Understanding the Reading Process: Predicting - Verifying - Clarifying by Carol Fraser Boles

"Understanding the Reading Process: Predicting - Verifying - Clarifying"

by Carol Fraser Boles, Literacy Specialist for the National Writing for Children Center


I invite you to visit the National Writing for Children Center and read the Carol Fraser Boles article on "Understanding the Reading Process: Predicting - Verifying - Clarifying," which uses The Golden Pathway as an example.

"The thought process children (or anyone) go through to understand what they are reading involves a specific sequence of steps. These steps are: predicting, reading, verifying and clarifying, reading..."
 
http://writingforchildrencenter.com/2011/04/18/understanding-the-reading-process-predicting-%e2%80%93-verifying-%e2%80%93-clarifying/
 
Join in the discussion sparked by this article. We welcome your comments and experience.
 
Thank you for your time and interest.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm

Children’s Author, Donna McDine’s 6-day Author Showcase hosted by the National Writing for Children Center kicks off Mon, April 18

M E D I A  R E L E A S E
CONTACT: Suzanne Lieurance

Email: suzannelieurance@hotmail.com

Website: http://writingforchildrencenter.com/

Children’s Author, Donna McDine’s 6-day Author Showcase hosted by the National Writing for Children Center kicks off Mon, April 18

Children’s Author Donna McDine is being showcased the entire month of April at the National Writing for Children Center. Part of this showcase includes a 6-day virtual book tour. Join Suzanne Lieurance, founder and director of the National Writing for Children Center, and the virtual specialist tour hosts as they welcome Donna McDine for her exclusive tour that starts Monday, April 18.

Donna McDine is an award-winning children's author, Honorable Mention in the 77th and two Honorable Mentions in the 78th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competitions. Her stories have been published in many print and online publications and her interest in American History resulted in writing and publishing The Golden Pathway. Donna has two more books under contract with Guardian Angel Publishing, The Hockey Agony and Powder Monkey. She writes, moms and is the Editor-in-Chief for Guardian Angel Kids and Publicist for the NWFCC from her home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI and Musing Our Children.

Travel back in time and learn more about the Underground Railroad and Ms. McDine through her virtual book tour:

Monday, April 18

“Meet the Author”

Host: Terri Forehand – http://www.terri-forehand.blogspot.com/


Tuesday, April 19

“The Writer’s Life”

Host: Nancy I. Sanders – http://www.nancyisanders.wordpress.com/


Wednesday, April 20

“Tradebook Tips for Teachers”

Host: Lori Calabrese – http://www.loricalabrese.blogspot.com/


Thursday, April 21

“Writing Tips

Host: Nicole Weaver – http://www.melangeofcultures.wordpress.com/


Friday, April 22

“On the Go”

Host: Irene Roth – http://www.rothsinspiringbooksandproducts.wordpress.com/


Saturday, April 23

“Become a Facebook Fan”

Host: Suzanne Lieurance – http://www.suzannelieurance.com/

Thank you for your interest, we look forward to your visit.

Authors interested in being showcased at the National Writing for Children Center can download an application www.writingforchildrencenter.com or email Suzanne Lieurance for more information at info@writingforchildrencenter.com.  

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm

Amy O'Quinn's, NWFCC Homeschooling Specialist article - "Using Picture Books to Introduce Sensitive Topics to Children"

I'm thrilled to share with you all, Amy O'Quinn's, NWFCC Homeschooling Specialist article - "Using Picture Books to Introduce Sensitive Topics to Children"
http://writingforchildrencenter.com/2011/04/08/using-picture-books-to-introduce-sensitive-topics-to-children/


What a surprise for me this is, since Amy incorporates my book, The Golden Pathway into her article.


Great way to end the week!


Thank you for your time and interest!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm

Writing Tips from Alexa and Monique Peters

Meet this interesting mother-daughter, author-illustrator team, Alexa and Monique Peters.

Day 4 of L.D. Harkrader's Virtual Book Tour by the National Writing for Children Center

Join me in welcoming L.D. Harkrader on Day 4 of her Virtual Book Tour by the NWFCC.

