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Howdy, Campers!

Before we get to today's Wednesday Writing Workout, I wanted to share author and bookseller Elizabeth Bluemle's latest post on her Publishers Weekly blog, ShelfTalker.  It moved me.  It's called "The Best Author Letter Ever."

Yes, Virginia, we--authors and teachers--can change a child's life.  Here ~ in case you need to dry your eyes:

And now, on to today's Wednesday Writing Workout!  But first some background:
Last month I was fortunate to participate in the beautifully organized Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival in Hattiesburg, Mississippi...


...where I met the wonderful Beck McDowell,


...author of the eerily timely novel, This is Not a Drill (Penguin), published just a few weeks before Sandyhook.

Beck gives us today's 


1) Give this exercise about 20 minutes.

2) Divide the class into groups of two or three.

3) Let them choose newspapers and magazines from a stack you've brought in.

4) Their job will be to select a news article and make up their own story using the article as a starting point.  They'll add characters, twists, etc. to create an even more engaging story.

4) Each group elects a spokesperson.  The spokesperson shares a two-to-three minute synopsis of the "story" they've outlined, beginning with what the article actually said so everyone knows their starting point and how the group changed it.

Beck says, "...you're demonstrating where ideas come from and how a real event can trigger a story idea that's ultimately totally different from the original."


P.S: My Writing Picture Books for Children class in the UCLA Extension Writers Program (which I've taught since 1999) started this week.  I hope to use the newspaper exercise in class this quarter.  Let me know how it works!  And if you have any suggestions on how to make it more effective, my students will be most grateful--please take a moment to scribble a comment!




Finally, don't forget: there's still time to enter our blogiversary giveaway for a chance to win one of four $25 gift cards to Anderson's Bookshops. See this post for details.


And after you've entered, take five minutes and do a free write.  Remember to breathe...and to write for the fun of it ~

posted by April Halprin Wayland

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New Monopoly Token Writing Prompt: Goodbye to the iron, and hello, kitty!

Fans of Monopoly voted out the iron player token, and voted to add a new player token, a cat. The cat beat out a robot, guitar, diamond ring, and helicopter with 31% of the vote. The lowly iron came in last with 8% of the vote, with the wheelbarrow and the shoe just squeaking through the elimination to remain in the game.

So today's Writing Prompt puts the vote to you. Which token would you choose to eliminate from the current Monopoly game, and which token do you think should be added?

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Photos courtesy of Hasbro

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Writing Prompt: A room without books is like . . .  

Do you know this guy? Meet the ancient philosopher and political statesman, named Marcus Tullius Cicero, Cicero for short. He lived in the 1st Century B.C.E., yet he was not so different from you or me. He had a great quote that people who love books . . . well . . . love! He said:

"A room without books is like a body without a soul."

So true, right? But if you were going to update this quote for the 21st century, what would you say? Complete this sentence in the Comments with YOUR deep thoughts:

--Ratha, STACKS Writer

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You’ve just been to the worst concert of your life. Afterward, you head to a bar with friends and start drowning your disgust. Moments later, the musician (or musicians) shows up. You decide to confront the musician about the lousy performance and ask for your money back. The musician suggests a different approach to repaying you. Write what happens.

Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.

Want more creative writing prompts? Consider:
The Writer’s Book of Matches

 

 

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Writing Prompt: Nothing is more annoying than . . .

You know how your parents are always saying not to complain? My mom used to tell me, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." It would drive me crazy! Well finally, there's a place for you to air your grievances, because in today's Writing Prompt, we want you to finish this sentence:

Can't wait to see what annoys you guys. Let it all out!!

—Ratha, STACKS Writer

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Save the Planet! Help AquaPenguin126 get 100 ways to save the earth! Add your ideas to the list on the Save the Planet Message Board.

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Here are some signs of the One Direction Infection. You know you're a Directioner when . . .

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Writing Prompt: Poem

Today's Write On Writing Prompt comes to us from WerewolfCat5 who leaves the door wide open to be creative!

"Write a poem describing whatever you want. Or a paragraph. Anything is game! If it’s your newest crush, or how your baby brother spit up on your favorite shirt, or your feelings on pizza day at school, feel free to write it up! See how creative you can get."

This is one I did based on the huge pile of dishes that accumulates in my sink every night.

Dishes. Dishes, oh dishes. How I hate doing the dishes.
If I could have three wishes, one would be not to do the dishes.
You pile up in the sink and seem to mock me.
My dish gloves are so soapy, will I ever break free?

I’m still working on a happy ending for that one. . . What about you guys? Write your poem or paragraph in the Comments below!

