tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77300820775365849752023-11-16T04:41:00.492-08:00Word MagicHazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-11670576825450854402013-10-02T08:21:00.000-07:002013-10-02T08:21:00.725-07:00Story Seeds/Writing Tips #21 - No more books about cats!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Con<span style="font-size: small;">tinuing on my current blog theme of </span></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">1) </span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">a</span></span><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b>tiny, real-life seed from which one of my stories
unfolded and 2) a writing tip that helped the seed grow into a
finished story. </span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>The Seed:</b> The book<b> </b></span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Gentle Ben</i>, about a <span style="font-size: large;">grizzly bear in Alaska, had totally enthralled my son. It reminded me how much <span style="font-size: large;">kids love animal stories. I couldn't write a story about a grizzly bear...but there was another type of animal that I had all kinds of information about.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0VhuleINi9olFmZ5cMaUC_QStNqeuY2R3S_mR7mrcMcG2QqYEqytm-rhyphenhyphen-MshD_Hvd-m6dkLso1EYB7U6YD_v1PcWBYzEyfHhPJ19CIJNduG3A1AN6NF_OMJjbpR2ihlwwqm386rPM-J/s1600/tj+cats+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT0VhuleINi9olFmZ5cMaUC_QStNqeuY2R3S_mR7mrcMcG2QqYEqytm-rhyphenhyphen-MshD_Hvd-m6dkLso1EYB7U6YD_v1PcWBYzEyfHhPJ19CIJNduG3A1AN6NF_OMJjbpR2ihlwwqm386rPM-J/s1600/tj+cats+2013.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Story: </b></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <i>TJ and the Cats</i> Orca Publishers, 2002 </span></span></span></span><br />
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</b><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>The Writing Tip: </b> Sometimes a great subject is right under your nose. </span></span></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">We'd always had cats. </span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> I had lots of great cat stories. </span></span></b></span></span></span></b></span>Friends and family had cats. </span></span></b></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I knew lots about cats. It was perfect!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Except it <b>wasn't</b> perfect. Cats (unlike grizzly bears) are such common pets that<b> </b>lots of writers have written about them. A quick "google" of cat books gave me 80,000 results! I'd even been told by my own publisher "No more books about cats."</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Did I give up? Of course not. But I was careful to find ways to help my book stand out.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Most cat books are for/about people who like cats. I did the opposite. My character announces in the very first paragraph "Cat's give me the creeps."</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> I didn't write about just one cat either. I wrote about four, all of them different. I also researched hard to find unique and intriguing "cat facts" to weave into the story as well some truthful but pretty far out adventures cats have had.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> The final ingredient I added to the mix was a large dollop of humour. Of course that wasn't unique; lots of cat books have funny parts. But it still gave the story a bit of extra zip.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Do I recommend writing a story about a subject that's been done 80,000 times before? <b>NO!!!</b> But if you do find that you just can't resist - and if you truly feel it is a subject kids will enjoy - remember to think hard about ways, both large and small, to make your book truly have a life of its own.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(c) All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></div>
Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-48124891686162478762013-09-18T09:28:00.000-07:002013-09-23T18:40:22.090-07:00Story Seeds / Writing Tips # 20 - Science for Small Folk<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Continuing my current blog theme of<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">1) </span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">a</span></span><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b>tiny, real-life seed from which one of my stories
unfolded and 2) a writing tip that helped the seed grow into a
finished story. </span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>The Seed:</b> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> It was a game we played whenever summer thunderstorms appeared on the horizon: a flash of lightening and we'd start to count. One-one-thousand. Two-one-thousand. Three...</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVqTTil88Vn7H56sABqhPsyIN_iJgwQnnmTOHX7-7EvgEBLgKMwDtbsxcgVNsiQUh2bzgIrUKOdCjLF_k7Abq5AdBRGTXPwyrptwhDo8NSe9Gjdzh347t95Iia-KUC2N7O9SMYkrbn7X1/s1600/one+dark+night+e-mailed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVqTTil88Vn7H56sABqhPsyIN_iJgwQnnmTOHX7-7EvgEBLgKMwDtbsxcgVNsiQUh2bzgIrUKOdCjLF_k7Abq5AdBRGTXPwyrptwhDo8NSe9Gjdzh347t95Iia-KUC2N7O9SMYkrbn7X1/s1600/one+dark+night+e-mailed.jpg" height="163" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Story:</b> <i>One Dark Night</i></span> Viking<span style="font-size: small;"><b>, </b></span></span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">2001<span style="font-size: small;">. Picture Book<span style="font-size: small;">. I</span>llustrations by Susan Kathleen Hartung</span></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></b></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>The Writing Tip:</b> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It's science of course! Light travels much faster than sound. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">But for this youngest crowd, I knew I couldn't start quoting the speed of light or explaining sound waves. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span> I stripped things to the basics.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> I <b>did </b>want to include information about distances (each three seconds translates to about one kilometre distance from the storm; each five seconds about one mile) but even then, I didn't do it textbook style. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I wove that information into the fabric of the story using the counting itself.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Can you guess another concern I had while writing the story? </span>A book is a much quieter medium than a storm. I had to find some way to heighten the dramatic interest.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> That's when a momma cat appeared on the page--a stray cat intent on saving her three small kittens from the wildness of the approaching weather. </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> As she deposited the kittens at Johnathon's feet between claps of
