Empowering Unsung Women in History
Every culture has superstitious beliefs. As a child, I was encouraged not to step on sidewalk cracks lest I break my mother's back, to throw spilled salt over my shoulder, and not let black cats cross my path. While researching my book Aloha Spirit, I learned about Hawaiian superstitions because one of my characters is… Continue reading Hawaiian Superstitions
I have always had the need to express myself creatively. I drew and colored and wrote stories, and later tried every art or craft I could. It was more than fun. My very soul demanded creative expression. I even remember making up stories in middle school and passing them off as truth--like how my mother… Continue reading Creative Expression
One of the hardest things in writing historical fiction is to describe the world fully enough for the modern reader to imagine it while at the same time not having the character exclaim over, or even notice, items that are common to them. In our everyday lives, for example, we pass by buildings in our… Continue reading Background in Historical Fiction
One of the writing genres we teach in sixth grade is personal narrative. A narrative is a story, or fiction, but a personal narrative is based on a real event. The struggle is getting students to write good stories about an event in their lives. Now personal essay, or memoir, is supposedly a different genre.… Continue reading Creative Nonfiction
This week in a writing class, we have a fun assignment. Try it yourself! *It needs to be one paragraph, exactly seven sentences. No dialogue. *It should be the first paragraph or the last paragraph of a Young Adult novel, meaning the main character should be a teenager. *It can be in first person, but… Continue reading Writing Exercise