L.D. Harkrader loved books from the minute she first held one in her hand. She loved bedtime stories and convinced her amazingly accommodating parents to read the same books to her over and over until she had memorized the stories and could recite them out loud even before she knew how to read. Once she did learn to read, you couldn’t pry books from her hot little hands. In school, her favorite days were library day and the day her teacher passed out the Scholastic Book Club flyers. In the third grade, she realized that somebody had to write all those books she loved to read, and decided that someday one of those some bodies would be her. Now, nearly forty years later, she’s making that third-grade dream come true.

Writing Tips from Children’s Writer L.D. Harkader


In college, I took a course in magazine writing. The focus was nonfiction, rather that fiction, but the first day of class, the instructor gave us the best piece of writing advice I’ve ever heard. It has served me well no matter what kind of writing I’m working on. He said, “Write with verbs.”

He meant write with strong, active, concrete verbs, Anglo-Saxon verbs such as rattle and lumber and yearn, verbs that get to the point and paint a picture, rather than abstract Latinate verbs such as maximize and precipitate. When I read “the woman lumbered,” I see exactly what she’s doing and what she looks like doing it. When I read “the woman maximized,” I see. . . nothing. The last thing I want to give readers is nothing.

When I write, I focus on those strong verbs, as well as strong nouns. I’m suspicious of adjectives and (especially) adverbs. Sometimes you can’t help using an adjective. Sometimes readers need to know that the vampire’s eyes are red. But too often writers use adjectives and adverbs to try to prop up weak nouns and verbs. When I find them in my own writing, I stop and try to find a more vivid way to write the sentence. If I see:

The truck steered carefully over the uneven road.

I rewrite like this:

The truck bumped over the ruts.

By eliminating the adverb and adjective and using a stronger verb and noun (not that there’s anything wrong with steer or road; in this sentence, bump and rut are just more descriptive), I not only paint a more vivid picture, I shorten and simplify the sentence. The best writing is clear, simple, and concise. With a strong verb, you get all three.

Lisa, thank you for your tips on writing strong.

Be sure to leave Lisa a comment and/or question for she will be checking in throughout the day to interact with our visitors. By leaving a comment you are automatically entered at a chance to win the Giftbox Giveaway from the National Writing for Children Center.

Follow Lisa on her next virtual book tour stop on Oct 13 hosted by Suzanne Lieurance at http://suzannelieurance.com/.

Mieke Blommestein Visits on 4th Day of Virtual Book Tour by the National Writing for Children Center

Mieke Blommestein is a contemporary spiritual teacher who is not aligned with any particular religion or tradition. She lives in a small mountain village in British Columbia with her husband. They have three grandchildren. The Tale of Miss Spider Who Spun Her Web is the first story channeled just for children by Mieke’s Spirit Guide, Emanuel. A wonderful teaching tool for parents, The tale of Miss Spider will inspire and help children listen to their own soft, loving and kind inner voices.

Mieke takes the time out to share with us her Top 7 Writing Tips. Who doesn't love tips? They are direct and easy to reference to as you journey along your writing path.

Welcome Mieke!

The first thing I would like to say is be patient with your self. Trust and believe in your self. Pick up your pen and piece of paper, silence the mind, and let the words flow in. Make sure you are in a room where it is quiet, stop the mind chatter, and listen to your soft, inner voice.
Do not block your self by your mind that might say: This is not going anywhere, I can not write anything!
 This will only block your creative flow. Again trust in your self, know that you can do anything you want to do in your life. You are the creator of your life; you are the creator of your stories. And the words for your story will appear in your mind, this is a place where everything starts to flow, only if you allow it to flow.



Tips:

1. Silence the mind.

2. Situate your self in a quiet space, without phone or any other things that might disturb you.

3. Pick up your pen and paper, and listen to your inner voice.

4. You might say to your self, today I am going to write a story about.......................................... then be still and listen to the words coming in your mind. Then start writing, open your mind to all possibilities, and trust in your self.

5. Trusting in your self is very important. This will give you the energy flow towards your creations. Trust alone will avoid writers block.

6. Take one-step at the time. Do not look to far ahead, do not look at the outcome. For when you do, things might be come to overwhelming for you, and then you might stop writing.

7. Ask for help from Family or Friends, teachers etc, support is very important.

Be sure to leave a comment and/or question for Mieke for she will be checking-in throughout the day to interact with our visitors.

Follow all 7 authors on their 6-day Virtual Book Tours and leave comments and you could win the Giftbox Giveaway from the National Writing for Children Center.

