In Your Own Words

 Readers, regardless of how often or how long they read, base what they read on personal preferences.  They want to be captivated, engaged, and interested whether their choice is fiction or nonfiction.  If they are intrigued by a subject, they will seek every source to quell their thirst for information.  If they prefer one genre or format over another, they will read favorite titles repeatedly.  A reader knows what keeps their reader's heart beating.

Consequently, when you write, it will be fueled by those subjects, genres or formats you find most appealing.  In a companion title to How To Read A Story (Chronicle Books, May 5, 2015) author Kate Messner and illustrator Mark Siegel collaborate again to bring us How To Write A Story (Chronicle Books, July 7, 2020). 

Through a series of numbered and easy to understand statements with accompanying and expanded hints and animated illustrations, this duo makes a map aspiring writers will enjoy following.  In fact, this will be a quest they'll embrace over and over again. 

STEP 1

SEARCH FOR AN IDEA---

a shiny one.

Sometimes, an idea will land right in front of you.  Other times, you need to think a bit.  You don't have to be thrilled with the idea or even know anything about it, but it is perfectly fine if it is one of your life's passions.  Remember, don't worry if your idea is not shiny in the beginning.

Once you have your idea, you need to determine where this idea will be placed and when it will grow.  Will it be at your soccer field at the stroke of midnight?  Your main character can be anyone you desire, but for the story to continue they should be presented with a problem.  It can be a little challenge or one that's out of this world.  Whatever your character needs to overcome, make it as full of action as possible.

Many times, when you read a book, it is like watching a movie in your mind.  This is the type of descriptive detail you should have in your writing.  The next thing to remember is no story is rarely in its final form when first written.  It needs to be refined.  What will you do to make it better?

As you read through your story multiple times, look for grammatical and spelling errors. Is this the kind of story which will captivate, engage, and interest you?  Dazzle potential readers with a memorable title.  The true test of your story is to share it with others.  Share it with your dog, your best friend, or a group of listeners.  You know what you need to do now.  

STEP 1

Not only is author Kate Messner prolific, but her ability to pen a book for a wide audience is masterful.  Whether she is writing fiction or nonfiction, picture books or young adult novels, she meticulously presents a thoughtful and well-researched narrative.  In this title, her ten steps are strengthened with conversational suggestions having allure for numerous young authors (older authors, also).  Her advice inspires possibilities, provides examples, and encourages exploration.  Here is an additional passage.

STEP 3

CHOOSE A MAIN CHARACTER

That's the person who grows and

changes the most as the story unfolds.

You can brainstorm and draw your

main character if you want.  . . .  

The character on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case is contentedly focused on her writing.  It is clear she has already received guidance on how to write a story.  Spread before her are several pages for one story or the beginnings of several stories.  It's as if she has written down the musings of her mind.  Many of the elements are varnished.  To the left, on the back, the golden color shown at the top of the front is used to fashion yellow and white vertical stripes.  This is a playful, lighthearted design. 

On the opening and closing endpapers, and verso page, two hues of pink supply another vertical stripe pattern.  On the title page, to the right and next to some of the text, is a stack of materials used by writers, notebooks, sticky notes, and a pencil.  The colors and motif on the back of the jacket and case and endpapers is used again in the clothing of the main character.

Rendered

in ink and watercolor

these illustrations by Mark Siegel extend the text in cheerful depictions of setting and featured humans and animals.  There are charcoal gray squirrels in most of the images, either in a natural setting or as humorous extra characters.  When the girl is thinking, colorful speech clouds hold her thoughts.  Readers of the first title will be pleased to see the return of two members of that book's cast.  The illustration size is either bold, two-page pictures or spirited full-page images.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page picture.  It is enhancing the words:

or something a bit more adventurous . . .

In large capital letters in light purple we read:

SEA 

MONSTER HATCHES

IN CITY AQUARIUM!

These words run into a large, angry and hungry-looking orange monster with spikes, long claws and huge teeth.  It is half in and half out of the aquarium water with frightened fish and seaweed visible.  Two visitors to the aquarium in a darker shade of blue (against the turquoise of the water) are running away and screaming with their hands stretched out for speed and in fright.

This title, How To Write A Story written by Kate Messner with illustrations by Mark Siegel, is a valuable and entertaining asset for writers at every stage of development.  It's clarity, purpose and charming images combine to make it a stellar choice for your personal or professional libraries.  You might want to pair this book with Peter H. Reynolds' The Word Collector or Rocket Writes A Story by Tad Hills.

To discover more about Kate Messner and Mark Siegel and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Kate Messner has accounts on Facebook, Instagram (private), and Twitter.  Mark Siegel has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Kate Messner wrote a guest post at author Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations and at School Library Journal about writing.  Kate Messner is interviewd at educator Katherine Sokolowski's Read Write Reflect and LitWorld.

