Writing prompt #5 – Smelly Socks
2 Comments »9th March, 2008; Category: Master of Arts course, Poetry, Writing for Children, Writing prompts
One of the units I am particularly enjoying doing for my Master of Arts in Creative writing course is called Writing for Children. This is my main area of interest in doing the course. Our lecturer is a local writer who has many published books to her credit, including some award winners.
As a warm-up exercise in a recent workshop, Rosanne asked us to write down the title “Smelly Socks” and then asked us to write for five minutes about anything to do with smelly socks. Several students were asked to read out the results from this activity. Several were quite brilliant.
As far as I was concerned, the words “smelly socks” have a special rhythm to them which immediately suggested a poem for children. Here is the result of five minutes of writing. It’s not great poetry, but I sure had fun writing it – and then reading it to the class.
Smelly Socks
I hate smelly socks.
Smelly, smelly old socks.
They’re worse than a fox
That lives down near the docks,
Smelly, smelly, smelly, socks.I hate smelly shoes.
Smelly, smelly old shoes.
They’re worse than dog poos
And some terrible stews.
Smelly, smelly, smelly shoes.I hate smelly cats.
Smelly, smelly old cats.
They’re worse than my hats
And rotting old mats.
Smelly, smelly, smelly cats.(c) 2008 Trevor W. Hampel
As I said – it’s not great poetry, but I sure had fun.
Writing prompt:
Look around the house. Find a common object. Write about it for five minutes.
This is just a warm-up exercise to get you going on your major writing project for the day. Don’t be too fussy about the end product. Try not to edit or correct as you go – just get the words down. Write solidly for five minutes and then put it aside and get on with the main writing task for the day.
Don’t throw it away – come back to it in a few days and see if there is anything you can do with it. Does it lend itself to a non-fiction article, a poem, an essay or a short story?
Above all – have fun.
Good writing.
Easy reading and the art of writing
No Comments »30th May, 2007; Category: Picture Books, Quotes, Reading, Writing for Children, Writing Hints, Young Readers
“Easy reading is damn hard writing.” Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Writing that is easy to read is certainly hard to write.
Many misinformed people think they will start their writing career by writing picture book texts for children “because they are so simple they must be easy.” This assumption is totally wrong.
Have you ever tried to write a very simple text for four and five year olds with the following criteria?
- Have a limited vocabulary
- Write within a strict word count
- Tell an interesting story
- Be relevant to the needs and interests of children
- Be age relevant
- Be sparkling text
- Be socially inclusive, non-sexist, non-racist and non-everything
- Be innovative.
If you have, and been successful, then you don’t need to be reading this post.
In the early 1990s I wrote a series of texts for a publisher. These were for three to five year olds, and I know how difficult, challenging, exhausting and demanding it can be. Throw a publisher’s deadline into the mix and you will appreciate how hard it really can be.
With much practice in the art of writing you can make your writing appear easy.
It may appear easy, but the process is very hard.
Writing for Children
Over 35 years of working with children – I was an elementary school teacher until I retired three years ago – I developed a love of children’s books. I’ve also developed a desire to write books for children.
I’ve written several picture book texts as well as several novels for older children; all remained unpublished (but my day will come). I’ve had six books published; two were teachers’ curriculum guides and the others were children’s workbooks linked to the curriculum. I’ve also written many children’s poems, mostly unpublished too.
Many would-be authors think they will start by writing children’s books “because they are easier to write.” WRONG. Writing for children is a very demanding and difficult genre. As with many artistic endeavours, the easier it looks, the harder it is to do well.
Eugie Foster is a published author who has written a short guide called Writing for Young Readers on the Writing World website. She outlines the things to remember and things to avoid when writing for children.