How to use this Page

Woo-Hoo! According to a posting on the SF Reader Forum, the anthology Strange Worlds of Lunacy is 100% finished and should be available to buy on Amazon really, really soon. I'm so excited. I feel as if this is my first publication. I stopped submitting/writing short stories about 7 years ago to concentrate on writing novels and then about two/three years ago my writing came to an almost stop (with no more than 20,000 words a year, written in half-hearted dribs and drabs). All these years later I feel like a different (hopefully improved) writer and hence the feeling as if this is publication number one. Wow, how long winded can one person be to simply say - WOO-HOO, I'm excited.

In other news. Did a little tidying up of 'The Poisoned Apple' (for the uninitated - my children's novel) over the weekend and added about 2,500 words. All I need to do now is finish that darn synopsis, write the query letter and send it out there... Wherever there may be.

I have completed the first draft of my story, The Graveyard of Dead Vehicles, which I intend to submit to the Wolfsong Anthology. It needs the usual tidying up and the reference to 'blood' toned down. A note of what the publisher doesn't want from their submission guidelines: "Really bloody horror. Violence is ok if it is necessary for the plot, but splatter and gore isn’t." I need to find a way to reference the death of the MC's wolf without smearing it's blood all over the manuscript.

Okay, this is my regular 2008 what I achieved last month post.

1. Finished my children's novel THE POISONED APPLE - woo-hoo! And to cap it off, have almost finished the synopsis - currently at draft number six or seven.

2. Sent Lucy Baxter & The Evil Emporium back off on its travels to two publishers this time.

3. Signed the contract for and proof-read 'The Shoes, the Giant, and the Wizard of...' which will appear in the Strange Worlds of Lunacy anthology. The picture at top left is the artwork for the cover - excited, some.

4. Completed four short stories:-

The Collectors - Submitted to Doorways Magazine.

Yee-Haw! - Submitted to OMG! The Book of Awesome Stuff anthology.

The Old Hubert Place - Has amassed the grand total of one rejection from the Bloody October Anthology and is now sitting on the desk of, or hiding in the computer of, Afterburn SF.

Science Fiction - A bit of fun written on 'Black Tuesday', when everything that could go wrong went wrong. Will probably post on my blog sometime this decade.

5. Begun work on my next project, a novella titled 'The Eurydice Satellite', which is a blend of horror & sci-fi.

And that as they say, was February... Hope yours was as productive.

by Renee Kirchner, Teaching Tips Contributing Editor

People all over the world celebrate Christmas, but not everyone celebrates the same way. Many of the traditions in the United States originated in other countries. Listed below are common customs and traditions of many different countries. See if you can find the traditions followed by your family and find out what country they came from. You might even find a new tradition or two that you and your family would like to add to your celebration this year.

Norway

In Norway, the children are sent outside or next door while the adults decorate the Christmas tree. When the children return and see the tree for the first time it is fully decorated with presents underneath. Imagine how happy they must feel when they see the tree. The family then joins hands and stands around the tree singing Christmas carols.

Australia

In Australia, Christmas is celebrated during the middle of summer. They do not have a white Christmas like many parts of the United States. Australians like to eat their Christmas dinner outside and then go to the beach for family fun.

Britain

In Britain, children write letters to Father Christmas asking for Christmas presents. Instead of mailing their letters to the North Pole, the children toss their letters into the fireplace and they float up the chimney to the North Pole. Sometimes the lists catch on fire. If that happens, the child has to write another list.

Mexico

In Mexico, children leave shoes out for Santa rather than hanging stockings by the fireplace. On Christmas Eve, singers parade throughout the towns carrying bells and candles on long poles. The parade ends at the local church where everyone attends a Christmas service.

Hopefully this gave you an idea of how children in other countries celebrate Christmas. Maybe you would like to follow one of these traditions this year.

Here is a holiday craft to get you in the spirit.

Puzzle Wreath Ornaments

Supplies:

Cardboard
Puzzle pieces from old puzzles
Glitter
Ribbon
Scissors
Glue

Give each child a small ring cut out of cardboard. Staple a small piece of the ribbon to the top of the ring in a loop. This will be for hanging the ornament later.

1. Have child glue puzzle pieces to the cardboard ring and ask them to cover every part of it.

2. Ask them to put a few dots of glue on top of the puzzle pieces.

3. Let them sprinkle glitter on the glue.

4. Shake off excess glitter from wreaths.

5. Hang wreaths on a Christmas tree.

by Renee Kirchner,Teaching Tips Contributing Editor

Personification is a type of figurative language in which a non-living object is given human qualities. The verb in the sentence involves a human action. Here are a few examples:

The ocean waves rocked me to sleep.
The wind sang a beautiful song.
The thunder clapped its hands together in perfect rhythm with the rain.
The roses tilted their faces towards the sun.

Personification can make your writing more fun. Your writing will be stronger and more interesting if you try this technique some of the time.

The swimming pool invited me in for a refreshing swim.
The poison ivy vines raced up the side of the tree.
The sunrise painted a beautiful picture in the sky.
The tall grass danced in the wind.

The person reading your writing will understand that wind cannot sing and waves cannot rock you to sleep, but your writing will be more like a poem.

