My stories and writing advice. Enjoy.
Dear Writer, Last week, I started talking to you about including themes in your stories. If you’re reading this, I’ll assume you’ve already bought into why that’s important, so I can skip that lecture and launch into more strategies for developing themes. Let’s talk about symbols. I can hear you rolling your eyes (don’t ask... Continue Reading →
Dear Writer, My students keep asking me great questions about writing. This week, I was asked how to write themes into stories. That’s an important question. Themes give literature relevance and weight beyond mere enjoyment. They teach life lessons and ask soul-searching questions. When I was a full-time English teacher, I loved teaching theme because... Continue Reading →
I wrote this essay a few years ago as an example for my 8th-graders. Please forgive the formulaic writing; it was meant to show basic essay structure. Caring Leadership in The Hobbit What makes a good leader? What qualities are important for them to have? J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit is an excellent source to... Continue Reading →
Dear Writer, This week, one of my students asked me about character arcs. What are they, and how do we write them? On the surface, they’re very simple. When I taught this lesson in a brick-and-mortar school, I’d draw three straight lines on the whiteboard: one pointing up to show a positive change arc, one... Continue Reading →
Dear Writer, I’d bet a million bucks that you recently watched a movie that bored you. The characters were probably flat (see my last letter on how to fix that), the plot was contrived, and the resolution didn’t have any weight or finality. There are a lot of issues, and I don’t pretend to be... Continue Reading →
Layla: Friday Enough was enough. Layla was going to grab Warren Roberts by the ear and make him talk to her. All week, he’d been dodging her. Every time she tried to wave to him in the halls or call after him during lunch, he’d avoid making eye contact and would duck away. And of... Continue Reading →
Dear Writer, There are a few elements that are absolutely necessary in every story. Conflict, setting, some form of plot. And of course, characters! I love talking about characters. Everyone has their favorites and ones they love to hate. Oftentimes, they seem more real to us than the people we run into at the store... Continue Reading →