--nothing more adventurous.  

B - breath. My character chews gum because she's afraid of having bad breath. 

C - cage. My character feels as if she's in one because of her parents' expectations. 

D - deny. My character finds it hard to believe that she's pretty.

And so on to Z. Be sure to use nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Have fun being randomly alphabetic. I hope you get some great insights.

Setting: The Gum Wall

Here in Seattle we have a gum wall. Actually two walls--on both sides of an alley--filled with (used) gum.

The gum wall has become a tourist attraction, and it's a fun place to go people-watching. 

It could also be a great setting for a story. 

• What if two characters meet next to the gum wall--and one character disappears?

• What if a character's walls at home are covered with gum?

• What if the gum can talk?

• What if the gum wall is magic?

• What if a character writes his or her name in gum--and that's the start of an adventure? 

Get out a pack of gum, chew a piece while you think up story ideas, and then use the gum wall as a setting. 

And if you live in Seattle, add your gum to the brick alley wall. 

Summer Writing Part 2

Has your summer vacation started yet? Do you have your notebook and pencil ready? How about your guitar? 

Here are more ideas to make this summer a fabulous writing summer. 

1. Write a song. Music and lyrics. You've never written a song before? Go for it! Summer is for experimenting.

2. Write a concrete poem. No, not out of cement. A concrete poem is written in the shape of the thing you're writing about--your cat, a stop sign, or a donut.

3. Write a story about 4 friends whose names all mean "sun" in different languages.

4. Write about a hat that travels from Los Angeles to Maine.

5. Write an acrostic poem about summer. Here's mine:

Sizzling sidewalks
Umbrellas on the beach
Melting popsicles and  
Moments by yourself.
Easy-going days let you
Read and dream under a tree. 

How is your writing summer shaping up? 

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!