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PENCIL TIPS WRITING WORKSHOP
Pencil Tips Writing Workshop Strategies from Children's Authors and Illustrators
  • THE CURSE OF THE BLANK PAGE

     You know the look. A student who is supposed to be writing is staring at the blank page. You can almost smell the panic. The blankness seems to be seeping into the kid's brain, causing all possible ideas to evaporate.
               In Jonah Lehrer’s great new book, Imagine: How Creativity Works, he notes that few creative breakthroughs have occurred while the artist or inventor is actually sitting down staring at the blank page.
              Guest blogger Nancy Viau addresses this in her “Are You Bogged Down?” entry with some great suggestions to kick-start creativity. I’m going to add a simple idea that can be easily used in the classroom. If I’m working with students and I notice one falling prey to the curse of the blank page, I walk over and whisper: “Close your eyes and imagine that the story is playing like a little movie in your mind…what do you see?” The student begins to talk, describing the scene. I say, “Oooh, that’s great! Write that down!”
             Boom! Curse broken.
  • DRAWING A STORY

    Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?  If applying this question to a picture book, which comes first, the words or the illustrations? In the world of traditional publishing, manuscripts are typically written by the author and then assigned to an illustrator by the publisher.  If the illustrator is also the author, sometimes the pictures are imagined first, or the illustrations and text are imagined simultaneously.

    In previous posts, I’ve talked about some classroom exercises I’ve used during a school visit where children collaboratively write a story and then come up with illustrations to complement the text. The flip side to this exercise is to have children draw a story in pictures only. This works especially well with younger children who haven’t fully mastered writing and spelling.

    Make up a simple storyboard sheet with as many pages as you would like to have the children draw.  Six to eight pages seems to be a number most can work with without getting overwhelmed.  Children can draw a story of their choosing, or use a story prompt (as outlined in previous Pencil Tips posts) to jump start ideas.  When the children have completed their drawings, have them either write the text to accompany the drawings, or give each a turn to orally tell their story. Another fun twist is to collect the storyboards, mix them up, and then redistribute them to the class. Have children write a story based on the pictures their classmates have drawn.

    For children that are old enough and have access to a camera, this same exercise could be done using photographs.  Ask children to tell a story using the camera. Have them take a series of pictures at an event. A soccer game, a party, a trip to the zoo or an outing with a pet can all tell a story.  Spread out or mount the pictures in a series and have children write the story to accompany the photos.

    It is interesting to see how each child interprets another’s drawings and photos.  Mirroring real world of picture books, this exercise emphasizes the unique and magical collaboration that happens between art and the written word.



  • ARE YOU BOGGED DOWN? Ten Helpful Tips to Get You Writing Again
    Guest Post by Nancy Viau

    bog - verb. To get stuck while doing something; to be hindered in movement; to be prevented from making progress

    Writers get bogged down. It’s hard to be creative and productive all of the time. There are days when our thoughts wander and other things seem more important or interesting. We tell ourselves we’ll feel more like writing tomorrow. A little procrastination never hurt anybody, right? But what if our passion for writing dwindles because we’re not practicing our craft? What if writing becomes so hard that we start to dislike it, or even worse, we stop altogether?

    Kids have a knack for getting bogged down, especially when asked to complete a structured writing assignment. They often lose their patience and focus, and become agitated and overwhelmed. Many feel the pressure for perfection. After all, there are so many rules to consider—rules about spelling, sentence and paragraph formation, grammar, setting, plot, character, theme, point of view, rhyme, and a hundred more. Whew!

    No matter what the issue, the bottom line is that when writers get bogged down, the flow of words from brain to paper stops.

    And that’s okay. Really. Whether you are the writer or you are teaching writing, learn to embrace the fact that writing is more than the creation of outstanding prose or beautiful poetry. It’s a creative process, one that needs a bit of nurturing now and then. The steps below can be used to help writers of all ages with that process. Soon, process will be replaced with progress.

    1. Cut pictures out of magazines. Is there a picture of your main character? Is there a setting you like? Does a facial expression give you an idea about plot?
    2. Draw a tree. On the trunk, put the title of your story. On the branches, list all the possible things that may happen in that story.
    3. Talk about your story to a friend. If stuck, let your friend pick up where you left off. If a whole story is too overwhelming, talk about titles only.
    4. Brainstorm. Even if an idea sounds ridiculous or you haven’t formed it into complete sentences, put it down on paper. Put that paper away in a SEEDS file. When you look at it later, you may find the seed of a brilliant idea.
    5. On the computer or on your phone, say your thoughts out loud and record them, even if those thoughts are random and don't connect to each other.
    6. Draw the first picture that comes to your mind. Is there a story in there?
    7. Watch TV. (I did NOT say that, did I?) Well, guess what? There are wonderful story ideas (not to mention interesting bits of dialogue) stuck inside TV dramas, comedies, movies, cartoons, and yes, even reality, game, and cooking shows. Borrow some of these ideas and tweak them, making them your own.
    8. Sing, play an instrument, or listen to music. Music enhances mood. Good moods lead to productivity.
    9. Travel or try a new experience. Ever been camping in your living room? Ever sleep with your head at the bottom of your bed instead of the top? Ever eaten breakfast for dinner or dinner for breakfast? You'd be surprised at how your brain wakes up when you mix things up.
    10. Get a good night's sleep, but keep a notebook by your bed. If a great idea wakes you at four in the morning, jot it down immediately, before your conscious mind edits it.

    Guest Bio: Nancy Viau has worked as an elementary school teacher, a counselor in an after-school program, an instructor for reluctant readers, and a freelance writer. She now specializes in writing for children, and along with her novel for kids 8-12, Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head, and two forthcoming picture books, I Can Do It! and Storm Song), her stories, poems, and activities appear in Highlights, Highlights High Five, Babybug, Ladybug, and many other magazines.  Please visit her website at http://www.nancyviau.com/.   

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