She is a bright, beautiful, and bold ten-year-old girl who loves to read. She reads because she likes to, and not because she has to. After spending a day with her, I continue to bask in the love and fun we share for a least two more days. Being with grandchildren is the best anti-aging product on the earth. Recently, I took her with me to make a donation to the Salvation Army homeless shelter; afterward she innocently lifted our spirits by choosing a trip to have a delicious frozen yogurt. During my cherished time with her, I interviewed her and we took turns writing down her advice on how to write for tweens. I have not changed her words because they are the words of an expert reader!
Things you need to know before you write for tweens: When you write for tweens it can not be boring. You want a hint of love, but no kissing. Use medium words; not new words we have to look up (trust me). It doesn't matter what the time, or where the place is for the story; but if you write about the past you need to have lots of adventure in it.
Advice for the author:If the author doesn't have fun; the reader doesn't have fun.
Important things to make a good story: One of the main characters needs to be pretty, or handsome, but don't make it like a fairytale with too many princesses. Trick the reader; it is good for our brains. have lots of action and scary parts, but not all scary. You need jealousy because it leads to fighting and fighting leads to disaster, and disaster leads to hatred. You really need fighting in a good story. Have lots of hanging parts, it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Important things about the good guys and the bad guys: Have the good guys care about each other and only give the bad guys one chance. If you have a big bad guy make him so bad he will kill some of the other bad guys.
Important things about a good ending: Don't let the main character die. Have a big wrap up at the end.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Writing Through Grief
Three years ago, I started writing a book, Belle in the Slouch Hat. It is a story about a young girl who seeks revenge after her brother was killed during the Civil War. I consciously started the story for my grandchildren; and I needed something to fill an emptiness in me due to the loss of my beloved mother, and another special woman in my life. They died within two months of each other.
When someone we love dies, we have to grieve; there is no way to avoid it. Everyone must go through the sorrow and heartache in their own way. My way was writing.
After losing those I loved, it felt as if something was blocking my pain and protecting me from the cruelty and sadness associated with death. To this day, I believe it was the Holy Spirit helping me through one of the most difficult times in my life. You many choose to call it something else, but I believe it was the Holy Spirit. Soon after that, the reality of the deaths set in and I had no choice but to go through the next phase of losing someone you love, the grieving process.
At the age of sixy-one, I sat at my computer; I began to write, and I began to heal.
I started writing a novel without the full comprehension of what I was getting into. I didn't stop to think about the number of hours that I would so willingly give to it, nor did I stop to think there was a correct way of doing it, all I knew was I had to write. Sometimes it was down-right physically, mentally, and emotionally painful; other times, I felt drained of every ounce of energy in my body. Occasionally, my sense of meaning and my most treasured beliefs about life were challenged.
There was no time-line for when I needed to finish; and no one could dictate to me when it would be finished. It required a lot of time; not a day, not a month, not one year, but two full years.
Except for the first three pages of my book, I did not have an order, or a plot to follow, I just wanted to write. I even built an imaginary barrier around me, and except for my husband, I didn't want anyone to know what I was writing.
The more I wrote, the more I wanted to write. Writing gave me an outlet to cry, to laugh, and have an adventure. Unknowingly, I had formed my own support group with the characters in my story; for me, it was a safe place to share my feelings and work through my grief. I also found a way for me to commemorate those I loved, and I wrote a book.
Mimi Mathis
When someone we love dies, we have to grieve; there is no way to avoid it. Everyone must go through the sorrow and heartache in their own way. My way was writing.
After losing those I loved, it felt as if something was blocking my pain and protecting me from the cruelty and sadness associated with death. To this day, I believe it was the Holy Spirit helping me through one of the most difficult times in my life. You many choose to call it something else, but I believe it was the Holy Spirit. Soon after that, the reality of the deaths set in and I had no choice but to go through the next phase of losing someone you love, the grieving process.
At the age of sixy-one, I sat at my computer; I began to write, and I began to heal.
I started writing a novel without the full comprehension of what I was getting into. I didn't stop to think about the number of hours that I would so willingly give to it, nor did I stop to think there was a correct way of doing it, all I knew was I had to write. Sometimes it was down-right physically, mentally, and emotionally painful; other times, I felt drained of every ounce of energy in my body. Occasionally, my sense of meaning and my most treasured beliefs about life were challenged.
There was no time-line for when I needed to finish; and no one could dictate to me when it would be finished. It required a lot of time; not a day, not a month, not one year, but two full years.
Except for the first three pages of my book, I did not have an order, or a plot to follow, I just wanted to write. I even built an imaginary barrier around me, and except for my husband, I didn't want anyone to know what I was writing.
The more I wrote, the more I wanted to write. Writing gave me an outlet to cry, to laugh, and have an adventure. Unknowingly, I had formed my own support group with the characters in my story; for me, it was a safe place to share my feelings and work through my grief. I also found a way for me to commemorate those I loved, and I wrote a book.
Mimi Mathis
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