—Ratha, Stacks Writer

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Last year, Santa didn’t bring you what you wanted for Christmas and you were left to assume it’s because you weren’t a good boy (or girl). Start building a case for getting that gift you want this year by making a list of your good deeds to date and what else you plan to do before December 25th.

Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.

Want more creative writing prompts? Consider:
The Writer’s Book of Matches

 

 

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Writing Prompt: Things I Never Get Tired Of

Some things you get bored with easily. . . and some things you just never get tired of! Today's Writing Prompt asks you to think about the things that always, always make you happy no matter how many times you see them or do them. Here are some things I never get tired of.

• A sunset over the beach.
• A baby eating his or her own toes.
• A campfire crackling.
• The ground below when you take off from an airplane.
• A dog chasing his own tail. (Babies and dogs always get me!!)
• Christmas tree lights.
• The first snowfall!

What are the things YOU never get tired of? Let us know in the Comments below!

—Ratha, Stacks Writer

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Create a Caption: Holiday Cat

Many of you know I have 2 insane cats, so obviously, I do not have a Christmas tree in my apartment. I can only imagine the mayhem I would come home to if I left those 2 alone with a tree full of dangling, glittery things for them to play with/destroy. Today's Create a Caption photo demonstrates my problem perfectly.

What do you think this playful Christmas kitty is saying up there in its tree?

I think it is saying,"Deck the halls with pretty kitty! Fa la la la la, la la la la!"

Oe "Jingle bells, jingle bells! Kitty climbed the tree!"

Leave YOUR captions in the Comments. Happy Holidays!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

Flickr photo by tiffa130

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2012 PERSON OF THE YEAR!

Time Magazine has their Person of the Year, and now presenting the first ever . . . STACKS Person of the Year!

Tell us the person OR group of people that have had the biggest impact in YOUR world this year. Just write your nomination in the Comments below. The nominee who gets the most comments by December 31st will be named STACKS Person of the Year. We’ll announce the winner on New Year’s Day.

You can go serious, silly, or somewhere in between. President Obama, One Direction, The Fierce Five Olympians, Taylor Swift . . . You get the idea. We can’t wait to see who you nominate.

Come back on New Year’s Day for the 2012 STACKS Person of the Year Winner!

Happy Happy!

—Ratha, STACKS Writer

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Writing Prompt: Word of the Year 2012

Have you ever noticed that the way people talk changes over time? Words that used to be popular start to sound annoying after a while, and new words that you never heard of before start to sound cool and fun. So today's Writing Prompt is a question for you. What was the most popular new word of 2012?

The American Dialect Society chooses a word every year that highlights what's prominent in the world of grown-ups that year. In 2011, the word was "occupy" because everyone was talking about the protest movements around Occupy Wall Street. In 2010, the words was "app" because apps were a new thing and everyone was going crazy for them.

The word of the year should be:

• new or newly popular in 2012 
• widely and/or prominently used in 2012
• OR about something that's popular in 2012

What's YOUR word of the year for 2012? Leave a Comment to tell us what word was on everyone's lips at your school in 2012.

Have a happy new year!!!

— Sonja, STACKS Staffer

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I've always loved contests. Though technically, what I love is winning contests. So imagine my surprise when, as a newbie writer, I found writing contests! I couldn't wait to enter all of ‘em! My little eyes lit up and my fingers flew and I sent in my scathingly brilliant entries and fees, and waited to see the word I knew would pop up in my email subject line: Congratulations!

Er...it didn't happen quite that way. In the beginning, I made a lot of mistakes. (But I learned valuable lessons.)

1. One of the very first contests I entered involved a HUGE payoff and a fun prompt. Terrific, right? Only it was a very specific (as in “incorporate these specific characters and this name-brand product into your story”) prompt. I spent hours, HOURS, writing my witty story, and not to brag, but it was pretty darn witty. Imagine my surprise when I did not win. All those hours, and all I had to show for my effort was a story that I could never submit anywhere else. That’s when I learned not to expend too much time writing a story to a limiting prompt.


2. Also among my list of first contests entered was a very literary, la-ti-da contest wherein I sent in a not so literary la-ti-da story. I would have known that my story didn't fit the contest if I’d spent just a little time, researching to get a feel for the contest. I suppose I was too busy researching how I was going to spend my winnings. Anyway, imagine my surprise when I did not win. That’s how I learned not to skip my homework before submitting my entries.


