Selected Poems of T. Roethke | My Papa's Waltz. Young by Anne Sexton. The Plot Thickens: A Graphic Organizer for Teaching Writing | A Learning Experience. So, it’s time to assign a writing project to your class. You want creative stories with a clear beginning, middle and end. But how do you get your students–from third grade through high school–to craft well-developed tales (and not rambling gibberish that, let’s face it, you will dread grading)? Here’s a super creative way to teach plot to your students. Just walk them through the attached Plot Skeleton organizer (which was adapted from Angela E. Hunt), and they’ll be equipped with all the elements of a good story. An Explanation of the Chart: Main Character Needs: What are the deep needs of your main character (which will turn into motives for action)?
Inciting Incident: What happens to change the course of the story? Complications: Events that happen as the main character tries to resolve the conflict. Help: What happens to help the character overcome the conflict? Lesson or Decision: What lesson is learned or decision made by the main character as a result? Here’s how to use it: 1. 2.
The Saturday Poem: The Long Evenings of their Leavetakings. My mother was married by the water.She wore a grey coat and a winter rose. She said her vows beside a cold seam of the Irish coast. She said her vows near the shore wherethe emigrants set down their consonantal n: on afternoon, on the end of everything, at the start of ever. Yellow vestments took in lighta chalice hid underneath its veil. Her hands were full of calla and cold weather lilies. The mail packet dropped anchor.A black headed gull swerved across the harbour. Icy promises rose beside a cross-hatch of ocean and horizon. I am waiting for the words of the service. All I hear is an afternoon's worth of never. • From New and Selected Poems, published by Carcanet, RRP £12.95.
The Ultimate Guide to Writing Better Than You Normally Do. Writing is a muscle. Smaller than a hamstring and slightly bigger than a bicep, and it needs to be exercised to get stronger. Think of your words as reps, your paragraphs as sets, your pages as daily workouts. Think of your laptop as a machine like the one at the gym where you open and close your inner thighs in front of everyone, exposing both your insecurities and your genitals.
Because that is what writing is all about. Procrastination is an alluring siren taunting you to google the country where Balki from Perfect Strangers was from, and to arrange sticky notes on your dog in the shape of hilarious dog shorts. The blank white page. Mark Twain once said, “Show, don’t tell.” Finding a really good muse these days isn’t easy, so plan on going through quite a few before landing on a winner. There are two things more difficult than writing. It’s no secret that great writers are great readers, and that if you can’t read, your writing will often suffer. I thank You God for most this amazing by E. E. Cummings. Saturday Oct. 26, 2013 Listen Download E-mail Share i thank You God for most this amazing by E. E. Cummings i thank You God for most this amazing day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes (i who have died am alive again today, and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay great happening illimitably earth) how should tasting touching hearing seeing breathing any—lifted from the no of all nothing—human merely being doubt unimaginable You?
"i thank You God for most this amazing" by E.E. It's the birthday of Beryl Markham (books by this author), born Beryl Clutterbuck on this day in 1902 in Leicester, England. Hemingway, who typically savaged other writers rather than praising them, had known Markham from a safari he'd taken in Kenya, where she had grown up. It was on this day in 1825 that the Erie Canal opened. Beyond the Red River by Thomas McGrath. Eden Rock by Charles Causley.
Flanigan's Field- a horrible spat when the porcupine started to cuddle the cat. Dog Dreaming by W. S. Merwin. Monday Sep. 30, 2013 Listen Download E-mail Share Dog Dreaming by W. S. The paws twitch in a place of chasing Where the whimper of this seeming-gentle creature Rings out terrible, chasing tigers.
"Dog Dreaming" by W.S. It's the birthday of American writer Truman Capote (books by this author), born in New Orleans (1924). It's the birthday of the former poet laureate of the United States: W.S. He started writing poems when he was four or five years old, he said — at first, they were mostly hymns to give to his father, a Presbyterian minister. He wrote plays for the Poets' Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts, edited poetry for The Nation, and translated a lot of other people's poetry.
He said: "I think there's a kind of desperate hope built into poetry now that one really wants, hopelessly, to save the world. On this date in 1791, Mozart's opera The Magic Flute premiered in Vienna. Be well, do good work, and keep in touch. Words. Thunderstorm in Dorset, Vermont by John Updike. Tuesday Sep. 10, 2013 Listen Download E-mail Share Thunderstorm in Dorset, Vermont by John Updike It needs green hills to host a thunderstorm; this grumbling giant needs a place to hide and break his kindling into splinters, one stick at a time, and then in bundles, compacted threats that issue forth from where an oily darkness reigns beyond the ridge. The sizzle in our brains is overruled by such triumphant voltage overload.
"Thunderstorm in Dorset, Vermont" by John Updike, from Endpoint. © Knopf, 2009. On this date in 2008, at 10 o'clock a.m. local time, engineers flipped the switch to turn on the Large Hadron Collider for the very first time. The Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest machine: it's a ring, 27 kilometers [about 17 miles] around, that's buried deep below the Swiss and French Alps.
