Needs More Sparkle

When I was a kid in elementary school we had a program that was for “academically gifted” children.  Somehow I got included in this group.  I guess it had to do with standardized testing scores and teacher evaluations, but I’m not too sure how it was determined.  At this point in my life, I really enjoyed these classes.  We would do all sorts of fun activities and participate in debates and open forum discussions.  Plus, our janitor found a snake in a classroom once and we got to keep him for a while.  His name was Yonkers.  Who wouldn’t love a class like that? (more…)

Internet Slang and Writing

The phenomenon you are about to read of is an atrocity that is being faced in classrooms across the US, from middle school through college, and it a blight upon the fair face of good writing conventions.  What could be so terrible as to warrant such a response?  Why, only the use of internet slang and text-speak in formal writing.  It has become so problematic that some students are actually using emoticons on test papers for essay question responses.  Emoticons.  Yes, really. (more…)

Fan Fiction: Where Stories Never End

Fan Fiction is a type of writing where fans of a certain book or series of books, movies, or other serialized entertainment keep the story going, even after the original author has finished writing.  It is written by fans, who mostly try to stick as closely to the way things were in the original works as possible, especially when it comes to characterization and motives.  Fan fiction writers call the established way an original author portrays things and characters “canon.” (more…)

Wholesale Fiction Writing Elements

Writing is something people can be taught to do well. Many will argue that there is no way to teach writing, but that simply isn’t true. Writing at it’s most basic is just another skill a person can have, like flower arranging, or gardening. Some people have a an affinity for painting, a natural sense for how different colors and shades blend together. With writing, it can be almost exactly the same. Nearly anyone can be taught to put the right words together in a way that makes sense, and is simultaneously entertaining to read. Storytellers have been made, not born, despite what you may have heard. Here are a few steps involved in telling a good story. (more…)

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