Pushing The Boundaries

For as long as there have been teachers and learners, each has challenged the other to be their best.  While the former may prompt and promote, the later sometimes responds in unexpected ways.  This in turn expands the mind of the teacher while growing confidence in the learner. This is how joy is generated in the classroom, wherever it is.

Where there is joy, learning will never end.  The Creativity Project: An Awesometastic Story Collection (Little, Brown and Company, March 13, 2018) edited by Colby Sharp, ideas & stories by Sherman Alexie, Tom Angleberger, Jessixa Bagley, Tracey Baptiste, Sophie Blackall, Lisa Brown, Peter Brown, Lauren Castillo, Kate DiCamillo, Margarita Engle, Deborah Freedman, Adam Gidwitz, Chris Grabenstein, Jennifer L. Holm, Victoria Jamieson, Travis Jonker, Jess Keating, Laurie Keller, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Kirby Larson, Minh Le, Grace Lin, Kate Messner, Daniel Nayeri, Naomi Shihab Nye, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, R. J. Palacio, Linda Sue Park, Dav Pilkey, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Dan Santat, Gary D. Schmidt, John Schu, Colby Sharp, Bob Shea, Liesl Shurtliff, Lemony Snicket, Laurel Snyder, Javaka Steptoe, Mariko Tamaki, Linda Urban, Frank Viva and Kat Yeh and YOU! seeks to empower readers.  There are stories everywhere waiting to be told and there are more ways than we can count to tell them.

WELCOME TO THE 
CREATIVITY PROJECT!
The book you hold in your hands is filled with ideas and stories created by some of my favorite authors and illustrators.  Here you will find talking hats, a magic elevator, a hefty cat, and advice from beyond the grave.  Each time I read through the collection, my mind is blown.  

Editor and author Colby Sharp asked each of the participants to send two prompts.  These prompts could literally be anything.  Then two prompts were chosen and sent back to the authors and illustrators.  They needed to select one and respond.

From a three line poem by Cuban American author and Young People's Poet Laureate Margarita Engle, author and illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi fashions a five page graphic short story.  The text and panels (some are wordless) are a perfect reply.  This serves to show possibilities to those more inclined to express themselves visually.  Teacher librarian, author, blogger at 100 Scope Notes and part of The Yarn podcast team, Travis Jonker submitted a visual prompt.  It's a coat rack with four different hats hanging on the hooks titled The Meeting.  Author and illustrator Laurie Keller responds in kind with hilarity. What if inanimate objects could speak?

You will read about a request for turning a favorite author's name into a title of a book they might write.  A frustrated mouse ends up riding away on a motorcycle.  (Minh Le writes and Victoria Jamieson draws)  A former student writes a letter to a teacher who brought a book into her classroom which connected to him.  To this day this student gives away books with joy and gratitude. (Victoria Jamieson writes and John Schu writes)

A single sentence by Linda Sue Park results in a two image reply by Sophie Blackall. Here is the sentence.

She threw it off the bridge into the river, and watched it disappear downstream.

What do you think Sophie drew?  It's a response most would not imagine.  Deborah Freedman's reply to Linda Urban's request having to do with folklore and being late will charm readers with her signature illustrative style.  My furry friend (and I) loves the visual answer given by Javaka Steptoe to author Kat Yeh's written invitation.  This is for all of you who have ever wished your dogs could talk.

We visit spaces through a portal created from a glow in a forest. (Lauren Castillo, image and Tracey Baptiste writes)  Four words by Mariko Tamaki will change the way you look at your neighbors after reading Dan Santat's graphic short story response. Author Jess Keating describes an item with a note of warning attached.  Peter Brown's illustration as an answer is sure to produce giggles and grins.

One of my many favorite combinations is illustrative.  Jennifer L. Holm inspires Minh Le to tie vegetables to Shakespeare.  You have to see this to believe it.  Then you'll laugh yourself silly.


No matter how many times you read these prompts and responses you will be inspired anew by the ingenuity of the participants.  You have to wonder how Colby Sharp decided which prompts to send to which participants. (I believe this is answered in a chat he has with Corrina Allen at Books Between Podcast.)  At the close of the title the authors and illustrators provide further prompts for readers.  Short biographies are also included.  (This post is written using an initial ARC of the book.)  This title will enhance your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Colby Sharp and those contributors mentioned here and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites or blogs.  Colby has another site here and a Facebook page here.  At the publisher's website you can read an excerpt. Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher, reveals the cover on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  Participants Debbie Ridpath Ohi and Deborah Freedman talk about this title on their websites.