In my grad writing program, we read a novel a week. Aside from writing exercises, this had the biggest impact on me. Immersing myself in quality writing from a range of genres and then deconstructing these books in class improved my own writing immensely. Reading frequently and performing close readings helps you get a feel… Continue reading Learning from Kelly Link: How to Captivate Your Readers When It Comes To Intriguing Writing, Less is More
Category: Inspiration Corner
How to Develop Courage, One Conversation At a Time Lessons Learned From JFK's Profiles in Courage
How committed are you to your values? Would you stand by them even if it meant losing your job or your friends??I recently read John F. Kennedy?s 1955 Pulitzer Prize winning book, Profiles in Courage, with my high-school students, which had me pondering these questions. This book is the perfect blueprint for?how to develop… Continue reading How to Develop Courage, One Conversation At a Time Lessons Learned From JFK's Profiles in Courage
A Fiery Anthology Sure To Spark Your Interest Short stories about fire, phoenixes, and intuition
Fire: An Anthology is a collection of short stories about fire (what else?). Although they're unified by this common theme, they span multiple genres and writing styles. Some are pure fun, like Kris Loomis?s "The Flame Games." It revolves around a dragon Olympics and features one of Loomis?s signature twist endings. Others, like Louise Foerster?s… Continue reading A Fiery Anthology Sure To Spark Your Interest Short stories about fire, phoenixes, and intuition
When Nothing is Working: How to Transform Your Perspective Simple Mindset Shifts and Actions You Can Take Today
Do you feel like you've read every self-improvement book out there, applied all the tips, and still, nothing sticks? I've been there. Recently I heard an interview with Neale Donald Walsch, author of the Conversations with God series. He describes how a woman approached him with this very issue. As it turns out, the solution… Continue reading When Nothing is Working: How to Transform Your Perspective Simple Mindset Shifts and Actions You Can Take Today
What does it mean to “be present”? How this phrase has changed over time and what we can do about it
I'm lucky that, as an English teacher, I'm exposed to books that cover a full spectrum of genres, styles, and subject matter. In one class, we just finished Thornton Wilder's play Our Town. In another, we're reading the non-fiction Present Shock by Douglas Rushkoff. Each provides a very different answer to this question: what does… Continue reading What does it mean to “be present”? How this phrase has changed over time and what we can do about it
Money Don’t Matter 2 Night: In Conversation With Prince Rethinking Our Relationship With Money
I usually listen to music in the background while I write, more for the emotion than the lyrics. But this song by Prince & the New Power Generation stopped me in my tracks. The song is "Money Don't Matter 2 Night." Like most great pop songs, it's more complex than it seems on the surface.… Continue reading Money Don’t Matter 2 Night: In Conversation With Prince Rethinking Our Relationship With Money
Not Feeling It? How to Deliver Fun, Engaging Content Anyway
If you're a blogger, or if you're a business owner who reaches out to your audience through a newsletter or podcast, consistently coming up with new topics can be challenging. Or rather (at least for me), coming up with the energy?to deliver fun, engaging content week after week is challenging. I also write a newsletter… Continue reading Not Feeling It? How to Deliver Fun, Engaging Content Anyway
5 Life Changing YA Books to Accelerate Your Growth
Do the words "young adult book" make you cringe? That's always been my immediate reaction. "YA" brought to mind crushes, vampires, and clunky writing. Besides, who wants to be reminded of their awkward teen years? Luckily, working with middle-school students has forced me to reexamine this limited point-of-view. As it turns out, YA books can… Continue reading 5 Life Changing YA Books to Accelerate Your Growth
Locating the mystery in the mundane
I grew up in a small town and hated it. So many days I?d be bored out of my mind, wanting desperately to live in a big city. I?d beg my mom to take me to Corpus, which wasn?t exactly a big city but was the closest one to us, with a mall, 3 movie… Continue reading Locating the mystery in the mundane
Duality in Laurie Halse Anderson’s Chains
I recently finished reading Laurie Halse Anderson?s Chains with my 7th graders, a book about a teenage slave girl fighting to gain her own freedom at the same time the country was embroiled in the American Revolution. Liked most books that are required reading, especially historical fiction, it feel far outside the norm of the… Continue reading Duality in Laurie Halse Anderson’s Chains