Kickapoo Creative Writing Fall 2013

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Food, glorious food

I admire people who have the creativity to regularly come up with inspired dishes. I go to the grocery store to plan my family's week of meals and usually can't think of a single thing I want to or am able to make that isn't my mom's potato soup, a frozen Stouffer's casserole, or the old standby spaghetti. And then a lot of times, I bring home a bunch of groceries--usually enough for one or two meals, otherwise mostly snacks and drinks--and then I'm never in the mood for what I bought to make. So I end up wanting to go out to eat. I wonder if I'll ever get my act together and become the kind of cook and mom my son can look back on and remember fondly. What will he say when he is older? "My mom sure did make a great frozen pizza...?"



Speaking of my son, he brought home this Foods with Moods book a while back and, like a number of reviewers, we were both quite fascinated by it. Now that's some creativity right there...The author has used only carving and a few supplemental food pieces to make fruits and vegetables express a variety of feelings.



You can find all sorts of other artistic uses of foods out there in blogland and on the Internet. You might have even been to restaurants or catered events where the chefs have been especially innovative in the presentation of their food. Or maybe you just remember your mom or dad or someone else when you were little arranging your food in cute ways on your plate.




Please create a New Post on your blog inspired by food or a food memory.  See the yellow sheet with the Thanksgiving cornucopia at the top for ideas and more details.  There really isn't a wrong answer, but shoot for about 300 words.  

Please print a copy of your piece to share with us in class on Tuesday.  And if you are able, please bring a food to share with the class (possibly connected to your writing piece).  I'll bring something to drink and plates, napkins, forks, etc.

We'll have a feast in the classroom, share our food memories and do a little thinking about what we're grateful for.  I am thankful for kind, creative, driven students like you all who are willing to try new things and continually impress me with what you're able to come up with.

If you have time, you can also cruise around and look at food blogs like this one to bring back more ideas or inspire new thinking. As you might imagine, there are tons and tons of pieces about food and even food memory in magazines and on the Internet. Probably because most people really love to eat!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Keepin' it Reel


2 New Posts this week:  Share your thoughtful answers to 4-5 of the Dan In Real Life questions.  Shoot for about 250 words.  Include an image.



Do a second New Post answering the following questions about your preferences in movies.
  • Tell us about your favorite movie and why you like it.
  • Tell us about the kinds of movies you don't care for usually.
  • Tell us about how often and where you usually watch movies.
  • Tell us about what you need for movie viewing (environment, food, company, etc.)
  • Tell us about what this survey says about you.
  • If my life story was made into a movie...
Include images in this post also. Thanks!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

This is...Photo Writing

I like this image...it's a print available at one of my favorite websites called Etsy, where you can buy all sorts of vintage and handmade goods. So much creativity and inspiration there...have a look some time.

I'd like you to do a New Post on your own blog with some writing about one of your own photos inspired by Katy Barber's "Photograph 1969." I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you'd like to arrange your words as a poem or a short piece of prose. I'll be looking for a vivid description of what we can actually see in the photo, followed by that "twist" we discussed in class, where you intimate or imply what else is "in" the photo...an understanding, an observation, a hint at something that came later...something more. Please include the photo in your post. 

If you don't have a photo of your own or find that too personal, find a striking or interesting photo that speaks to you on the internet or in a magazine and write about it in this same way instead.  You could also use the antique photo you looked at in class as your inspiration.  Feel free to post any other writing inspired by photos that you've come up with this week, too...

Photograph 1969 by Katy Barber

This is my mother
lifting her hair long
like a low whistle
off her neck
These are her fingers
caught in the tangles
of brown and gold caught in
silver earrings
This is my father
reaching through the lens
to touch the edge
of a new family
to touch her opening belly
under her full dress

This is existing
before I exist

This is me growing up
against their lives
him watching for a sharp
breath from her looking out
onto the border of birth
this is bumping us into three

Sunday, November 10, 2013

inspiring images




























Please do a New Post today on your blog inspired by one of these images and following these steps:

1. Add the image to your post. (You can right-click the image and save it on your computer to upload, or you can click the link below the photo and copy/paste the url--sometimes you lose the image later when you do it this way).

2. Write a prose paragraph of about 250 words inspired by the image (a fictional story, a personal memory, a vivid description...whatever comes to mind).

3. Then rearrange the exact same words in your paragraph as a free verse poem (like we did with the horoscope sentences). Experiment with the font if you'd like.

