First, exciting!
I’ve been writing more in Reading Journal?
I had the whole challenge to read 600 books last year, and I think I ended up around 500 something.
I was wondering aloud, to myself, if I wanted to keep reading journal up.
It is, in fact, a lot of work to do for each book that I read.
But after one hour recording books, I remembered how much I loved it.
Stepping into another illustrator’s style? Writing down my immediate reactions to the book?
I love it.
Adding a few more soon, including some books I’ve finished that need to get donated.
Hoping to update it and get it all caught up soon!!
As for reading and writing Wednesday….
I’ve been reading a lot for my research project.
Writing?
I’d like to say that I’ve done some of that.
Ok, true, I have been.
I wrote a bit of a few stories, honest!
And I wrote some notes about writing!
The most interesting revelation:
I need to cast characters for my stories.
See, I get entire stories in my head, and don’t start with characters.
This gets in the way sometimes when I try to “make” a character fit into the story that I already have.
At some point in the middle of the night this week, I came up with this idea.
So I want to write the story? I’ll do it and then “cast” in a character!
Example: I have a story that concerns 5 monkeys that need to go live somewhere else. The character needs to help them find this place.
This character could be
- someone who doesn’t like monkeys at all, and is just trying to get rid of them as fast as he can
- someone who loves monkeys and really doesn’t want to get rid of monkeys, so it’s harder.
- one of the monkeys!
- a newspaper reporter reporting on where the monkeys ended up!
- A radio announcer who is following the story of the monkeys…
See?
And the best cast character makes it into the story.
Yes, the story may change when this character makes his or her way in there, but I’m ok with that.
Also, I’m going to start writing and doing interviews with my characters.
I love just opening up a document and letting them speak in first person and just go on and on about who they are, what they want, things like that.
Yes, Picture book characters!
That way I don’t feel like I’m forcing something on them, and they are doing something that they actually want to do.
SIGH.
And I wish I could implement this right now, but someone has to be a good student.
And that person has to be me.
So, off to do some more research reading!
And maybe write a few letters.
Hey, it can’t be all work, right???
right.
KE