Visit with Mieke on Oct 12 with Suzanne Lieurance as her host at http://suzannelieurance.com/.

Thank you for your interest and time.

Day 4 of Suzanne Marion's Virtual Book Tour with the National Writing for Children Center

Welcome to Suzanne Marion as she continues to travel through cyberspace on her Virtual Book Tour by the National Writing for Children Center.

Suzanne Davis Marion grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and graduated from the University of Arizona and from the University of Houston Moores School of Music.  She is a mezzo-soprano, pianist, composer, and teacher.  Several years ago she developed a small business creating personalized lullabies and play songs for children (www.lullabiesbysuzanne.com).  She and her husband Stuart live in Houston, Texas with their two large dogs, Laura and Diana.

Suzanne is here today to share writing for children advice.

Welcome Suzanne.

My best advice for those interested in writing for children is to read to children, tell stories to children, ask them to share stories with you, and in general find out what it is they enjoy and would like to hear.  It has also been of help to me to remember what it was I liked to read about when I was a child, and what kind of stories I enjoyed having told to me or read to me.  It is always helpful to try things out on actual children to see their reactions.  They will provide an honest and spontaneous audience.

Thank you for your sound advice.

Follow all 7 authors on their 6-day Virtual Book Tours and leave comments and you could win the Giftbox Giveaway from the National Writing for Children Center.

Be sure to leave Suzanne a comment and/or question for she will be checking in throughout the day.

Follow Suzanne on her next stop hosted by Suzanne Lieurance on Oct 11 at http://suzannelieurance.com/.

Day 4 of Mayra Calvani's NWFCC Virtual Book Tour

Writing Tips from Children’s Writer Mayra Calvani


Writing original, engaging, fun children’s picture books kids will love takes A LOT more work than people think. Just being a mom or a grandma doesn’t qualify someone to write a children’s story. This is especially true for picture books. Writing great picture books takes special skill. Sure, a few lucky people possess a natural talent for it, but for most of us, it is a craft that must be learned.

Here are a few tips for aspiring authors:

It’s absolutely essential to learn the craft! If you’ve never written a picture book before, you need to learn its structure, elements, as well as the various types that exist. Study books on the technique of picture book writing. I especially recommend: Picture Writing, by Anastasia Suen and Writing Picture Books, by Ann Whitford Paul. Yet, don’t settle on just reading these books. Take online courses or workshops. As many as you can afford. Learning the craft of writing is a never ending process.

Join a good critique group. This is vital. It’s difficult for writers to be objective about their own work. They need those extra pairs of eyes to spot the weak parts in their manuscripts. Eventually, the greatest investment you’ll ever make in your writing career is to hire a professional children’s editor to go over your manuscript. Not just any editor, but one that has extensive experience with picture books. The editor I hired for one of my picture books, one that eventually landed me a contract with an agent, was a former editor at a major NY children’s publishing house.

Support, support, support! I’m a firm believer that most writers need moral support and encouragement to help keep them inspired and motivated. Join a local writers group or a club such as the Children’s Writing Coaching Club. You can also start your own group, either locally where you live or online.

Subscribe to a few newsletters and publications, such as Children’s Insider http://www.write4kids.com/aboutcbi.html and Children’s Writer http://www.childrenswriter.com/. Not only will you read great articles on the craft but you’ll also keep up to date with new agents and publishers and what they’re looking for.

If you’re serious about starting a children’s writing career, you should consider joining the Society of Children’s Book Author’s and illustrators (SCBWI). You could join their local chapter. Plus, it looks great on your query letter!

Prepare a writing schedule. I know some beginning writers who have been working on only one story for years. You won’t grow as a writer that way. You learn by doing it. So you have to write. Write. Write. That’s the only way to improve and hone your craft. The more you write, the better you get and the easier writing becomes. It’s just like learning an instrument. Can a violinist improve her skill by practicing a few times a year? Then why should it be any different for a writer? It doesn’t matter if you can only write for 20 minutes 3 times a week. The important thing is to make your plan and to stick with it.

Finally, even if you’ve written a masterpiece, it will never see publication if you leave it in the drawer. You have to SUBMIT. Non stop. Obsessively. Submitting only once or twice a month is a drop in the bucket.

I hope you’ve found my tips helpful. Good luck!

Be sure to leave Mayra a comment and/or question for she will be checking in throughout the day.

