Several weeks ago, my middle-schooler was invited to attend a young writers & artists fest. What a thrill it was for her to be selected to attend, but even more was the fact that one of her very favorite authors would be there! If you haven't heard of the book, Fablehaven, then chances are you might not have a 9 to 12 year-old in your home! I just loved the opportunity that I had to go with her to this conference. Even as an adult, I enjoyed his presentation very much. I left feeling very inspired. But I also left feeling so grateful that there are people out there who enjoy sharing their talents with others, especially young children, as they provide such good role models of what hard work and dedication can do in your life.
A few excerpts that I quickly wrote down and thought these were great things to share with all of my kids. Of course he went into much further detail which was so intriguing. But here are some points of advice...How do you improve your imagination?
Reading! When watching TV, someone else is doing the imagining for you. But when you are reading, all you've got is the words on the page...and you are free to picture it the way you want. YOU are a part of the creative process. Books don't happen on the page...they happen in the mind of the reader.
And then he shared 5 secrets to becoming an author. Here's a synopsis...
1. Have lots of experiences & pay attention to them. Be an observer of your own life.
2. Exercise your imagination & create stories. You have to write a lot.
3. Read a lot. Read every day. You will sample the different ways authors tell stories.
4. Write your stories down. Share them with those you trust. It is invaluable to get honest feedback from others in your work. We all get corrected so that we can improve.
5. Be persistent and never give up!
Boy, I'd say this is great advice for just about anyone. Off to create! :)
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How neat! Your right, good advice for anyone!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome honor! Us moms are always proud of our kids and this is something to def. be proud about. I feel like kids are what you make of them. It shows that you put time, effort and love into making your kids grow into accomplished adults. An imagination is an awesome thing. Sometimes us adults tend to forget that it is there and that it is ok to still play makebelieve!
ReplyDeleteMy kids really aren't readers. Kaje and Nicholas go in spurts but the others don't too much. I, on the other hand, love to read and I know that reading increases the imagination and can take you anywhere, anytime. I laughed at your comment. Jill chose the fabrics, I'm much too conservative to choose those but they were fun to work with. The quilt should be done being quilted by the weekend and I'm excited to see it. It's so busy that I don't know what Paula will do with it as far as quilting! I'll post it after the wedding shower! Now I'm back to work and then back to using up those scraps, LOL! P.S. Of course you're on the list!
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome.
ReplyDeleteI've always dreamed of being a writer... and I'm doing 4 out of 5 things on that list... so maybe one day!
Kris, that is so funny you mentioned Brandon Mull in your blog, as I was going to post a bit about him soon as well! My kids just went to a book-signing with him, and all got their pics taken with him. They were so excited! He is a fabulous author, and so giving of his time. We have "Fablehaven Fever" at our house!
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to file away Brandon's name into the memory banks for when ER is older, I may just have to get his books to hold onto for that time now. I love his advice, read every day because when you watch TV someone else is doing the imagining! Words every teacher loves to hear. He has great advice and sounds like a really good person, just the kind of role model you want for your kids.
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