Writer's Journey

Again, great job! I am enjoying working with such a talented group of writers. It is fun to see how you are strengthening your skills. I can tell that some of you are stronger in using your creativity in the marketing and journalism field, while others of you are going to be part of the next generation of novelists. And of course, you can always do both! Never limit yourself as a writer. Now, on to work…did you notice how each assignment had you use fewer and fewer words? Last week we were down to mere taglines and slogans. No, it wasn't because I didn't want to grade a lot of papers! I am trying to show you how each word matters. Even if you are writing a novel, a misused word can affect how the readers feel about your book. I picked up a book by a new author this week, but I never got past chapter two. For me, the descriptions were weak and uninteresting. I was not drawn into the story enough to relate to or care about the character. The images fell flat. ...

Great job so far! I had some really good results from last week’s assignment. I’m enjoying reading your works. Remember: editing is never personal. If you work in any field that requires writing, someone will edit your work. Also, my one middle school student has been able to keep up with the high school assignments, so I am only going to post high school assignments each week. Quotes from last week: “…a healthy option for a kid’s favorite meal…” “…stringy cheese covering up all the delicious noodles…” “Stop worrying if you have time to make something …” “…the smell of cinnamon and sugar mixed together floated up to my room…” We are building up to a couple of longer writing assignments that I think you will enjoy. For a couple of more weeks, however, I want us to continue working on some fundamentals that will lay the foundation for your longer pieces. We have worked on descriptive language--text that paints a picture of a product or object.  This week we are ...

Welcome back to our creative writing class! Hope you enjoyed last week’s assignment. If you have any questions, don’t forget to e-mail me. Quick reminder based on questions: you can cut and paste your assignment into an e-mail, or you can save it on your computer and attach it to the e-mail as a Word document--whichever one is easier for you. Let’s look at some basic writing reminders: *             The goal of writing is communication. As writers, however, sometimes we say a whole lot of nothing. We use too many words or “empty” words that sound impressive but don’t tell the readers much. We also tend to overuse words. For example, if I am telling you about a product or describing a person and I use the word “special,” what does that really mean to you as a person who may not be familiar with that product or that person? The word “special” has been used so much that it really doesn’t always mean a lot to the rea...

Southern Writers: Suite T: Reassessing My Reassessment : by Chris Pepple, Staff Writer for Southern Writers Magazine  Recently, I felt as if my writing and marketing projects weren’t he...

Greetings! Welcome to our online creative writing course for the 2012-13 homeschool year. This course will run from September through May with a minimum of three lessons per month. Why study creative writing? How will studying writing affect my personal or career goals? If you want to see my thoughts on this, you can read my notes from this blog post: http://chrispepple.blogspot.com/2012/07/why-study-creative-writing.html . Some key notes and tips as we begin: Creative writing is just that--creative. I will note problems with grammar or spelling that affect your message, but I will not be working with you to perfect your grammar or spelling. That needs to come through other language arts materials you are using. (Some assignments will actually require you to break certain grammar and spelling rules.) Your assignments will vary each week. Some may seem difficult for you, while others may seem ridiculously easy. Each assignment has a purpose, however. If I ask you to write ...

Why do you teach creative writing to students? Don’t students need to focus on academic or formal writing styles? I am asked these questions from time to time, and my answer always remains the same: creative writing strengthens academic writing skills and introduces students to a variety of creative options when approaching an assignment.     So, why study creative writing? Because: Students learn about the keys to creative writing (imagination, observation, language). They can then apply these skills to school assignments or personal writing objectives. Students learn about creative nonfiction (memoir and essay) the creative forms of journalism (feature articles and profiles). These writing forms give insight on how to compose a great college application essay, write professionally or create a family history book. Students learn how to brainstorm writing ideas and critique their own writing. Today’s students are tomorrow's website writers, poets, playwrights, n...

In our house, we sort things by categories so my children know where they go when it is time to clean. For example, we have an art bucket for art supplies, a Barbie box for all Barbie related items, a bucket for toy cars (and anything else with wheels), and so on. I picked up this idea from a parenting book when my first child was starting to accumulate toys. We stuck with it through the years. This week, my youngest daughter wanted to fill one of our large buckets with water so she could sit in it and pretend we had a pool. She dumped the contents out on the floor and headed outside to begin her swimming adventure. Later, of course, we had to refill the buckets with the toys. We decided to look at each toy and decide if we still used it (or if we needed to donate it). It was fun to watch my daughter rediscover some fun items she had forgotten about. Write about a basket, a box or a bucket in your home that holds treasured items or accumulated odds and ends. In 600 words or l...