Follow Mayra on her next stop when she visits with Suzanne Lieurance on Oct 10 at http://suzannelieurance.com/.

Thank you for your time and interest.

NWFCC Virtual Book with Nicole Weaver: Day 4

This month I'm hosting Day 4 of Nicole Weaver's Virtual Book Tour for all the children's book authors/illustrators who are part of the October Showcase at the National Writing for Children Center.

Nicole Weaver was born in Port-au-Prince Haiti. She came to the United States when she was ten years old. She is fluent in Creole, French, Spanish and English. She is a veteran teacher of French and Spanish. She is the author of a children’s trilingual picture book, Marie and Her Friend the Sea Turtle. The story is about a Haitian little girl who resided by the beach in Haiti.

Writing Tips from Children's Writer Nicole Weaver

It takes a lot of patience and many revisions to write a marketable children’s book. Never give up on your dreams of becoming a published author. Keep writing and be sure to join a critique group specifically designed for children’s writers. It is very important to get feedback from other authors. No matter how many times you may have read your manuscript, there is always room for revisions.

I also recommend joining an organization like The National Writing For Children Center, where you can get top notch help with your writing. Do not wait until your book is published to start promoting your book.

Nicole will be checking in throughout the day, so please sure to leave Nicole a comment and/or question.

Follow all 7 authors on their 6-day Virtual Book Tours and leave comments and you could win the Giftbox Giveaway from the National Writing for Children Center.

Visit with Nicole at her next stop on Oct 9 when Suzanne Lieurance is her host at http://suzannelieurance.com/.

NWFCC Announces Karen Cioffi's Virtual Book Tour: Writing Tips

This month I'm hosting Day 4 of Karen Cioffi's Virtual Book Tour for all the children's book authors/illustrators who are part of the October Showcase at the National Writing for Children Center. Without further ado, I'm pleased to announce: Writing Tips from Children’s Writer Karen Cioffi

I recently read a post about writing for children. It focused on the story’s characters.

Basically, the post advised to create and know your characters inside and out before beginning the story. In fact, it suggested that the author build the story around the characters once they were fully developed. While this is good advice, and many experienced authors recommend this technique, there are some authors who occasionally watch their characters unveil themselves right before their eyes.

This is such an interesting method of writing. Your character introduces himself and gradually reveals bits and pieces, and blossoms as the story moves along. I’m currently working on a middle grade science fiction manuscript that is using this style. I didn’t intentionally start the story this way . . . it just happened.

You do need to be careful with this method though, you may lose track of all the bits and pieces that make up the character. So, a good way to keep track of those quirky telltale marks, expressions, behavior patterns, and physical features is to note them on a separate page or character card as they become unveiled. You wouldn’t want your character to have brown eyes in one chapter and blue eyes in another - unless of course, it’s a science fiction or paranormal and part of the storyline.

Actually, in this particular story of mine I used the ‘seat-of-the-pants’ method of writing for the entire story. I had no idea what the story would be about until I began writing it. I’m about half finished with it, and I have no clue where it will go from the point it’s at now, but it’ll be interesting to find out.

It’s true that many authors prefer the outlined method of writing, and I actually do also. Although, it seems once in a while a story and the characters can lead the author through an entire manuscript without the benefit of a structured outline. I find it so fascinating, watching characters evolve and a story unfold. It’s almost like magic . . . characters . . . a story . . . even worlds appear from thin air.

Karen is an author, ghostwriter (for authors, bloggers, and businesses), freelance writer, reviewer, acquisitions editor intern, and on the team of DKV Writing 4 U "http://www.dkvwriting4u.com" http://www.dkvwriting4u.com. She is also the founder and manager of VBT Writers on the Move, and co-moderator of a children’s writing critique group.

Be sure to leave Karen a comment or question, she will be checking in throughout the day to interact with our visitors.

Follow all 7 authors on their 6-day Virtual Book Tours and leave comments and you could win the Giftbox Giveaway from the National Writing for Children Center.

Kep following Karen's tour on Oct 8 at http://suzannelieurance.com/ - "On the Go With Karen Cioffi"

Thank you for your time and interest.

Let's Talk About a Book - The Golden Pathway

Let’s talk about a Book at the National Writing for Children Center, Join in the discussion about The Golden Pathway http://tinyurl.com/27xcfag