Words Make Great Gifts!

Words Make Great Gifts! I wish I had been the author of this wonderful romp with words! But, ‘twasn’t me, ‘twas the copywriter Robert Pirosh.* I offer them to you as a literary holiday treat!

Dear Sir:

I like words. I like fat buttery words, such as ooze, turpitude, glutinous, toady. I like solemn, angular, creaky words, such as straitlaced, cantankerous, pecunious, valedictory. I like spurious, black-is-white words, such as mortician, liquidate, tonsorial, demi-monde. I like suave "V" words, such as Svengali, svelte, bravura, verve. I like crunchy, brittle, crackly words, such as splinter, grapple, jostle, crusty. I like sullen, crabbed, scowling words, such as skulk, glower, scabby, churl. I like Oh-Heavens, my-gracious, land's-sake words, such as tricksy, tucker, genteel, horrid. I like elegant, flowery words, such as estivate, peregrinate, elysium, halcyon. I like wormy, squirmy, mealy words, such as crawl, blubber, squeal, drip. I like sniggly, chuckling words, such as cowlick, gurgle, bubble and burp.

*This is an excerpt from a letter copywriter Robert Pirosh wrote and sent to all the directors, producers, and studio executives he could think of.  He had just landed in Hollywood; it was 1934, and he was eager to become a screenwriter. His approach worked, and after securing three interviews he took a job as a junior writer with MGM.Pirosh went on to write for the Marx Brothers, and in 1949 won an Academy Award for his Battleground script.

 

Some of the best holiday gifts we can give are the words of love and appreciation we share with one another, in cards, in person, in poems.  They’re free, you don’t have to stand in line to get them, and no one ever needs to return them because they always fit perfectly!

When do you remember learning a new Word?

Tell us when you remember learning a new word, whether in your childhood or recently.

What was the new word, and what were the circumstances under which you learned it?

Why do you think the word was memorable?

In general, how do you come upon new words - reading books, online, in conversations with people, in school...

Please share your insights and comments below!

10 Tips for How to Become a Writer

So you want to be a writer, huh?

Great! We'd love to help you get started…

Obviously there's no definitive guide for what it takes to become a Super Famous Writer, but, there are definitely some good practices and tips to give you a good start:

1. Explore what it's like to be a writer. Be confident in yourself, and know that you can do it even if you are unsure.

2. Read! The more you read, the better writer you'll be. Feast on novels, biographies and graphic novels. You can also use short stories and poems to spark your imagination.

3. Try creating a ten page book on a subject you enjoy. When you've finished your book, expand it. If you're stumped, you can check out our "Why Not Write Wednesdays" prompts!

4. Write as often as possible. Try to write something every day, even if it is only a few lines.

5. Journal. Journaling even just a little bit will help you get into the writing habit - write down real-life or made-up, fictional events.

6. Write what you are interested in reading about. Try creating characters - think about what they would look like, how they would speak, where they would live, what their greatest wish would be, etc.

7. Expand your vocabulary. When you come across a new word, don't just skip it - learn it! Then apply some new words you've learned to your daily conversation or in your writing.

8. Be open to constructive criticism. Get other people to read your writing and give you suggestions. See if you like them!

9. Hang out with other writers and share your work. Take classes, join a group of young writers. Share your work! Submit your writing to a magazine or website featuring young authors.

10. Never give up! If you need to wait a while before showing other people your writing that's OK. When you're ready, share it with a teacher, a family member or a friend. Writing takes practice, so keep at it!

So there you have it - hopefully some useful and practical ideas for how to get you on the path to becoming a writer!

We'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas and of course read samples of your awesome writing - please feel free to share and comment below!

OMG! Slang

In a new article, "OMG!! Exploring Slang" , the New York Times Learning Network explores the role slang plays in our language, and in shaping our culture.

Did you know that all of these words were added in the March 2011 Oxford English Dictionary update?

• chillax

• I heart _________

• automagically

• OMG

• tweetup

• LBD

• taquito

• couch surf

• singledom

• BFF

• interweb

• LOL

One of the questions the article asks is:

What does the fact that so many of these words come from technological advances say about our culture?

Share your comments & ideas below!

Kurt Vonnegut's Rules for the Short Story

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things–reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them–in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

Source: http://www.advicetowriters.com/home/2012/7/9/vonneguts-rules-for-the-short-story.html

Does the Experience of Creative Writing Help With Other Forms of Writing as Well?

We have heard from our student's classroom teachers that after being in our after school creative writing class, their student's writing improves overall.

Some believe this might be due to the confidence and self esteem that is developed by becoming comfortable with writing. Instead of writing being an unpleasant challenge, our students develop an ease with writing that they never had before. They are also able to develop new ways of thinking and forming ideas, a skill that carries over into any form of writing.

What do you think?? How has creative writing helped you in other types of writing?

Please share your thoughts and comments below!