Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Language Arts Programs

Brave Writer has a distinct philosophy about language arts. The best way to grow in grammar, spelling, syntax, literary elements, writing style, and vocabulary is to read great writing conscientiously.

Let me repeat that.

We believe in reading great writing conscientiously.

That means that we believe in reading (everything and anything, even the back of cereal boxes, billboards and toothpaste tubes). We believe that reading leads to an internalized grammatical “sense” which helps kids to know what “sounds right” and what is wrong and what is deliberately crafted for effect.

Still, reading can be enhanced and may offer further benefits if we pay attention to it and comment on it. There is plenty of benefit from reading alone. There is more benefit if you spend a little time to linger on the literary elements, to notice the grammar, to enjoy the humor or irony and to understand how it functions.

The Arrow, the Boomerang and back issues of the Slingshot are designed to support those goals. They aren’t created as comprehensive grammar or spelling programs. The aims are much less codified and systematized. These programs give you a feeling of sitting on the couch with someone who enjoys good writing and helps you to see what can be seen in it. Over time, you and your kids will start noticing alliteration or rhyme, beautiful descriptions or powerful verbs yourselves in the reading you do on your own.

We have not yet posted the Boomerang book list for this year. We will do it at the latest, next week. Subscriptions are monthly. We provide you with access to a monthly issue on the website and the payments are collected monthly through paypal (or you can pay for a semester or year at a time in one lump sum – details to come). Each issue is $9.95. We begin taking new subscriptions for the fall at the end of July. So relax. There is much more information to come.

I get a ton of feedback about the Arrow and the Boomerang. Moms and kids love these programs because they are so easy to use and really do give you a manageable amount of material to digest each week (without overdoing it).

I’ll be posting two updated free copies (one Arrow and one Boomerang) later today (or tomorrow if I can’t get it done… I’ve got dinner for 25 to prepare for tonight down at the Obama campaign HQ in our town).

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Arrow Book List 2008-2009

Summer makes blogging so hard!

I want to play in the sun… or rather just sit in it and soak it up. I get in our backyard swing and slowly rock back and forth staring at the green, in a tank top, not even a bit cold, and my eyes glaze over and I forget that I have anything to do.

But I have lots to do and I’m doing those things whenever I wake up from the sunny daze. I’m working with a design team to redo the website, I’m still working on the book, we’re reformatting all the back issues of the Arrows, Boomerangs, and Slingshots, and I’ve finalized the book list for the 2008-2009 Arrows! (Below)

We don’t yet have the Boomerang book list finished. I promise to get that to you asap.

In the meantime, I hope you who are northern hemisphere types are finding the sunshine and getting in it. I hear a shortage of vitamin D has grave consequences!

Arrow Book List 2008-2009

Ida B (account of a homeschooler faced with going to school) Katherine Hannigan

Henry Huggins (famous adventures with equally famous dog, Ribsy) Beverly Cleary

Nim’s Island (a modern day Robinson Crusoe) Wendy Orr

On The Banks of Plum Creek (continuing the adventure of the Little House series) Laura Ingalls Wilder

Stuart Little (the mouse who becomes a member of the family) E. B. White

The Borrowers (the little people who use the left-over stuff in our houses) Mary Norton

Bud, not Buddy (a boy searches for his father in 1936) Christpoher Paul Curtis

Hoot (a middle school eco-warrior in Florida offers a memorable, comic adventure) Carl Hiaasen

Mary Poppins (the real story of the magical nanny) P. L. Travers (Odyssey edition)

Because of Winn-Dixie (a dog who teaches her owner a few things about life) Kate DiCamillo

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Email: What to do with an English Major

Dear Julie,
I own and have enjoyed your two writing books with my homeschooled children.

I recently read about your background on your website and would like to ask you a couple of questions.

My 11th grade daughter is thinking of majoring in English with teacher licensure. She would like to teach English, write books, and is also looking into what else she could do with an English major.

I read that your husband majored in English and was wondering what kind of advice he could give to someone in this major. What suggestions would he or you have for her to be successful with her college classes and beyond?

Any comments, suggestions, and advice for my daughter would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you.

Blessings,
Sabrina

—

Hi Sabrina’s daughter!