Example--yours should be a bit longer at 250 words (inspired by Photo #10):

Prose:

He put his hand on the back of my neck and kissed me, like he knew just who I was and what I wanted, that I loved summer nights and big, thick books, dancing and chocolate milk. I just closed my eyes. I didn't know if his favorite color was red or blue, if he liked Italian or Chinese.

Poem:

He put his hand
on the back
of my neck
and kissed me

like he knew
just who I was and
what I wanted

that I loved summer nights
and big, thick books
dancing
and chocolate milk

I just closed my eyes

I didn't know
if his favorite color
was red or blue
if he liked
Italian or Chinese.

For this week: I know it will be hard to remember, but I'd like you to bring in some images of your own to inspire some writing--your own photos, snapshots, family pictures or even images you've come across in magazines or on the web. Could you get these photos onto your phone or flash drive so you can upload them to your blog at some point later this week?

Also, grade checks go out Wednesday.  Review the assignments on our class blog and make up any posts you're missing if you'd like to improve your grade.

Be ready to turn in your journal again this Friday for our mid-2nd quarter check (already!?). You should have 20 new, full pages.  Thanks!

Thanks so much...

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Tell me a story!

Please write a children's story of 300-500 words and share it in a New Post on your own blog by the end of class on Thursday.  You'll need your story in class on Friday, so please print a finished, proofread copy, too.  Give your story a great title and please include at least 3 images throughout your post (kids' stories are often all about the pictures!)--maybe of images that come close to how you imagine your character(s), the setting(s), or even the events.

Children's stories aren't usually all that long, but because of their brevity, each line and word needs to count.  Try to make strong and effective word choices and eliminate any unnecessary rambling.  Also, decide on an age group to target with your story and keep that in mind as you craft your piece.  What would a kid that age know, want to know, think about, be scared of, find funny, etc.?  You may want your story to rhyme--seems like many kids' books do--but it's not required.  Your story could be funny or serious, silly or sentimental...

You are welcome to write about whatever you want, but there are a number of ideas for stories at this website if you're looking for inspiration, or maybe you could try the brainstorming process explained on this website.

Or maybe consider these ideas from the site Children's Book Writer:

Select one character, one character trait, one setting, one problem, and one magical element from the lists below and write a 200-250 word scene or story. To complete the exercise, eliminate the magical element and rewrite the scene/story. What had to change? Does the magical element make your main character, and the story he tells, any stronger?

Main Character (select one from list or create your own)
Cassandra
Joey
Lizard
Ardvark
Gollup

Character Trait (select one)
Shy
Curious
Loud
Slippery
Sad


Setting (select one)
Cruise ship
Hot air balloon
Zoo
School playground
Beach


Problem (select one)
Forgot lunch
Lost
Make a new friend
Bullied
Cold
Save the planet


Magical element (select one)
Skateboard
Bubble
Jumprope
Elephant
Dollar bill
...........................................................................................................

Select a beginning, a main character, and a moral to convey. Imagine yourself telling your tale to a rapt group of children... Keep interest high by using active verbs and phrases, use conflict to create tension, and try lots of dialogue. To complete the exercise, read it aloud!

Beginning:

My friends! Gather around, close to me. We are about to embark on a strange journey...

Once upon a time, in a land nearly forgotten...

I'm as old as the trees, as old as the stars in the night sky. Only I am old enough to remember what happened a long time ago...

Long ago and far away...


Character:

The Bovine King
Quiet Leopard
The Boy in the Moon
Two Sisters 
The Dancing Rabbit in the Moon
The Lonely Princess
Warty Frog

Moral or Lesson to be Learned:

Always practice kindness
A good deed can make a difference
Only you can control your attitude.
Sometimes things are not as they appear to be.
Don't be afraid to challenge authority

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Children's Lit Online Search


Hi there. I'd like you to do a guided search today to see what's out there in the world of children's literature. I've put in links to the web addresses listed on the worksheet here on this post for you to make your search easier. A couple of the sites are interactive and have sound, video and other activities, and you're welcome to scroll around on those in addition to just answering the questions.

1. First stop: Cyberbee

2. Next stop: Pigeon Presents


 4. Walter the Dog link

5. Top 10 of 2013 by Breezy Mama

6. Top 10 "Classic" Children's Books @ Best Toys Guide

7. Current Trends in Children's Lit article

8. No link for this one--look for a review of your own favorite

9. Skippyjon Jones Home Page

Make sure you've completed the New Post on your blog about the kids' book you looked at in the library and the other New Post responding to several of the prompts about childhood.  See the two previous posts below for more information.

Books for Kids


Please type up the information from the folded sheet regarding a children's book in the library as a New Post on your blog.  Include a couple of images.  Glue the half sheet in your journal to count as an entry.