The Large Hadron Collider was shut down again this past February so it could undergo an upgrade, including installation of an even more powerful magnet. Progress by Julie Cadwallader-Staub. Saturday Sep. 7, 2013 Listen Download E-mail Share Progress by Julie Cadwallader-Staub I did not just drag and drop. I did not just haul a burden so heavy that my hands, arms, and shoulders gave way and I had to let it go. Neither did I just browse. "Progress" by Julie Cadwallader-Staub. © Julie Cadwallader-Staub.
It was on this day in 1927 that the first successful television image was demonstrated, by the inventor Philo T. Farnsworth was a star science student. Farnsworth finished high school in a couple of years, then started college at Brigham Young University. On this day in 1927, he transmitted the first electronic television image: a straight line. He continued to refine his technology. Farnsworth died of pneumonia in 1971. It's the birthday of singer and songwriter Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holly, born in Lubbock, Texas, in 1936. It's the birthday of Queen Elizabeth the First of England, born in Greenwich, England (1533). Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.
Mediterranean by Rosanna Warren. Tuesday Jul. 23, 2013 Listen Download E-mail Share Mediterranean by Rosanna Warren The text for this poem is no longer available. "Mediterranean" by Rosanna Warren, from Ghost in a Red Hat. © Norton, 2011. It was on this day in 1903 that the Ford Motor Company sold its first car, a two-cylinder Model A. Ford had $28,000 in investment funds, but by the time the first Model A was sold, the company had just $224 left in the bank. In 1908, five years after selling the first Model A, Ford rolled out its Model T, and the company truly took off. It's the birthday of Raymond Chandler (books by this author), born in Chicago (1888). He wrote pulp fiction about the city of Los Angeles and a detective there named Philip Marlowe.
Chandler was never any good at coming up with plots. Chandler is famous for his metaphors. Be well, do good work, and keep in touch. A Romance for the Wild Turkey by Paul Zimmer. Saturday May 12, 2012 Listen Download E-mail Share A Romance for the Wild Turkey by Paul Zimmer They are so cowardly and stupid Indians would not eat them For fear of assuming their qualities. The wild turkey always stays close To home, flapping up into trees If alarmed, then falling out again. "A Romance for the Wild Turkey" by Paul Zimmer, from Crossing to Sunlight Revisited. © The University of Georgia Press, 2007.
Today is the birthday of Canadian author and conservationist Farley Mowat (books by this author), born in Belleville, Ontario (1921). It's the birthday of novelist and poet Rosellen Brown (books by this author), born in Philadelphia (1939). It's the birthday of Florence Nightingale (books by this author), born in Florence, Italy, to a wealthy English family (1820). In 1860, she founded the Nightingale School and Home for Nurses. In her Notes on Nursing (1860), she wrote: "I use the word nursing for want of a better. Be well, do good work, and keep in touch. Zimmer in Grade School by Paul Zimmer. Bach and My Father by Paul Zimmer. Tuesday Jun. 28, 2011 Listen Download E-mail Share Bach and My Father by Paul Zimmer Six days a week my father sold shoes To support our family through depression and war, Nursed his wife through years of Parkinson's, Loved nominal cigars, manhattans, long jokes, Never kissed me, but always shook my hand.
"Bach and My Father" by Paul Zimmer, from Crossing to Sunlight Revisited. © The University of Georgia Press, 2007. It's the birthday of England's Henry VIII, born in Greenwich in 1491. He gave up participating in jousting and tournaments in 1536, after he was knocked unconscious for two hours. Today is the birthday of the founder of the Methodist movement, John Wesley (1703) (books by this author). By 1739, he felt he wasn't really reaching people from the pulpit, so he took to the fields, traveling on horseback, preaching two or three times a day. He was also an ardent abolitionist.
He grew increasingly paranoid in his later years, convinced that his friends were plotting against him. Dog Music by Paul Zimmer. Thursday Aug. 29, 2013 Listen Download E-mail Share Dog Music by Paul Zimmer Amongst dogs are listeners and singers. "Dog Music" by Paul Zimmer, from Crossing to Sunlight Revisited. © The University of Georgia Press. 2007 Reprinted with permission. It's the birthday of British philosopher John Locke (books by this author), born in Wrington, Somerset, England (1632). John Locke said, "The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts. " It's the birthday of jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, born in Kansas City, Kansas (1920). Before Parker's innovations, jazz meant swing, melodies played at dance tempos by musicians in big orchestras who never got to take solos for very long.
