So much good advice about writing!

I love the serendipity of just the right piece of information coming across the wires at just the right time! Lots of that recently, so I need to note the relevant blog posts before I find myself at 'the other' computer and needing them:

Anna Staniszewski "In Defense of Themes" : http://www.annastan.com/2012/06/in-defense-of-theme/

Tamara Felsinger "Protagonist's Personal Agenda": http://tamarafelsinger.blogspot.com/2012/06/protagonists-personal-agenda.html

Elana Johnson on PJ Hoover's blog "The Pantser Pluses" : http://pjhoover.blogspot.com/2012/06/blog-tour-giveaway-surrender-by-elana.html

Tuesday quick-write: a favorite place

Today's Teachers Write! prompt is a quick-write about describing a favorite place.

Since I've chosen to write with fountain pen and paper for now, it's not a simple thing to copy-and-paste whatever I've written for exercises like this. But that's also good, since I don't think that I want everything I'm writing for practice to be 'out there in the world' through this blog. And since it's on physical paper, it takes a little more effort to make the strikeouts and restarted sentences disappear than it would if I were writing on the computer. I know that when it comes time to copy down some worth-saving practice work into Word, I'll edit and rewrite as I go.

Some bits of my favorite place paragraph, after rewriting to include more sensory details as led by Kate in the writing prompt:

"As the high school day winds down and the last locker-slams echo in the hallways, I can still sense my students' pathways through the library today..."  (and I changed one word as I typed this from my handwritten page, because it sounds better. Told ya.) "...the concentrated essence of favorite black hoodie worn too many days in a row..."

Most of my WIP will be set in school, probably junior high, and even some time spent in the library there. Big surprise!
**kmm