My son (who didn’t enjoy reading) LOVED this book. He was 10 at the time. This book, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, played an important part in my son’s life. There was nothing in the title that prepared me for that, since I thought it was just another “history” book that the homeschool co-op I was part…
Outlines used in writing are similar to scaffolding that’s used in construction. Despite what you may believe (or have been told), there is really nothing “magical” about writing. It’s a skill that can be taught. I would say it’s more “craft” than “art” … although writing that’s done well does fall under the category of…
My son, Ben, was 5½ years old in the photo on the left. My husband, Tom, is pictured on the right … 24 years earlier. I grew up less than 10 miles from the ocean — San Francisco’s Ocean Beach was our closest access point, down the road from the world-famous Cliff House. But, as…
ALWAYS check to make sure your sources are reliable. These are just some examples of ones you can trust. In this article, you’ll find a list of 5 different categories of sources that have proven to be VERY reliable for years … and, in some cases, decades. Each category relates to a part of our…
This is one of those books that stick with you forever. Even if you only read it once. I don’t remember now what made me decide to read this book, but I do know I was in my early 30s when I finally bought a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird and read it for the first…
Research is more important to your success than you may realize. Research is something most of us probably started doing when we were still in elementary school. I know my own experience with it started when I was in 5th grade and needed to write a report on Mexico. We were told it was OK to…
The subtitle of Poemcrazy (“Freeing Your Life with Words”) is an excellent way to describe the main message in these pages. Fun. Random. Surprising. Inspirational. These are just a few of the words I’d use if I had to describe this book to someone. Less than a year after the paperback edition of Poemcrazy was published (in…
Inspiration for poems can come from anywhere. Most of us were probably first introduced to poetry when we were still very young — through nursery rhymes. But by the time we entered middle school — at least for most of us — poetry was not something that was even on our radar. However, around 30…
The subtitle of this book — ‘Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results’ — says it all. I had heard good things about this book long before I had a chance to read it. But to be honest, I wasn’t expecting it to be much better than any other self-help book I’d read. But because every chapter in…
Engaging with audiences is easier when you include stories in your messages. Everyone loves a good story – both adults AND kids. But knowing how to TELL a good story is a skill that doesn’t come naturally to everyone. However, storytelling is a skill that can be easily learned. Why Is Storytelling Important? In a…