Do's and Don'ts for Writers

I have come across several lists with some suggested characteristics shared by successful writers. I found this one by Robin Gardner to be particularly helpful. The 9 Signs of an Amateur Artist at Skinny Artist also struck a chord. As I have had some quiet time to actually focus on a writing schedule, I realize how much I usually let other things get in the way...so much can be accomplished with undivided attention!

A cautionary tale-- I am now on Facebook so these lists were found during time I spent distracted by my computer!

And Now for Something Completely Different... NATURE NOOK: Invaders of the Landscape

I wear several hats; wife, mom, aspiring children's author, master wildlife conservationist. Every now and then, I am going to switch hats and share some of the nature news I have learned. Welcome to the first edition of the Nature Nook. 

I spent some time waging war on some invasive plants. Invasives were imported to the US and spread abundantly after planting. They displace the native plants and decrease the diversity of the environment. Some of the invasive plants we were battling included:

Honeysuckle

 Bittersweet

 Multiflora Rose

 Barberry

Burning Bush

Why are native plants so important? There are species that have developed to survive on very specific native plants. For example, this spice bush swallowtail caterpillar will only feed on spice bush or sassafras. If the invasive plants had crowded out this sassafras bush, we would have also lost this caterpillar and the butterfly it will become.

Summertime is all about quiet reflection...and reading! My summer reading list is coming soon, if I can put my book down long enough to write it!

The View From the Adirondacks

The wild blueberries were SO abundant this year!

Congratulations!

Congrats to Natasha, a member of my critique group, for being a finalist in the picture book category for the Tassy Walden New Voices in Children's Literature award. And thanks to the Shoreline Arts Alliance for encouraging new writers. Well done!

Getting Out There

Two of the workshops I attended at the spring NESCBWI conference focused on goals I have set for myself...setting up a Facebook author's page and getting comfortable with the idea of doing school visits one day. Michelle Fontaine had some great tips for those of us that are really new to the world of social media. Her web-site is also packed with information. Kellie Celia from Walden Pond Press led us through the "whys" of school visits to the "hows" in an organized way that covered loads of material. She even included a Skype visit with a school librarian which showed how easily it could all be managed.

Learning Curve

At the NESCBWI conference in May, I attended a wonderful workshop about writing curriculum guides. The presenter,  Natalie Dias Lorenzi, was full of reasons why curriculum guides can be so important. She also reminded us of Bloom's taxonomy of learning domains...a flashback to college. These domains are helpful in choosing the types of questions asked:

Knowledge/Remembering- for example, yes/no questions, tell, list, describe

Comprehension/understanding- explain

Application- problem solving, choose, use

Analysis- organize, compare/contrast

Synthesis/evaluating- judge, determine

Evaluation/creating- plan, predict, design