thunder, my story-brain took another little leap. There are many types of storms in life. Jonathan would be staying with his
Grandparents, safe from some undefined storm as well.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> <b> A quick recap:</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> 1. Strip the science down to basics.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> 2. Avoid over-explanation. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> 3. Ensure the story elements are every bit as strong as the science elements.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> 4. Search for layers that might not, at first, be apparent.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">And next time you see a flash of lightening, start counting!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(c) All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></div>
Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-91419491114310527042013-09-11T10:10:00.000-07:002013-09-11T10:10:42.320-07:00Story Seeds/Writing Tips #19 - Great Ideas from Unexpected Places<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Continuing on my current blog theme of </span></span> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">1) </span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">a</span></span><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b>tiny, real-life seed from which one of my stories
unfolded and 2) a writing tip that helped the seed grow into a
finished story.</span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span>The Seed:</b> It was a good-sized rope, as thick my thumb <span style="font-size: large;">and much longer than</span> I was tall. "It's a cli<span style="font-size: large;">mb<span style="font-size: large;">ing rope!" said one student. "<span style="font-size: large;">It's a skipping rope!" called another. And then from the back of the room a voice called out something truly unexpected. "It's a shoelace!"</span></span></span></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2Bl1uW967wPslLj-5PveaHTncABAvp0v46LLy0gVIRO_6p3JtUq121f4mCPmVuayQRsV7Zxp76VF7MhwFy1_cjXaK6-QSxMoWvAK3eLaE96ZGewZw5LlofRGbYB3tGJHckR5UOgW1sV2/s1600/COVER+2+SO+SMALL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf2Bl1uW967wPslLj-5PveaHTncABAvp0v46LLy0gVIRO_6p3JtUq121f4mCPmVuayQRsV7Zxp76VF7MhwFy1_cjXaK6-QSxMoWvAK3eLaE96ZGewZw5LlofRGbYB3tGJHckR5UOgW1sV2/s1600/COVER+2+SO+SMALL.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(c) Ruth Ohi, 2013</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Story:</b> <i>Two So Small </i><span style="font-size: small;">Annick Press, 2000. Picture book. Illustrations by Ruth Ohi.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Writing Tip:</b> As much as I wanted to laugh at the idea that my long rope might be a shoelace, I knew I couldn't. <span style="font-size: large;">Laughter might hurt <span style="font-size: large;">the student's feelings and that is something I <b>never </b>want to do.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Luckily, my mind began to slip into story mode. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;">If my rope was a shoelace, then there had to be a very big shoe somewhere. And if there w<span style="font-size: large;">as a <span style="font-size: large;">very <span style="font-size: large;">big shoe, then there had to be a giant. And if there was a giant just around the corner, then we ALL had a problem.<span style="font-size: large;"></span> Stories are about problems<span style="font-size: large;">! This was a great idea!</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Together the students and I began to look at <span style="font-size: large;">"ordinary" objects around the classroom<span style="font-size: large;">. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> What might the metal waste basket be?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <i>The giant's drinking cup!</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> What might the clock up on the wall be?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <i>His pocket watch!</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Of course the <span style="font-size: large;">entire story didn't all come together at that moment. It<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span>changed and grew over many weeks and months. It took <span style="font-size: large;">on all kinds of twists and turns.<span style="font-size: large;"> But did it begin that day<span style="font-size: large;">. And it<span style="font-size: large;"> began </span></span>beca<span style="font-size: large;">use I <b>didn't</b> laug<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">h at a student's unexpected comment.<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unexpected ideas are often the </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b>best</b> ideas of all.<span style="font-size: large;"></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">(c) All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-63378735320470441882013-09-05T06:41:00.000-07:002013-09-05T06:41:02.057-07:00Story Seeds / Writing Tips #18 - The Nostalgia Trap and How to Avoid It <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Con<span style="font-size: small;">tinuing on my current blog theme of </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">1) </span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">a</span></span><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b> </b>tiny, real-life seed from which one of my stories
unfolded and 2) a writing tip that helped the seed grow into a
finished story. </span></span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_mQEVEHzdV2XasmnZmMrzhzDKYDUUN_tAfxsHm6VnxjPUDnP4GWWqXt-jhKThB2mpkIUzlGM0l08uLjGziuE4-G7cTlqoVZ73IaBZbDS33iju_E-ssog4fTWEGZHnpGosEuhRWwPuG0D/s1600/duck++1+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD_mQEVEHzdV2XasmnZmMrzhzDKYDUUN_tAfxsHm6VnxjPUDnP4GWWqXt-jhKThB2mpkIUzlGM0l08uLjGziuE4-G7cTlqoVZ73IaBZbDS33iju_E-ssog4fTWEGZHnpGosEuhRWwPuG0D/s1600/duck++1+cover.jpg" width="158" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) Ruth Ohi, 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Seed:</b> My dad was a hard working farmer who was always in a race against the ever changing weather. But he still managed to stop his giant tractor and move a duck's nest to safety.<b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Book:</b> <i> </i><i>One Duck</i> (Annick Press, 1999. Picture book ages 4 - 7. Illustrations by Ruth Ohi)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Writing Tip: </b>My dad had been so delighted the day he'd told us about saving the nest.
