What I See and What I Hear

I love seeing kids with big, fat books in their hands!  Books that they can't stop reading.  I watch them sneaking peeks at a page, a paragraph, a sentence, in between their school work...filling in every possible moment with more of the story they have entered. 

I love hearing the stories kids can make up and want to make up when I give them a start and they go - go - go! 

Tricky part:  Getting them to write down their stories.  Without fear of rejection.  Without fear of pressure that maybe they don't know the whole story yet - just that kernel that has gripped their imagination, if only momentarily. 

For me, what started as an occupation that give me a chance to share what I learned about writing from some of the most amazing children's authors today, is turning into an almost social cause, a campaign - a solution, if only in part, to balance the "teach to the test" necessary in school.  MSU - Where Kids Go to Make Stuff Up - is a place where kids can come and play with language, ideas, imagery, stories, and regain their confidence in the limitless boundaries of their imaginations. 

With creativity being the highest form of intelligence, making stuff up, will give our children that lift they need to think outside themselves.  Who knows what they will create for our futures?

MSU is coming soon!

It's August, a big planning month.  In October I facilitate the first creative writing class for my new venture, geared towards kids, grades 3-5:  MSU Academy - Where Kids Go to Make Stuff Up!  There are scores of Teaching Authors out there generously sharing their experience on websites and blogs.  My lesson plans get better and better each day.  This is fun.   

The not-so-fun part, but equally important, is the business end of things.  I've worked out a budget and a registration flyer.  I've purchased insurance.  I've signed contracts.  I've filed my FBN and opened a separate bank account.  My website is almost ready - still need to add photos and Pay Pal.  Today I started this blog. 

While I'm out there in cyberland researching for writing projects and researching for teaching writing to children, I'll use this blog to share what I learn with other curiosity seekers.   It's magic and it's method.  The beauty of a perfect child's story and the madness of bringing it to the page, to the hands of an engaging reader - this is my quest.

With my new adventure comes a new definition of what I offer to the world.  It's all very cool.  Good news:  Giddy excitement silences persistent, pesty self-doubts.