Two things I want to continue from this morning:
First, the speaking was plain, old-fashioned fun, especially the eighth and ninth graders. We went through the hero's journey (using Wizard of Oz), then we used it to come up with our own plot. The kids will take those bones and write their story, adding ligaments and tendons and muscles and flesh and all that jazz. I can't wait to hear how they turn out next week. These kids have talent. The story? A beagle has to save his parents from a mad scientist.
With the sixth graders, we did a Halloween scene and practiced using the five senses to increase the scary factor (Mich, I thought of you the entire time with their haunted houses and cemeteries and werewolves and zombies and pictures with eyes that follow you). These kids had a harder time focusing, but the ideas shot out like fireworks.
It energized me, seeing brains open up (not literarly, for those of you still on the Halloween theme).
Second thing (still regarding creativity), you need to see a picture of my beloved Nancy Drew pad. It's small and goes every where with me. A friend saw it in Barnes and Noble and thought instantly of me. I'm glad she did. I suspect that I could not be a writer without it (especially considering the memory factor).
Imagine her worn on the edges, and filled with ideas: dialogue snippets, settings, observations while in the train station, and you have one of my best friends in this writing world.
By the way, Christianne, yes, the pic is from this year's ACFW, and good memory re: last year's pic. Impressive. The memory I used to have...
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