But many years later, when I tried to turn that memory into a story, words of caution were triggered in my writer's brain <b>--</b> <b>NOSTALGIA</b> <b>WARNING. </b> Nostalgia will kill a story faster than anything I
know. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> It takes more than fond memories to build a story. When you write for kids, especially, all the best story elements need to be present. Kids want to be
engaged. They want to care about and identify with the characters. They want action and suspense and drama!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> It took me many attempts over several months to change this childhood memory into a strong picture-book manuscript.<i> </i>Here are my best three suggestions for avoiding nostalgia and letting the story shine through.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>1. Keep the adult perspective to an absolute
minimum.</b> In <i>One Duck</i>, it's not the farmer (or even a farm kid) who is
the main character. The
duck is the hero. Okay...it's an adult duck. But kids identify and care about animals of all ages! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>2. Don't let
information bury the narrative. </b>Information overload is an easy trap in cases like this. "But I want kids to know what things were like!"beginning writers often protest when I try to get them to cut back on the details.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> But one MUST stay focused on the story. There should be just enough detail to make the story clear and real. But there shouldn't be more than that, especially in a picture book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> And what to do with all that other information that doesn't fit? Write another story of course!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>3. Make sure the
carefully chosen information that you DO include is ACCURATE.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> The things you remember from when you were a child, might not be as true as you think. One has to be especially careful when nature is involved. Besides reference books and the magic of the internet, ALWAYS try to find a real live expert. In this case, my cousin Tom fit the bill perfectly. He double checked my duck facts, provided extra information and suggestions (including the raiding crow which heightened the suspense) and even caught mistakes in my description of farm equipment. Thanks Tom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's hoping the above three tips help you turn at least one great memory into a great story! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">(c) All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-40004485362141497372013-08-28T09:15:00.000-07:002013-08-28T09:15:22.851-07:00Story Seeds / Writing tips # 17 - Imagination and Doodling <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Hurrah! Life is returning to normal after basement flooding and I'm able to write again! For the next few months my blog will continue with 1) the tiny, real-life see<span style="font-size: small;">d that became an idea for a book <span style="font-size: small;">and </span></span> 2) the writing tip that helped <span style="font-size: small;">it</span> grow into a
finished story. </span></span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<b><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">The Seed</span></b><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;">:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A swirling, curling tangle of
doodles was taking over my notebook.... and I'd just found a great ending to my
latest novel!</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsJnf4e0bvNpLKujbV3nZuVNNJaQ9yVLb-XirqrEpfkk7ZqNRfXVq8S8jb8slsaK8GiS8R7Bh5CQ-Ex-dKguC8FmbUpNB5PSdy_x9xkgbwU4Mdl1zkHp1qCc0EGubUXyV3BMRB6C3mGOs/s1600/tarn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsJnf4e0bvNpLKujbV3nZuVNNJaQ9yVLb-XirqrEpfkk7ZqNRfXVq8S8jb8slsaK8GiS8R7Bh5CQ-Ex-dKguC8FmbUpNB5PSdy_x9xkgbwU4Mdl1zkHp1qCc0EGubUXyV3BMRB6C3mGOs/s1600/tarn.jpg" height="200" width="141" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) Ruth Ohi, 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><b>The Book: </b><i>The Prince of Tarn</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">(Annick Press, 199<span style="font-size: small;">7, illustrations by Ruth Ohi, novel grades 3 - 6)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><br />
<b>The Writing Tip:</b> Free up your imagination with pen, paper and doodling!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> There is a
different type of thought process that goes on when a writer works with pen in
hand. It's not necessarily better than typing on a keyboard, but it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">different</span>. And sometimes<b> different</b> is what a writer needs
to get out of a rut and think in more<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>creative terms.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Pen
and paper allows an open kind of story searching. Ideas fall out loosely all
over the page...different angles, different scrawls, lots of doodles.
