Canton...Young Authors....2 March 95
Me: Chillochothe schools last years....Famous Author’s day. “Probably Dead”
Starting a speech.....Bummy
Astoria Principal. Mrs. Richmond...Someday when she’s not around, I’ll tell you the trouble Principal’s get into growing up.
I want to tell you THREE THINGS I’ve learned about writing. The first two you probably already know but the THIRD is the real secret..
FIRST.....WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT...
--------My fifth-grade teacher: (Mrs. Richmond: Did you have Edith Smith?) first story...get a job where you don’t write. --------I wrote anyway....I wrote about things like monsters and dragons, and space ships....Then I started writing about the people I grew up with, what it was like to go to a little school, etc....and now A BOOK PUBLISHED!
SECOND: Read! Read! Read! Read! Famous man, Tony Compello, said, “Five years from now you’ll all be pretty much the way you are now except for two things: The people you’ve met and the books you’ve read.”
I have...a book on my desk, three by my bed, two in the bathroom, two at school, one in my car, two more ordered through the book store. I don’t have time to read any of them! But I’m going to read them all!
AND NOW...THE PART YOU MAY NOT KNOW! (Not your teacher’s fault. Your teacher is sort of handicapped. State regulations....IGAP TESTS....Big, evil, thing called the School Improvement Plan..... So don’t blame him or her if he or she hasn’t told you this... ----------You have to have an audience! Tell your teacher you want to read what you’ve written to the class! Everything!
YOU NEED TO LIGHTEN UP AND DROP YOUR WEIGHTS!
-----Basketball: weights on ankles. -----Main reason to write: to learn how to think. Ever lay in bed at night with thoughts floating around? Writing forces you to put them in order!
----Everybody’s a good writer! Everybody! But most of us carry these weights around with us!
The weights are called: “Oh, it won’t be good enough!” “Oh, they’re all gonna laugh at me!” “Oh, I can’t spell!” “Oh, I don’t know where to put the commas!” “Oh, if it’s not perfect, I’ll just die!” “Oh, they’ll think I’m a nerd!” “Oh, I might win the young author’s contest and have to go listen to some boring speaker!”
How to loosen up and drop these weights:
FIRST: Don’t take yourself to seriously because chances are, nobody else does. ----Glenda: My book. “Really neat! I thought only important people wrote books!” -----Church Lady ....(?)
NEXT: A FEW TIPS! ----Don’t write like you’re afraid of making a mistake. Write because By Golly it’s fun and You want to do It! ----Eat more ice cream...Whole Day, if you can. .....Go barefoot more often! ----Wear underwear backwards an entire day. Only you will know but you’ll giggle everytime you think about it. ---Walk up to your grouchiest teacher first thing tomorrow morning...”I just want you to know that I feel great!” They’ll go crazy trying to figure out what you’re up. To. ---Next time the person at McDonnald’s says “Have a nice day!” Ask them “Why?” ---Do some serious coloring. ---YOU starting deciding what kind of a day you’re going to have. Don’t let other people decide it for you. ---Our HIT SQUAD.
.....BE YOURSELF: Jim Kern...Mrs. Brown.
(oPTIONAL) .....STOP THINKING ABOUT YOURSELF SO MUCH When you write, you give yourself away to other people. Do it in real life, too.
...Becky..funerals ....CFS girl
.....COLLECT INTERESTING FRIENDS> Marie>> salt and pepper Don’t have to be things which just happen because you sit next to them in school... Find friends who encourage you.
.....FIND OUT WHAT’S BOTHERING YOU!
Want to know your worries? Look in your locker, pockets, purse, billfold..Me..
FINALLY: Be careful about who you’re trying to please. HINEY THE MULE>