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I could give you all sorts of lessons about rising action and character development and realistic dialogue and other important story elements, but :
Instead, then, try these writing games and see where they lead you.
Close your eyes, spin around, stop, then look straight ahead. What’s the first object you see? Write it down. (And no cheating! Write down the very first thing.) Now, open a magazine or book to a random page, close your eyes, and plant your finger on the paper. Write down the word or picture you’ve pointed to. (If the word is something like “the” or “to”, choose the next substantial word following it.) Finally, ask the nearest person to name an object. Now, get to work and write a story, making sure all three words become important parts of your character or plot.
String together some random letters that make a pronounceable word that hasn’t existed before now. (See? You’ve already created something!) If you’re stumped, take a word you like then use a rhyme for it that’s not in the dictionary. Think about that word. What emotions does it evoke? What might it mean in another language? If someone came up to you and said, for example, “Can you help me find a flandolay (or insert your own word here)?” what would you think? Can you draw a picture of your word? Or is it an action verb? Or an adjective? Or an exclamation? Now, write a story using that word as your central element. (And yes, I have read the wonderful book, Frindle by Andrew Clements! Have you?)
If you’ve read The Seventh Level, you’ll understand the connection; Travis, the main character, receives blue envelopes with puzzles and messages which may lead him into his school’s secret society,
Personally, though, here’s why I like envelopes:
When you receive one, there’s a feeling of mystery. What’s inside? Is it good news? Bad news? No news? Is there a hundred-dollar bill? An invitation? A joke? A picture? A present?
Especially now, if you happen to receive real, hold-in-your-hand envelopes in the mail, your heart might beat a little faster and your anticipation might climb a little higher. At least, mine does. So, think about putting something fun in an envelope and sending it to a friend. Who knows what might happen? As a bonus…
See where they take your imagination!
If you read The Gollywhopper Games: The New Champion, you might remember that Cameron, the main character, feels most comfortable when he’s behind the camera. And yet, can’t have it during the Games.
People often ask if my books or characters are based on me or on people I know. My answer: never completely. I have to admit, though, I thoroughly relate to Cameron in this way. For many years, I chose to be the one who took all the pictures. “I love photography,” I’d say. But the full truth? Photography was the perfect tool to deal with shyness. My camera served as a great conversation piece and an even better escape mechanism when I ran out of things to say.
I’m happy to report that I don’t need that crutch anymore. In fact, I prefer to enjoy experiences without anything between me and whatever’s out there. That said, when I see something beautiful or interesting or unusual, I kick on my camera to capture the memories. Here are some of my favorites.
If you read The Gollywhopper Games: Friend or Foe, you might remember that Zane wants nothing more than to be in the NFL one day.
Me? No NFL aspirations, but I happen to love football. I happen to love sports of any kind as long as I have a rooting interest. I also happened to grow up in a neighborhood where sports were at the center of everything we kids did. We played baseball. We made up our own version of football called Kickover. We played games like Spud, Uncle Sam, and Red Rover. We rollerskated. We built snowmen and snow forts and, one time, a snow bench. Okay, sure. snow-building might not be a sport, but we sometimes turned it into a competition to see who could build the best or the biggest.
And so, on this page, I wanted to cheer for anyone who has enough passion and persistence to become good enough to get onto that playing field, even if it’s not a sports field. Hooray, if you’re working toward being the best in art or dance or singing or signing or inventing or investing or sewing or cooking or anything from saving the environment to discovering a new species to finding new ways toward peace.
Have you read The Gollywhopper Games?
If yes, you’ll remember the scene during the puzzle/stunt round of the Games.
Why else is there a hot air balloon on the shelf. It reminds me of travel and I love to travel to:
The thing about traveling is, you don’t necessarily need to go far away to have most of those experiences. It’s amazing what you can find within your own city or state, but if you’re lucky enough to venture farther away, make sure you take the time to try and notice everything…even the backsides of famous statues. (PIX)
Here are some places I’ve been and things I’ve seen!
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
Using a hand mixer (or whisk if you don’t have a hand mixer), beat the eggs until fluffy. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add to the egg mixture and beat all ingredients just until they become smooth. Let stand 5 minutes.
If the mixture seems thick, stir in a little more milk, one tablespoon at a time.
Turn stovetop onto a medium setting. Heat enough butter in frying pan or griddle to cover the bottom. Pour several tablespoons of the batter into the griddle. Fill with as many pancakes as will fit (know that the batter will spread a bit). When the pancakes have puffed up and begin to turn brown around the edge, flip them over and cook the other side. When they look done, remove them to a plate, butter pan once again, and repeat with remaining batter.
Eat the pancakes plain or with your topping of choice. I like maple syrup the best, but I know other people who prefer sugar or jelly. Experiment!
I’d tell you how many pancakes this makes, but I don’t know how big you plan to make them. Some people like giant-sized pancakes; some like silver-dollar sized pancakes; others like them in between. No matter what size, this should be enough to fill up 4-6 people. If you have any leftovers, freeze them in a plastic storage bag and have some another day!
If you read The Seventh Level, you know Travis loves his grandmother’s “moon” cookies. (They actually don’t have anything to do with the moon, but “moon” sounds like the Yiddish word for “poppy seeds”.) Travis’s grandmother, however, isn’t around to make them, and no matter what recipe his parents use to try and replicate them, the cookies don’t taste quite right. This comes directly from my life. I loved my grandmother’s poppy seed cookies, but never did find her exact recipe. The one below is from a great-aunt of mine, and they’re the closest I’ve come. Maybe the ones I remembered tasted better simply because I knew my grandmother made them.
P.S. These aren’t the easiest cookies to make, but if you follow directions and take your time, you can do it!
AUNT ANNIE’S VERSION OF MY GRANDMOTHER’S POPPY SEED COOKIES
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
Using a mixer, cream together the oil, sugar, and eggs. Add the water, orange juice, vanilla, and poppy seeds. In a separate bowl, stir together the baking powder, salt, and flour; stir into oil mixture until well combined. Divide dough into two balls.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheets with Pam or other cookie spray.
Sprinkle some flour onto a large board or other flat surface. Place a disk of dough on it, flatten it evenly with your hands and sprinkle a little more flour on top of that. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough until it’s about 1/4-inch thick. Using a round cookie cutter (traditional-shape) or other cookie cutter of your choice (you may need to dip that into flour as well), cut out cookies, and place on baking sheets. Leave one inch of space between each cookie. Gather up scraps of dough and repeat rolling-out process with that disk and the second disk until all dough has been cut.
Before baking, sprinkle cookies with extra sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly brown around the edges. Remove to wire racks to cool. Unlike most other cookies, these taste better once they have been fully cooled.
(Tess’s favorite in No Way Home)
Fill a large pot of water ¾ of the way. Add about 2 TB salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until almost tender.
Meanwhile coat a skillet with olive oil and, on medium-high heat, toast the pepper for about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.
Once the pasta is cooked, reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before you drain the pasta in a strainer. Add 3-4 tablespoons of the pasta water to the skillet with the pepper. Now, on medium heat, gradually add the cheese, stirring briskly. Add a little more pasta water if necessary. The sauce should be creamy and cling to the pasta (and not be watery).
Serve with additional cheese if you’d like. Enjoy!
Want more recipes? Just let me know!