It's a kind of dreamy state, a land of hazy ideas, of trying to make
connections between thoughts half formed and thoughts one is only beginning to
be aware <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">might</b> exist.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Much of my writing these days is done directly on a keyboard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when I'm just beginning...or when I'm
half way through and totally stumped...it's pen and paper I reach for.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> That day, as I looked at the curling doodles, I realized they were taking over the pages of my notebook just like the trees in the story itself were taking over the magical kingdom of Tarn. Imagination and the words on the page were intertwined. If I handed my pen over the the prince, all would be well.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Long
live the doodle!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> (c) All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-28412953957739639762013-07-26T07:52:00.000-07:002013-07-26T07:52:12.024-07:00Books do not like Flooded Basements!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
All my books were purposefully on upper shelves in case of a basement flood but I have recently discovered that merely sitting above moisture is enough to start pages wrinkling and curling. Another life lesson learned!<br />
<br />
However I was very lucky at my place. Things are steadily moving towards "normal" and I'll be able to return to making blog posts by the time fall rolls around. My heart goes out to the many, many people who are still struggling with huge clean ups and, in some cases, permanent loss of their homes.<br />
<br />
Many thanks to all my wonderful family, terrific friends and great neighbours for help during these last weeks.<br />
<br />
Thanks also to those who have continued to check in on my blog. I'm looking forward to getting back to all aspects of writing soon!<br />
<br />
Hazel </div>
Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-5030479529135974412013-06-19T10:59:00.001-07:002013-06-19T11:01:43.890-07:00Story Seeds / Writing Tips # 16 - Writing Within Editorial Guidelines - Robyn stories<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Seed:</b> Dear Hazel Hutchins, We have a project which we hope might interest you. Attached please find a list of guidelines...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SJbBjJR91jNr8PuHbL1y7kNcXeOJindsBtX9E0T-w3tsHIx-TtRHiWC2A0zKK4Is8XatCD0waQuWStnUnBkApn0OdXSYoxxgMm7orN3WPupXkTY-7Ok0MlTPFIKOwZDzEieDUpu-onQz/s1600/collage+early+novels1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SJbBjJR91jNr8PuHbL1y7kNcXeOJindsBtX9E0T-w3tsHIx-TtRHiWC2A0zKK4Is8XatCD0waQuWStnUnBkApn0OdXSYoxxgMm7orN3WPupXkTY-7Ok0MlTPFIKOwZDzEieDUpu-onQz/s320/collage+early+novels1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">illustrations Yvonne Cathcart</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Books:</b> Robyn Series, <span style="font-size: small;">Formac Publishing, 1997-2012</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Writing Tip: </b>It was so nice to be at a point in my career where publishers had begun to
approach me for material. But why did I now find myself hesitating? Hadn't my rule always been <i>when
the door opens a crack, jump in with both feet?
</i>And what about the
time I had lied outright, telling an editor "Yes!" when asked if a
short story was part of a series...and then had needed to quickly write four more stories before my subterfuge was discovered<span style="font-size: large;">? </span>Where was that old "can do" spirit?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The difference was a feeling of restriction. There is enormous freedom when one is working on one's own ideas. Would I be
able to bring the same kind of energy to this type of project? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> I did take on the challenge and (after a false start or two) I became
totally comfortable with, and delighted by,
the "Robyn" character I was able to create while still writing
within the guidelines. So many of the things Robyn does in the stories are variations of the embarrassing things that happened to me in grade three. I was indeed able to put my own personality into the work - hurrah! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Since then, I've accepted many other such offers as well. Here are my suggestions
for taking on projects of this sort</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> - read <b>all</b> the guidelines carefully and make sure you
are comfortable with them. They will almost always include length, point
of view, genre, form, audience level and subject matter. There will likely be <i>no </i>chance to negotiate these points so
if you aren't comfortable you need to back out now. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> - <b>be realistic</b> in considering how long it will take
you to write the piece. Can you meet the
deadline? Will it take time away from your favourite writing project, the one you
really want to be working on? Or have you just finished a major project and
would welcome a chance to turn your pen in a slightly different
direction? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> -<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><b>what might you gain</b> (besides payment) from working on the
piece? Will there be some research involved that would
be of particular interest to you and might lead to a different story of your
own? Will the pr<span style="font-size: large;">oject</span> help widen your audience as <span style="font-size: large;">readers of this <span style="font-size: large;">story possibly seek out more of your work?<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;">What about a back up plan -- if the publisher needs to withdraw from the project for some unforeseen reason, can you see some way in which the idea might be rewritten
into a story that would have a decent chance of being sold on the open market? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> - most important of all, will you <b>enjoy</b> working on it and be <b>proud</b> of the finished product.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Once you have committed, of course, always deliver your best writing. Go on - jump in with both feet! </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(c) All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
</div>
Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-7101425495076582932013-06-12T07:14:00.001-07:002013-06-19T11:01:04.116-07:00Story Seeds / Writing Tips #15 - Different Wavelengths <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Seed: </b>It seemed the most natural thing in the world to me - a child and his stuffed bear changing places. What child wouldn't want to see a favourite toy come alive for a day? And as for the child temporarily changing places and becoming a toy -<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>what a perfect way to experience the everyday world from a different point of view.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-udVeIp-DFjdGg0b-LlbGxApnq_tWbxHAyBcErLAHpefeal1Qew-3hde6EBrzuDhbQ4NSt6lMbas7ew16aB2jcZc_13TD2Yb3Br0oudxGxciJmZjLVArzivsj1iAM3Mjn2uFdj9qI9-hm/s1600/yancy+after+e-mailing2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-udVeIp-DFjdGg0b-LlbGxApnq_tWbxHAyBcErLAHpefeal1Qew-3hde6EBrzuDhbQ4NSt6lMbas7ew16aB2jcZc_13TD2Yb3Br0oudxGxciJmZjLVArzivsj1iAM3Mjn2uFdj9qI9-hm/s200/yancy+after+e-mailing2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) Ruth Ohi 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Story:</b> <i>Yancy and Bear <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">(illustrations
