As the snow melts (at least in New Hampshire) we’re excited about spring.  Last night we set the clocks ahead for Daylight Saving Time, so it seemed as though spring was truly on its way.
Write about your feelings and spring.
Here are some ideas:

What flowers bloom in spring?
Do you plant a garden in spring?
Are there baby animals in spring at your home?
Are the birds making nests?
What scents and sounds do you associate with spring?

Write a poem, a report, an adventure story, a journal page with photos and your thoughts, a trip you and your family take or a field trip at …read more

As I was preparing writing lessons for a group of homeschoolers, I pulled out some childhood photos for inspiration.  I’ll have the young writers use photos of events in their lives.  However, as an example, I’ll take photos from my childhood and incorporate them in similar projects.
I looked at a photo of my family (Father, Mother, my sister, brothers and me) seated on a rock with the Cape Neddick “Nubble Lighthouse” in the background.  This brought back memories of trips from our home in New York State to visit relatives in Maine and our picnic suppers at the lighthouse view.
How can I use …read more

 Writing Tips
Writing Thank You Notes sounds so boring to some people, but is a necessary part of our life that seems is becoming a “lost art” these days.  I wrote about this in a previous post, Teaching Your Youngsters the “Art of Thank You.”
I was delighted to receive comments from Lindley and tanyetta:
Lindley mentions: My son really enjoys sending thank you notes now. I remember it being more of a “chore” as I grew older but my parents always made it a priority and I will, too.
tanyetta shares with us: I am very serious about thank you notes. If and when we …read more

An adventure, an event you’ve experienced, or an unusual natural occurance provides material for your writing.  You can turn this into a fiction story, a journal entry, an essay or a non-fiction report like you’d find in a newspaper…even a poem.
 If you live in New Hampshire, you may have experienced the ice storm that made its way across the state Thursday night and into Friday. Although where I live, we had mainly rain, with nothing sticking to the trees, the central and southern part of the state was almost paralyzed.  Falling trees laden with ice fell across roads and power lines.  Winds also …read more

Writing Tips

Although I always thought of story writing as something achieved with words first and pictures after (even though I might have scenes in my head), I’ve discovered that many young writers work better if they start out by sketching.
“I like to doodle,” one youngster told me during a writing workshop I taught at his school.  “Then when I see something taking shape, I write about it.”
Other youngsters draw realistic pictures about the stories in their heads, then put the ideas into words.  Maybe they’ll draw a picture of something they see from a window, viewed on a outing, or did at …read more

Thanksgiving Writing

You’ll find many ways to write about Thanksgiving.  Whether you celebrate with a family gathering, eating dinner with others in a community setting, preparing special dishes to give as gifts, or recognize the day in some other way, you can find something to be thankful for. 
Here are some ways to turn your ideas into writing.

Write a poem about harvest
Write a poem listing the items you’re thankful for.
Write an acrostic poem using the letters THANKSGIVING.
Do some research and write about the first Thanksgiving.
Learn about the lady who had Thanksgiving declared a national holiday in the US.
Start a thankful journal, writing down …read more

OneBookTwoBook.com
I’ve discovered that most youngsters like to write poetry, especially when it doesn’t have to rhyme.  Poetry was difficult for me when I was in school, because it was considered that true poetry must rhyme.  I couldn’t write rhymes easily.
Nowadays, there are so many types of poetry young writers (and older ones, too) can experiment with.  Acrostic poetry is one type I often write with students when I visit schools to present workshops.
An acrostic poem is free verse.  In other words, it doesn’t have to rhyme.  The first letter of each line, as you read downward, forms a word. 
Try a PUMPKIN poem.  It …read more

OneBookTwoBook.com
I’ve wanted to write stories since I was a child.  I found a story I wrote when I was 11-years old.  Another I saved was written as a class assignment when I was in eighth grade.  My desire for writing evolved into stories for children, newspaper columns and hard news, travel pieces, and books for children and adults.
Along with this, I started teaching writing for children and adults and often visit schools where I conduct workshops.  For several years, I wrote an online column with writing lessons for young people.
I’ll begin a feature here at One Book Two Book with …read more