December 2020 - Page 3 of 3 - A Brave Writer's Life in Brief A Brave Writer's Life in Brief
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A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

Thoughts from my home to yours

Archive for December, 2020

Newer Entries »

Winter/Spring Class Registration is OPEN

Brave Writer Online Classes

Registration is OPEN for our Winter/Spring 2021 Online Writing Classes!

You’ve waited patiently; the wait is over!

Our classes fill quickly, particularly those at the start of the semester. If you know what you want, be sure to sign up early to ensure you secure your seat.

Please note that the class called The Writer’s Jungle Online is now called:

Brave Writer 101: Guided Writing Process.

Finally, take a moment to read about how to register to be sure you understand the process.


2021 Winter/Spring Writing Class Schedule

Look at all these classes!

We’ve got something for everyone. Please click through to the website for full descriptions, prices, and age ranges.

Since each class provides a deep dive into the material, we recommend NOT overlapping classes.

We also encourage taking healthy writing breaks between classes. 


Special Offer

Sign up for classes, get FREE membership in Brave Learner Home! Read the details about this special offer. (Membership begins once enrollment is paid in full.)

If you have any difficulties with registration, please reply to this email with your class selection, the name of your students (and ages), and a phone number to contact you.

And we’re gaga over the website redesign for the online class program. Did you look yet? 

Can’t wait to work with you and your kids!

Register for a Brave Writer Class

Brave Writer Online Classes

Posted in Online Classes | Comments Off on Winter/Spring Class Registration is OPEN

Friday Freewrite: First Meeting

Friday Freewrite

Remember the last time you met someone for the first time. Write about the encounter. Were you nervous, excited, something else? What were your first impressions? What did you talk about?

New to freewriting? Check out our online guide.

Tags: Writing prompts
Posted in Friday Freewrite | Comments Off on Friday Freewrite: First Meeting

Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang: Dec. 2020

Brave Writer December 2020 Dart Arrow Boomerang

Adventures are to be had this month in the Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang issues!

As we explore the grammar, punctuation, spelling, and literary devices that make stories move, we’ll experience a mouse-eyed view of the world, tag along while a mystery is solved, and learn why there’s no place like home.


[This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!]


Brave Writer Dart

The Mouse and the Motorcycle,  Beverly Cleary

In this imaginative adventure from Newbery Medal–winning author Beverly Cleary, a young mouse named Ralph is thrown into a world of excitement when a boy and his shiny toy motorcycle check in to the Mountain View Inn.  ~Amazon

Get the Dart.

Purchase the novel here.


Brave Writer Arrow

Greenglass House, Kate Milford.

It’s wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler’s inn is always quiet during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers’ adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing. But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again. Soon Milo’s home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house. As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy, the cook’s daughter, must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass House—and themselves. ~Amazon

Get the Arrow.

Purchase the novel here.


Brave Writer Boomerang

The Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum.

When Dorothy and her little dog Toto are caught in a tornado, they and their Kansas farmhouse are suddenly transported to Oz, where Munchkins live, monkeys fly and Wicked Witches rule. Desperate to return home, and with the Wicked Witch of the West on their trail, Dorothy and Toto — together with new friends the Tin Woodsman, Scarecrow and cowardly Lion — embark on a fantastic quest along the Yellow Brick Road in search of the Emerald City. There they hope to meet the legendary, all-powerful Wizard of Oz, who alone may hold the power to grant their every wish. ~Amazon

Get the Boomerang.

Purchase the novel here.


Brave Writer Language Arts

Posted in Arrow, Boomerang, BW products, Language Arts | Comments Off on Dart, Arrow, and Boomerang: Dec. 2020

Not the Time to Get Serious

Not the Time to Get Serious

The Ghost of Public School Past will make you think that writing is difficult. You will believe that structure and format are more important than the quirky, insightful, sometimes funny, sometimes obscure, writing voice of your child. You may think “I’ve used Brave Writer for years but now it’s time to get serious about writing.”
.
If you find yourself using the word “serious” with regard to any school subject, raise a red flag inside yourself.

You have just admitted that you’re preparing to make your child miserable. You will be in full justification mode, so you’ll eviscerate the character of your child as lazy or not dedicated or behind. You will look for a method that reassures you rather than a method that sparks your child’s natural motivation.

Learning to write is simple. It is the ability to transcribe your thoughts as you think them. It comes with practice the same way learning to speak comes with babbling. It allows for lots of wasted words on paper and on the screen that do not rise to the level of your expectations. Just like your 12 month old or your 2 year old or even your 5 year old who misuses words in abundance and becomes more fluent in speech every day.

Writing works the same way. Write together, freely, regularly (a few times a month, for 5-15 minutes). See what happens!

You use the essay format for about eight years of your life. You do not need to dedicate the first eight school years of childhood preparing for the essay. I can teach you how to write an essay on the back of a napkin. What I can’t teach you is the confidence to express your true thoughts on a page. That comes from practice—the kind of writing that allows free self-expression on a regular basis.

Please give your kids a chance to enjoy self-expression in writing. This is not the time to get serious. It’s the time to learn to write. Don’t ruin your chance to grow a writer by getting serious about writing.


This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!


Brave Learner Home

Posted in Homeschool Advice | Comments Off on Not the Time to Get Serious

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