by Ruth Ohi, Annick Press, 1996<span style="font-size: small;">)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>It's Raining, Yancy and Bear <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">(illustrations
by Ruth Ohi, Annick Press, 1998)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Writing Tip:</b> Sometimes writers become painfully aware that not everyone is on the same wave length as they might be. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The book had only been out a few months when I happened to be speaking casually with two sales reps for the publishing company. They asked what my next book was about and I told them it was a sequel to <i>Yancy and Bear</i>. That's when the look on their faces froze. They didn't say anything further but clearly something was amiss.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> I got the explanation from the publisher. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">The reps hadn't been able to sell the books. </span>Book store owners/buyers (adults, every one of them of course!) had been completely mystified by the concept of a boy and his stuffed bear changing places. They just didn't "get it." The sequel would do even less well.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> What does a writer do in this kind of situation? I can tell you what I <i>didn't</i> do. I didn't argue the merits of the book. I believed in the story ... I still do! But I also believe that readers - children and adults - have every right to decide for themselves. And I know that books, like children, have lives of their own. You do the best you can while they are under your care but sooner or later you have to wish them well, watch them head out the door and see where they end up. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Happily, the book <i>was</i> being carried in libraries. Parents began to tell me that their two-year-old had discovered<i> Yancy and Bear</i> and insisted on having it read to them over and over. Other parents shared stories of how their own small children had always pretended to change places with their stuffies. And then, during school visits, students in grades one and two began telling me they'd read (and listened to!) <i>Yancy and Bear</i> on their class computers.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> This was early days for books in electronic format and it took me a bit of time to track down what the students were talking about. But - yes! There it was in living colour, accessible through an internet site. It had been photographed in a manner that made full use of the delightful little vignettes with which Ruth Ohi had so l<span style="font-size: large;">ovingly illustrated </span>the book and there was a feeling of gentle animation that went well with the nature of the story. Even today, it's alive and well and still being enjoyed through electronic format.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The book had taken unexpected pathways but it had indeed made its own way in the world. Sometimes you just have to keep faith and enjoy what might come your way! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(c) All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<br /></div>
Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-37559153441508234302013-06-05T19:26:00.000-07:002013-06-13T07:06:30.102-07:00Story Seeds / Writing Tips #14 - To Steal or Not To Steal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Seed: </b>Several books about growing up on the prairies during the Great Depression had recently been published. I began to think about the tales my own parents, aunts and uncles had told me about living on farms during those tough times. Among the pieces of oral history, was there a story that I could offer to today's young audience?</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytm-7kq5ZIBls0VKcn2rS76Xzla4DP7ylfbi7tqdGVATV5G0dyipOYUrPIa8SrDg7w4gmJC-rdw8GNKlX2WXryLQe1LkZdeu8Agedn3hPsx0GVZjSMi_YajSiUlYSWCbnGM2pcNG_PGE3/s1600/tess+after+3-mailing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytm-7kq5ZIBls0VKcn2rS76Xzla4DP7ylfbi7tqdGVATV5G0dyipOYUrPIa8SrDg7w4gmJC-rdw8GNKlX2WXryLQe1LkZdeu8Agedn3hPsx0GVZjSMi_YajSiUlYSWCbnGM2pcNG_PGE3/s200/tess+after+3-mailing.jpg" width="158" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> (c) copyright ruth Ohi 2013</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Story:</b> <b><i>Tess</i></b> </span>(Annick Press 1995, illustrations by Ruth Ohi, Picture Book ages 5 - 8)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Writing Tip:</b> The one bit of family history that most appealed to me was an anecdote about how my aunt and my dad had been sent into the fields to gather cow paddies (cow poop!) to be burned as fuel in the cook-stove during the summer months. Dry cow paddies are free for the taking and they burn well - they are sometimes still used in less less developed parts of the world. But my aunt sensed that here in Canada the gathering was to be done secretly...not because it was bad, exactly, but because her parents were ashamed of how poor the family had become. When a neighbour happened upon her with her bag of dry cow paddies, and commented that he now understood why their house smelled<b><i> </i></b>so peculiar<b><i>,</i></b> my aunt was totally humiliated. That sense of humiliation is what told me this story would work -- it was something today's kids would be able to associate with even while going "ewwww" at the idea of the cow paddies. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Now my aunt, among many other accomplishments, is also a writer. She had already written about this incident for one of the farm newspapers. It had been a a short, factual article - not really what I was planning. But still, I couldn't steal her story --- I wouldn't steal anyone's story! And yet every time I sat down to write, I found my pen beginning to move in that direction. The more I tried to forget the idea, the more it returned, stronger than ever.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Finally I did the only reasonable thing. I phoned my aunt and asked if I could use her anecdote in my own way, turning it into a picture book for little kids.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The answer was an unqualified "yes". And because I, too, grew up on the prairies -- some thirty years later but still surrounded by endless horizons beneath a huge and wonderful arch of sky --I was then totally free to add my own twists to the tale. The characters grew, a crises fell into place (entirely apart from my aunt's original tale) and the story began to have a life of its own.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b> Is stealing a story always as simple as asking someone?