3. And speaking of that literary contest, I paid a hefty entry fee, too. And it was one of those contests like the Highlander: there could be only one. Winner, that is. It just goes to show that possibly, I could’ve used a little humility where my writing talent was concerned, and definitely, I could've used a little lesson in figuring odds. (Just one more reason why one should pay attention during math class.) I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when I did not win that one, solitary prize. But I did learn to pay attention to numbers, whether it was the entry fee, the prizes, or both.


If I’m being perfectly honest, I made more writing contest mistakes than the three I listed. But eventually, after learning a thing or two (or twenty), I spied that email subject line that read “Congratulations!”

Imagine my surprise when I finally won.

(Now that you've learned from my mistakes, you’re ready to try a writing contest! Check out WOW!’s Winter Flash Fiction Contest—an open prompt, twenty prizes, and info about the guest judge provided. Perfect, right?)

~Cathy C. Hall

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Writing Prompt: You know you're a Harry Potter fan when. . .

We know who we are. Some people might call us obsessed. Some people might call us crazy. But when it comes to Harry Potter, there's nothing wrong with that!! How do you recognize other Potterheads? What are the signs of a TRUE Harry Potter fan?

Here are just a few symptoms of Harry Potter obsession. . .

• You know what house you’re in and you have a scarf with your house colors on it. (You’ve taken the sorting hat quizzes a million different times!)
• You’ve tried every flavor of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. Even earwax and vomit.
• You were a wizard for Halloween. 5 years in a row.
• When you check the mail, you look around for owls, desperately hoping for your Hogwarts letter.
• You started a Dumbledore's Army club at your school to fight real-world problems.
• You stand up and shout at the movie screen, “That’s not what happened in the book!”
• You've lost track of how many times you have read each book, but you know it's more than 10.
• You are seriously thinking about naming your future son Albus Severus.
• You have a birthday party for Harry every year on July 31.
• You screamed very loudly when you heard that J.K. Rowling might write another children's book.

Now it’s YOUR turn to complete this sentence in the Comments. You know you’re a Harry Potter fan when . . .

—Ratha, Stacks Writer

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Create a Caption: Liddia the Boxer Puppy

Look at how cool this Boxer puppy named Liddia is. She looks way too cool for school, just chillin' at the park, letting it all hang out.

She looks like a trend-setting pooch to me. If I had to come up with a caption for this, I think Liddia would say:

"Blue leashes? Blah! So last year. It’s all about the purple now."

What caption would you give this photo? Share away in the Comments!

— En-Szu, STACKS Intern (a.k.a. MidnightMagic5)

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This post is sponsored by People to People Ambassador Program.

Enter for a Chance to Win a Summer Trip to England and France.

Open to kids currently in grades 5–8

Hey, middle schoolers! Check out this creepy contest! Just read the story starter available here and then create a suspenseful adventure story all your own. The contest is open to all 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. One winning writer will be selected to participate in an exciting People to People Ambassador trip during the summer of 2013.

Download the official entry form here. Get writing today and enter for a chance to win the adventure of a lifetime! 

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You know you’re obsessed with Goosebumps when. . . 

You don't even have to open a Goosebumps book to know that it’s going to be scary. The cover of You Can’t Scare Me creeps me out so much I don't want to read it! You can expect a twist and turn on every page of a Goosebumps book, but if you are a real Goosebumps fan, there are certain tell-tale signs that you share with other people who live and breathe the horror-filled world of Goosebumps.

You know you're a truly obsessed fan of Goosebumps when . . .

• you won't buy a Halloween mask because you are afraid it won't come off once you put it on.
• if anything strange happens during play rehearsal, you automatically blame it on the new boy in town.
• vacation to Egypt is totally out of the question; no way you're going ANYWHERE near mummies!
• on the full moon, you look for signs that your new friend might be a werewolf.
• you won’t go near dummies or dolls because you’re afraid they’ll come to life!!!
• it seems quite possible that your boarding school is hiding aliens.
• you are SURE the plants in the backyard are talking to you.
• you know better than to mess with a cuckoo clock.
• the words “Yohhhhhhh Spirits!” send shivers up your spine.

So, are you obsessed with Goosebumps? Tell us how you recognize another Goosebumps fan in the Comments below!!!

—Elysse, STACKS Writer

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DIY Halloween Costumes

A while back, we did a post on book-inspired Halloween costumes. Well, it's Halloween again, and we've got some budget-friendly, super-creative ideas for an awesome Halloween costume . . . or a wacky, everyday disguise. Check out these DIY Halloween costumes!