Can you use personification in your writing? Give it a try.

An Exercise in Using Personification:

Fill in the blanks with a verb that gives human qualities to the non-living object in the sentence.

1. The flowers _______________ at me as I walked through the park.

2. The fall leaves ________________ to the ground.

3. The rain __________________ his cheeks as he ran home.

4. The train _________________ the family through the woods and over the mountain.

5. The soccer net _________________ the ball in mid air.

6. The rainbow __________________ the sky with brilliant colors.

7. The thorn bush ________________ at our ankles as we walked on the trail.

8. I watched the flower bulbs _________________ out of the soil after the light spring rain.

9. Spider webs ________________ in the moonlight from the trees in my front yard.

10. The basketball ________________ from my hand as I released my final shot of the game.

by Renee Kirchner, Teaching Tips Contributing Editor

Autumn, also known is fall is the transition season between summer and winter. In the northern hemisphere autumn starts in September and in the southern hemisphere, it starts around March. Although there are different definitions of autumn, it is generally assumed that autumn lasts from September through November. During these months the days begin to shorten and animals and plants prepare for the upcoming cold season.

When we think of fall, we usually think of beautiful fall colors such as red, yellow and orange on the trees. As the days become shorter, trees do not have enough light for photosynthesis. The leaves begin to stop producing the green chlorophyll and we begin to see pretty fall colors such as yellow and orange. Small amounts of this color were in the leaves during the summer, but the green chlorophyll covered it up.

Try this fun art project with your children:

FALL LEAVES (Torn paper collage)

Supplies:

Black construction paper (8 _ x 11)
Brown construction paper
Red construction paper
Yellow construction paper
Orange construction paper
Glue

The black construction paper will be the background for this collage. Tear red, yellow and orange construction paper into small one-inch pieces. These will be the leaves on the fall tree. Using a pencil, draw a tree trunk in the brown paper and carefully tear it out. Glue the tree trunk onto the black background. Arrange the leaves on the tree in a pleasing way and glue them down. It looks nice to scatter some of them on the ground for a true fall effect.

The black background will make the bright colors seem more vivid.

Fall Books to Read:

Fall by Nuna Roca. Barron’s Educational Series, August 2004

This title is for children in preschool through grade 2. Filled with colorful illustrations and sample projects and crafts, it is a great introduction to the season of Fall.

When Autumn Falls by Kelli Nidey. Albert Whitman, September 2006.

As the heat of summer fades, fall begins. The temperatures drop as well as the leaves from the trees. Children will enjoy reading about familiar fall pastimes such as piling leaves up and carving jack-o’-lanterns.

Now It’s Fall by Lois Lenski. Random House Children’s Books, October 2000 (reprint).

This newly reissued classic by Lois Lensky holds all of the pleasures of fall. A whole new generation can fall in love with her books.

by Renee Kirchner, Teaching Tips Contributing Editor

We’ve all read tall tales before. The legends of Paul Bunyan and John Henry are examples of tall tales. The accomplishments of the hero in the story are larger than life or exaggerated. Read a few tall tales with your students so they can become familiar with the genre. Here are some good ones to start with:

Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg. HarperCollins Publishers, June 1985.

The story of the larger-than-life lumberjack, Paul Bunyan, is familiar to many children. Steven Kellogg writes about all of Paul’s exciting adventures with Babe the Blue Ox. His illustrations bring the book to life.

American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne. Random House Children’s Books, September 1991.

Nine folk heroes are introduced in this collection of tall tales by Mary Pope Osborne. Readers will meet Johnny Appleseed, John Henry, Paul Bunyan, and many others. The exaggerated stories of their adventures will delight children.

Dona Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Lady with a Great Big Heart.by Pat Mora. Alfred A. Knopf, October 2005.

Readers will meet, Dona Flor, in this tall tale about a giant woman. She makes giant tortillas for everyone to eat and they can use the leftovers as rafts and she lets children use her giant flowers as trumpets. When a large lion threatens the village, Flora sets off to find it.

Tall tales all have one thing in common - they’re probably as much fun to write, as they are to read. Why don’t you try your hand at writing a tall tale, or at least the beginning of a tall tale? We’ve written the start of the first sentence, now all you have to do is fill in the rest. Whether you write one sentence, a paragraph, or a whole story, make sure that you exaggerate. See how wild your imagination is.

1. Dan Magallan and his horse traveled the country _______________________________.

2. The locomotive sped toward the car that was stalled on the train track. It would take a miracle to save the driver. Suddenly __________________________.

3. A long time ago in a land far, far away there was a knight who was braver than all of the men in the land. He was called the dragon slayer and he _____________________.

4. The giant waves of the hurricane were no match for ____________________________.

5. Big Tex rode a twenty foot rattle snake when he came into town _________________.

6. Giovanni, the pizza maker was legendary in these parts. He used to ______________.

7. Leo the Great could tame any wild beast. He rounded up the wild animals of the jungle and _________________________________________________.

8. Billy Bob had an amazing set of lungs. He could blow all of the sand out of the Sahara Desert. With one breath, he could suck up all of the water in Lake Michigan. These amazing powers came in very handy when ______________________________________.