</b> No - of course not! Nor is it as easy as simply being aware of copyright considerations (copyright itself is seldom simple!). But in cases where a story calls to you with a strong voice, my best tip is to follow it up in any and all ways possible. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I will always owe a huge debt of gratitude<i><b> </b></i> to my wonderful Aunt Mag for the story<i> Tess. </i> Besides gathering cow paddies, her life has included riding bucking broncs, driving army transport trucks in London during the Blitz (the WW II bombings), being one of Calgary's first police women and success as a writer in many different areas. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Thanks Mag -- always!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> (c) All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-89945764023139395352013-05-28T21:05:00.000-07:002013-05-28T21:05:03.389-07:00Story Seeds / Writing Tips #13 - Disciplne, Determination and Dreaming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Seed</b>: It was impossible -- the four small paintings simply did not exist! And yet the snow from the first one seemed to be seeping into my bedroom. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_7IHqOe9YnWnYfn9vPmbBXw7WsPNDws06YIhLE4UzSi0kJS3OXC0LwId1MylCLFa83b5c3RuwzflkENSh8PvP9FJLVBgAI9QFEqAVcn_O0a5UFD1SXPh4k-OTeG8JzaWeZ8_x8aFJQLG/s1600/painted+past.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr_7IHqOe9YnWnYfn9vPmbBXw7WsPNDws06YIhLE4UzSi0kJS3OXC0LwId1MylCLFa83b5c3RuwzflkENSh8PvP9FJLVBgAI9QFEqAVcn_O0a5UFD1SXPh4k-OTeG8JzaWeZ8_x8aFJQLG/s200/painted+past.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) 2013 Ruth Ohi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Book:</b> <i>Within a Painted Past </i></span>(Annick Press 1994, illustrations by Ruth Ohi, novel ages 8 - 11)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Writing Tip:</b> It was that single precious hour that I had so carefully carved out of my day with three young children. I was sitting on my bed with pen,paper, tea, cookies,cats and dogs. But my page was blank.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> What was I going to write? If I wanted to be a writer I had to write about something! But I'd tried all my usual tricks to get my pen moving across the page and none of them had worked. Totally fed up with staring at the blank page, I looked up and stared at the blank wall instead. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> That's when the paintings appeared. They weren't there....but they <i>were</i> there! Four little paintings of the mountains - spring, summer, fall, winter. The winter one was of a cabin in the woods and the snow was painted <span style="font-size: large;">so realistically</span> it seemed be falling right into my room.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> At that moment, my whole room seemed to change around me. I have a white ceiling...but suddenly it was made of dark wood. The ordinary window behind me was suddenly a gabled window. And the hallway became a staircase going down.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> I knew it would be a story going back in time. Hurrah! I love stories that shift back in history! But almost at the same moment I realized I couldn't write it. With three young kids, I barely had time to write let alone time to get out of the house and do the research that would be necessary.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> There was no way I was about to lose the moment, however. I quickly wrote four pages of scattered ideas in connection with the paintings. Four years later, when the kids were all in school and I could get to libraries and museu<span style="font-size: large;">ms to gather enough background<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span>information to make the story work, I returned to that notebook an<span style="font-size: large;">d wrote</span> the story itself.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> The three <span style="font-size: large;">D`s of writing: discipline, determination and dreaming. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>If you want to be a writer, over and over you need to rise to the challenge by always setting aside time to write and by continually refusing to give up -- even if it means staring at a blank wall.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i> </i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> (c) All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-24634642501453027312013-05-22T08:51:00.001-07:002013-05-22T08:51:52.290-07:00Story Seeds / Writing Tips #12 - Truth and Fiction<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Story Seed:</b> My young daughter had recently experienced two incidents that were rapidly letting her know more about the layers of the world: one in which she was unjustly accused of shoplifting and a second that had her thinking about a large fish at a pet store we'd visited.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WaaGLcAnVV46BGD3mwzMt-9YC2Uvz1GXKUtLwPbh86MyZzgixoq7lDMbwtIL8AG2Ryz4xkUnliXBcyVQ40WDTyFsM832Jk9MiiPr4jdTlLv0f0IKnI3run8lXihkjx97uSGokiAwSGr-/s1600/catfish+after++e-mailing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WaaGLcAnVV46BGD3mwzMt-9YC2Uvz1GXKUtLwPbh86MyZzgixoq7lDMbwtIL8AG2Ryz4xkUnliXBcyVQ40WDTyFsM832Jk9MiiPr4jdTlLv0f0IKnI3run8lXihkjx97uSGokiAwSGr-/s200/catfish+after++e-mailing.jpg" width="152" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">(c) 2013 Ruth Ohi </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Books:</b> <i>Believing Sophie</i>,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> illustrated by Dorothy Donohue (Albert Whiteman and Co. 1995)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>The Catfish Palace,</i></span> illustrated by Ruth Ohi (Annick, 1996)<br />
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<br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Writing Tip:</b> It was an editor who helped me learn what I needed to know in order to get these two stories to work. She had just picked up <i>Believing Sophie</i> from her desk. I could tell that the manuscript was about to be rejected and it made me sad to think that such an honest s<span style="font-size: large;">tor</span>y idea wasn't going to make the cut. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> "That's something that really happened," I told her quickly. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Her brow furrowed thoughtfully as she looked at it one last time.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> "Perhaps that's what is wrong with it," she commented.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> And handed it back to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>The comment puzzled me but I respected my editor hu<span style="font-size: large;">g</span>ely (and still do!) and I kn<span style="font-size: large;">e</span>w that no comment was ever made lightly. <span style="font-size: large;">Over the next months I thought about what she'd <span style="font-size: large;">said. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> What I came up with is this. All my stories are based on "something that really happened" — that's what my current blog ent<span style="font-size: large;">ries </span>are all about! But up to that time, the real life incidents had only been starting points. The stor<span style="font-size: large;">i<span style="font-size: large;">es thems<span style="font-size: large;">e<span style="font-size: large;">l</span></span>ves</span></span> had been allowed to grow into entities all their own.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The manuscript she had just rejected, however, had not been allowed to do that. Thinking it would be the best way to capture the sense of what my daughter had experienced, I'd stuck close to the facts. But facts are tricky things. If you let them rule your narrative, the immediacy and emotional connection that are so vital to the entire purpose of "story" can become lost.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> I took a deep breath and stepped back. A picture book story is different in style, language and technique from either a more journalistic piece or from a straight retelling. I needed to remember all the important story elements. Character. <span style="font-size: large;">P</span>acing. The right voice. Beginning, middle, end. And a whole lot of other things!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> And I had to be careful that I wasn't a mother writing about a daughter. I had to be an author seeking the heart of a story and telling it well.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The resulting stories -- while still very much holding the facts at their core -- were richer, stronger and more revealing on all levels. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> A strong fictional story, no matter how dramatic the original incident, is never a<span style="font-size: large;">s simple as a retelling. It needs to have a life of its own.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i> </i>On a side note <i>....</i> the<i> </i>publishing of<i> The Catfish </i><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Palace</i> was the first time I realized that the illustrator and the book designer are <span style="font-size: large;">sometimes separate people. Ruth Ohi did the wonderful illustrations. <span style="font-size: large;">Sheryl Shapiro designed the layout, including <span style="font-size: large;">notebook paper on the front cover and an envelope on the back, to perfectly compl<span style="font-size: large;">e</span>ment the story within. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">(c) All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span><br />
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Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-22135521115685204622013-05-15T06:35:00.000-07:002013-05-22T08:53:32.511-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>Story Seeds / Writing Tips #11 - Small but Telling Moments </b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Seed:</b> One of the things that totally intrigues me about life is the way in which the big events -- <span style="font-size: large;">the holidays,</span> birthdays, grand weddings or ceremonial graduations -- are often not w<span style="font-size: large;">hat one remembers as <span style="font-size: large;">being the truly significant<span style="font-size: large;"> times.</span></span></span> Th<span style="font-size: large;">e truly<b> </b></span><span style="font-size: large;">"</span>telling" moments, at least in my experience, are often small and intimate. They are <span style="font-size: large;">t</span>ouched with mystery and occur when you least expect them. <span style="font-size: large;">Occasionally </span> humorous. Definitely many-layered. And always sincere.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzD2z92Y4uaVMdiiVaYXZsIGwMPhqjqQJe5P22Yfu3imJ8OxCqjCXUxKgMdgxLTKpDAy1yjekT_E1e4KpkhGM2GwVsHTParjrPHxXN183fh80fDwnP7d-FyU42H5M40CHSeq0YLdZewdFt/s1600/arlie+zack1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzD2z92Y4uaVMdiiVaYXZsIGwMPhqjqQJe5P22Yfu3imJ8OxCqjCXUxKgMdgxLTKpDAy1yjekT_E1e4KpkhGM2GwVsHTParjrPHxXN183fh80fDwnP7d-FyU42H5M40CHSeq0YLdZewdFt/s200/arlie+zack1.jpg" width="142" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">(c) 2013 Ruth Ohi </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Book:</b> <i>The Best of Arlie Zack </i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i>(Annick Press1991, illustrations by Ruth Ohi, novel ages 8 - 11)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Writing Tip:</b> There are times wh<span style="font-size: large;">en one needs to allow a story to grow outward. <span style="font-size: large;">But some stories, like this one, fold inward right from the start.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> </span> I still used my notebooks, per last week's posting. But it wasn't a single idea seed that sprouted. Instead <span style="font-size: large;">scattered </span>bits and pieces from<span style="font-size: large;"> many</span> spots <span style="font-size: large;">in <span style="font-size: large;">different </span></span>notebooks began <span style="font-size: large;">to knit themselves together<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">. Each </span>had a <span style="font-size: large;">small telling moment at <span style="font-size: large;">its core.<span style="font-size: large;"> And because those kinds of moments always hint<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>at something deeper<span style="font-size: large;">, it wasn't long before other<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span>half<span style="font-size: large;">-</span>remembered bits and pieces from childhood<span style="font-size: large;"> came to join them<span style="font-size: large;">, <span style="font-size: large;">each with it<span style="font-size: large;">s own small <span style="font-size: large;">and <span style="font-size: large;">perfect magic.</span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;">With <span style="font-size: large;">no <span style="font-size: large;">sing<span style="font-size: large;">le</span></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">succinct </span>writing tip to be pulled easily from its pages<span style="font-size: large;">, <span style="font-size: large;">I </span></span>almost <span style="font-size: large;">skipped this novel entirely for the purpose of this blog. </span>But I decided to include it<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>as a reminder - to myself as much as to others - that stories have <span style="font-size: large;">endless ways of <span style="font-size: large;">coming into existence. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> I've also included it because one of the many <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">symbols in the <span style="font-size: large;">nove<span style="font-size: large;">l --</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>