ONE DIRECTION ZOMBIES

Get 4 of your friends (plus you equals 5). Dress in stylish, preppy clothes (polo shirts, button-down shirts, blazers with jeans and sneakers). Apply plenty of hair gel. Carry microphones. Have the song “Live While We're Young” playing on repeat on an iPhone hidden in someone’s pocket. Now for the kicker – apply white and grey zombie makeup to your face! You can actually make this work for a lot of different characters. Turn any character into a zombie. I did this one year as a Girl Scout Zombie and it was a big hit.

HUNGER GAMES: KATNISS, PEETA & GALE
Dress in old-fashioned country garb (brown pants, vests, work boots). Katniss and Gale should carry a bow and arrows. Peeta should carry a loaf of bread. OR Katniss can wear a fire-engine red dress as “the girl on fire.” When people give you candy, answer with “May the odds be ever in your favor.”

THE INCREDIBLE HULK
Wear tight green clothing and stuff it with newspaper to make it look like you have bulging muscles. Wear green gloves and stuff them with newspaper also. Paint your face green. Mess up your hair so it’s disheveled. When people ask you a question, just grunt angrily or punch the air with your giant fists.

THE SCOOBY DOO GANG
You’ll need 5 people and 1 real or stuffed dog for this. Family members work nicely. You’ll need 2 boys for Fred and Shaggy. Fred: blond hair or a wig, white shirt, blue jeans, orange scarf. Catchphrases: “Let’s split up gang!” or “I’ve got just the trap!” Shaggy: messy hair, green shirt, brown pants. Catchphrase: “Zoinks!!!” Now the girls: Velma: Orange turtleneck, red skirt, orange knee-high socks. Catchphrase: “Jinkies!” Daphne: Short purple dress, a green scarf, headband. Catchphrase: “Jeepers!” or “I’ll go with Freddy” since she is secretly/not-so-secretly in love with him. Scooby: a stuffed Scooby Doo dog is perfect, or you can walk your real dog and call him Scooby. Have your mom chase you around dressed as a ghost or crazy person, yelling “You meddling kids!” Carry a box labeled "Scooby Snacks."

BLACK WIDOW
Everyone’s favorite deadly female Avenger. Wear all black. A black t-shirt and leggings will do. Frizz out your hair so it’s wild and wavy. Paint a water gun black to carry around. Do body rolls on the ground to occasionally get from place to place. Wear an evil smirk because you’re the most dangerous assassin on earth.

What do you guys think? Do you have any ideas for DIY costumes? Any creative and easy ideas for celebrities or superheroes? Let us know in the Comments below! Happy Haunting!

— Ratha, Stacks Writer

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Embarrassing Writing Prompt

Are you ready to bare all your secrets? Or at least your most embarrassing moment? Today's Write On Writing Prompt comes to us from Shannon and she wants to know:

Think of the most embarrassing/silliest thing you have ever done in your lifetime. Would you change it or leave it be? Why or why not? (Make sure the event in your life is not inappropriate! Have fun writing!)

I remember once when I was in middle school, I was trying to impress my crush while dancing (what I thought was) cool at a school dance. I wiped out and fell on the floor right in front of him! I don't think I would change it though, because I was having a great time dancing with my friends. Even though it never did work out with my crush . . .

Let us know your most embarrassing or silliest moments in the Comments below. And to read more ambrrassing stories, check out the Middle School Survival Hall of Shame. Misery loves company! 

—Ratha, Stacks Writer

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Goosebumps Create a Caption

He's the evil puppet everyone loves to hate! Slappy has been scaring readers since the release of Goosebumps: Night of the Living Dummy in 1993. With his painted-on grin and beat up bow-tie, Slappy looks like an ordinary ventriloquist dummy. But looks can be very deceiving. This troublemaking block of wood is anything but dumb! He's a walking, talking, trash-talking terror!

Leave a Comment with your caption for this menacing Slappy pic!

--Amabel, Scholastic Media

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For today's Writing Prompt you get to jump into a story. If you had a chance to go into your favorite story as yourself, what would you do? 


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Happy Halloween! Would you rather . . .Be bitten by a vampire OR a werewolf?

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Hunger Writing Prompt Thanksgiving is a few short weeks away. It's a time to think about how lucky we are if we have good food to eat every day. Not everyone has that, so remember to be grateful and share what you have! Today's Write On Writing Prompt is about food, and it comes to us from AutoreDiEssere who asks: What is the color of hunger? For me hunger has different colors. . . Pink = Mildly hungry. You could eat a piece of fruit and be fine. Green = Randomly snacking on everything you see because you haven't eaten... Read the rest of this post

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Today's writing prompt brings a whole new meaning to the expression "puppy eyes." What caption would you give this adorable photo?

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