As a teenager, Parker became addicted to morphine while hospitalized after a car accident. Parker said: "I realized by using the high notes of the chords as a melodic line, and by the right harmonic progression, I could play what I heard inside me. Be well, do good work, and keep in touch. The Ultimate Guide to Writing Better Than You Normally Do. The End by Victoria Redel. Sunday Aug. 25, 2013 Listen Download E-mail Share The End by Victoria Redel At the end of the marriage they lay down on their big, exhausted bed. "The End" by Victoria Redel, from Woman Without Umbrella. © Four Way Books, 2012.
It's the birthday of conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein, born in Lawrence, Massachusetts (1918). And it's the birthday of the eccentric King Ludwig II of Bavaria, or "Mad Ludwig" or "The Swan King," as he was called, born near Munich (1845). As Ludwig showered gifts, praise, and attention on the composer, his Bavarian subjects grew increasingly resentful. During his reign, Ludwig remained a patron of the arts — theater, music, and architecture. It's the birthday of novelist Martin Amis (books by this author), born in Oxford, England (1949). Amis' father didn't really encourage him to write, but Amis felt having a famous writer as a father made it easier to get published. Be well, do good work, and keep in touch. Bookmobile by Joyce Sutphen. Thursday Oct. 13, 2011 Listen Download E-mail Share Bookmobile by Joyce Sutphen I spend part of my childhood waiting for the Sterns County Bookmobile.
"Bookmobile" by Joyce Sutphen, from Coming Back to the Body. © Holy Cow! It's the birthday of novelist Conrad Richter (books by this author), born in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania (1890). He went to school until he was 15, then dropped out to earn some money. Richter's wife, Harvena, was not in the best of health, and in 1928 the Richters uprooted and moved to New Mexico, hoping that the drier air would help her. A neighbor in New Mexico, a longtime resident of Ohio, was fascinated by history, and the two men spent a lot of time talking about Ohio's pioneer days.
Richter never achieved the level of popular success he desired. In The Trees, Richter wrote: "Everywhere she went the trees stood around her like a great herd of dark beasts. It's the birthday of cookbook author Mollie Katzen (books by this author), born in Rochester, New York (1950). List of Greek mythological figures. Next Time by Joyce Sutphen. Monday Aug. 5, 2013 Listen Download E-mail Share Next Time by Joyce Sutphen I'll know the names of all of the birds and flowers, and not only that, I'll tell you the name of the piano player I'm hearing right now on the kitchen radio, but I won't be in the kitchen, I'll be walking a street in New York or London, about to enter a coffee shop where people are reading or working on their laptops.
"Next Time" by Joyce Sutphen, from After Words. © Red Dragonfly Press, 2013. Today in 1884, the cornerstone of the Statue of Liberty's pedestal was laid. Lazarus was devoted to the plight of Jewish immigrants, and she imagined that the statue would become a symbol of hope for all Ellis Island arrivals. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp! " It's the birthday of Wendell Berry (books by this author), born in Port Royal, Kentucky (1934).
Wendell Berry said, "Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you. " Be well, do good work, and keep in touch. WRITERS ON WRITING; Easy on the Adverbs, Exclamation Points and Especially Hooptedoodle. Prayer by Marie Howe. Friday Mar. 16, 2012 Listen Download E-mail Share Prayer by Marie Howe Every day I want to speak with you.
And every day something more important calls for my attention—the drugstore, the beauty products, the luggage I need to buy for the trip. Even now I can hardly sit here among the falling piles of paper and clothing, the garbage trucks outside already screeching and banging. "Prayer" by Marie Howe, from The Kingdom of Ordinary Time. © W. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter was published on this date in 1850 (books by this author). Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket on this date in 1926. Eight years later, while studying at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Goddard began experimenting with a rocket that was powered by gunpowder. The New York Times heard about his paper and ridiculed him. Today is the 60th birthday of Alice Hoffman (books by this author), born in New York City (1952). Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.
My Dead Friends by Marie Howe. Annie Dillard on Writing and the Generosity of Spirit. Do not stand at my grave and weep by Mary Elizabeth Frye. One Art by Elizabeth Bishop. Making your writing the best it can be: top tips from children's books editors | Children's books. Selected Poems of T. Roethke | The Waking. Creative writing resource. Ronald Blythe... The Laughing Heart by Charles Bukowski - The Best American Poetry. Anecdote of the Jar by Wallace Stevens. At the Cottage of Messer Violi by Paul Violi. Story Starters, Creative Writing Ideas for Fiction. - StumbleUpon. The Difference Between Pepsi and Coke by David Lehman. Iain Banks: the final interview. From Woody's Restaurant, Middlebury by Greg Delanty. JOHN CIARDI. Bees and Morning Glories by John Ciardi. 31 Quotes That Will Give You Chills - Ars Spiritus.
Forgetfulness by Billy Collins. COMPLETE COLLECTION OF POEMS BY RUDYARD KIPLING. Creative writing resource. Drought. Your Bright Jays. Creative Writing For Dummies Cheat Sheet. Poems - Puck's Song. "Into my heart an air that kills...," by A. E. Housman.