Wonderful that your daughter loves writing and English so much. My husband was hooked on literature which is what led him to his major. There are some unique opportunities that go with being an English major, but, in the interests of full disclosure, I should add that many of them don’t pay well. 🙂

English majors often go into teaching, editing (for a publishing company) or some kind of communications role (sales, marketing, technical writing, copy editing) of big companies. Writing (as in, writing to make money) is the least likely to earn a person a living, though plenty of English majors (or creative writing majors) attempt to get published. My mom, who works as a full-time author of over 65 books, says that the vast majority of writers earn only part of their income through their writing. They almost always combine their writing with teaching.

So teaching is clearly a popular choice and a good one. Jon went into the Peace Corps after his major in English and earned his credential while teaching English as a foreign language in a Moroccan high school. He returned to the states where he earned his MA in American Literature and has been able to work as an “adjunct professor” at multiple universities in both California and Ohio, as well as a high school English teacher. Teaching’s been a great outlet for him as he worked in other full-time jobs.

Jon just mentioned that the English degree is perfect if your intent is to teach junior high or high school English. It dovetails beautifully with that ambition. The teaching path offers a good living with excellent benefits and is conducive to family life, too.

Jon also worked as an editor at a text book company, which is yet another way to earn a living off of a degree in English.

I, unconventionally, majored in history. My writing has been both avocation and vocation. I found that my interest in writing had less to do with literature and more to do with issues: with non-fiction content. I earned my MA in theology which also called on my writing skills. It isn’t necessary to major in English to become a writer (just want to point that out). And some teen writers would do better to major in journalism where more writing jobs are available than can be had through “writing novels” for instance. So if current events are your thing, bypass the English major and go for journalism.

The best way to successfully pursue the English major is to be a passionate reader. Reading literature is what fuels that degree. You must be willing to analyze it, take it apart and look at it through a variety of lenses. If you don’t like taking literature apart or submitting it to scrutiny, best not to major in English. Academic writing involves critical inquiry so that means you have to be interested in that kind of work.

I love your question and hope you’ll ask follow up questions if you have them.

Julie

Posted in Email, General, Tips for Teen Writers | 9 Comments »

Last chance for Movie Madness and KWI

I know, I know. This blog has turned into an unrelenting ad for summer classes. Sorry! It’s just that a) I’m writing a book and so my brain is mush and has very few remaining punch lines or saucy sentences to serve up, and b) the classes aren’t full yet and I know many of you are like me: your brains turn to mush (did I already say that?) in summer and you forget to send your payments for the VISA bill let alone follow through on a three-part registration process for an online writing class.

So consider this your nagging Mama reminder: don’t forget to sign up! Movie Madness and Kidswrite Intermediate begin on Monday.

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Copyright etc. (Response to Katie)

Katie, in the comments earlier this week, asked:

Congratulations on beginning a new book!

I wanted to ask a question about writing also. One of my kids loves the flower fairies (Cicely Mary Barker illustrations) and is writing stories about them. She mentioned that she would like to get them published when she is finished. My question is how to go about finding out if the illustrations, or the idea of the fairies itself, is copyrighted or in the public domain. I don’t know that dd’s work will actually be published, but I thought it was a good idea to find out if there are any restrictions. Where do you look for information like that?

Thanks!

Copyright is one of the trickiest laws to track down and comprehend. I’ve been immersed in discovering the rules for what constitutes “fair use” versus “copyrighted” material for years (especially since I do draw on the texts of published works for my materials!).

My dad, conveniently, is a lawyer and I finally asked him some point blank questions to help me out. For your purposes, let me assure you that anything your daughter does in the privacy of her own use (family, friends) is not in danger of violating copyright law. If she goes for publication, the illustrations will have nothing to do with her writing. She can’t recommend or include illustrations in her submissions because publishers keep illustrators and writers separate from each other, like keeping pit bulls and two year olds apart. The publisher will pick an illustrator, not your daughter.

The main issue would be whether or not she is using the exact characters from the original series or if she is creating new ones from scratch inspired by the books she read. If it’s the latter, she’s fine. If it’s the former, then she would have to have permission to use the original characters in her new stories. That would be something your publisher would need to work out with the other publisher (obtaining permission). That step alone would likely put the ka-bash on publishing your daughter’s work (since she is a virtual unknown). So I’d help her to think of original characters.

Good question! Good luck!

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