the mysterious, dark and cluttered basement through w<span style="font-size: large;">hich Arlie must eventually find his way -- suggests that deep dream-scape wh<span style="font-size: large;">ere so much of <b>all</b> our creativity lies. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> (c) All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-24698095285214779692013-05-08T12:04:00.003-07:002013-05-08T12:04:59.831-07:00Story Seeds / Writing Tips # 10 - Hurrah for an Idea Notebook!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For
the next few months my blog is featuring writing tips gathered from my
own experience of growing story seeds into published books. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Story
Seed: </b></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">“I
don't want to be the cat. I always have to be the cat<span style="font-size: large;">.</span> I hate being
the cat!”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> I
opened my idea notebook and there they were...three sentences of
dialogue spoken at least four years earlier. It had become totally lost among the thousand<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>other things that had happened. But I was on the search for a story idea...and here it was. <b><br /></b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2FfbmyDEcfYVteZZGZv5u_SHTNaHkDpnNTKoeHFE2dHIWfv-apGAQEAHG9PgFF9z2-0Epd8f3IbBsvJzkMu8b2V0YS02pkgVR8R9UTr1Ii6EUY1SSmuvfqxUoFOdHItVGd6ng_HP6mnv/s1600/U+can+be+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2FfbmyDEcfYVteZZGZv5u_SHTNaHkDpnNTKoeHFE2dHIWfv-apGAQEAHG9PgFF9z2-0Epd8f3IbBsvJzkMu8b2V0YS02pkgVR8R9UTr1Ii6EUY1SSmuvfqxUoFOdHItVGd6ng_HP6mnv/s200/U+can+be+cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">(c) 2013 Ruth Ohi </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Book
Title</b></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">: </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>And
You Can Be The Cat </i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: normal;">(illustrations
by Ruth Ohi, Annick 1992)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The
Writing Tip: </b>Keeping a<b> </b></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">notebook, journal or diary is a huge benefit to a writer -- we'<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">ve all heard that </span><span style="font-size: large;">one mor<span style="font-size: large;">e than once! A beginning writer, however,<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>sometimes feels that she or he has to officially sit down and capture every nuance from a certain moment in time for it to count <span style="font-size: large;">...and that can lead to avoiding the task entirely. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> So here's my trick. I give myself permission <span style="font-size: large;">NOT to write down every last detail.</span> My goal is always "just get a few words down on paper." <span style="font-size: large;">I often <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">do indeed w</span><span style="font-size: large;">rite more but </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">even a single line is better than letting a great idea (character, location, oddball thought or snippet of dialogue) slip away. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Here are <span style="font-size: large;">some of the shorter bits and pieces that speckle my notebooks<span style="font-size: large;">:</span><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> -<span style="font-size: large;"> an u<span style="font-size: large;">nusual way of looking at a common-place event</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> - a theme that particularily speaks to a<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;">child's view o<span style="font-size: large;">f</span> the world</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> - a bit of humour ...<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>that lovely unexpected touch</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> - strange an<span style="font-size: large;">d amazing facts</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> - an idea that screams "story!" even though I have no idea as yet how to build it into<span style="font-size: large;"> something with a beginning, middle and end. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> The original three lines of dialogue never did get written into the actual s<span style="font-size: large;">t<span style="font-size: large;">ory it<span style="font-size: large;">self<span style="font-size: large;">. The pacing of the tale called for action not discussion at that point (another thing I'll talk about in future posts). But it all began with the immediacy of that moment -- and a tiny bit of its associated emotion -- being captured on paper. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span> W<span style="font-size: large;"></span>rite
those ideas down!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> (c) All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-35686177624692765982013-05-01T07:13:00.000-07:002013-05-06T16:15:07.732-07:00Story Seed / Writing Tip #9 Zig Limple Plip Snurp<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For the next few months my blog is featuring writing tips gathered from my own experience of growing story seeds into published books. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWmJKY0yd3fbak0TkB5TiEPs8kiByABU03OSR_JvfPpCcZR2lw4LAP1aaU5w76zD3zQZrQiWs_a5KaSS3-drn9wHe3JrXXMcg8rKRylAA87c5lnEaojZPFJdQH3YWpQucD7W-bHX9oIzP/s1600/katie27022013_0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWmJKY0yd3fbak0TkB5TiEPs8kiByABU03OSR_JvfPpCcZR2lw4LAP1aaU5w76zD3zQZrQiWs_a5KaSS3-drn9wHe3JrXXMcg8rKRylAA87c5lnEaojZPFJdQH3YWpQucD7W-bHX9oIzP/s200/katie27022013_0000.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) 2013 Ruth Ohi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Story
Seed: </b>It was something a friend told me that sprouted this book idea. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">“My
little guy talks non-stop except it's not really words, it's just sounds--- like a baby magpie. It's driving all three of us crazy.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The
Book</b></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">: </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><u>Katie's
Babbling Brother</u></i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: normal;">(illustrations
by Ruth Ohi, Annick 1992)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Writing Tip: </b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <b>Tip #1</b> : </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Sometimes you have to give up
something very good in order to make your story even better. </b></span>Magpies are a medium-size bird, rather like a black and white crow. Their babies really do chatter away in some language that sounds almost human and I LOVED the fact that my friend used them in her description. But right away I had a problem. Not everyone knows what a magpie is. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Would it work if I wrote it as babble instead?</span> </span><i>"Bimble dee izzer? Gararumph iggle de snorkum zot! Sisbah yup yup.” </i>Hey!
I really liked the babble! And I soon discovered, while reading early drafts aloud to children, that they totally delighted in the babble language. This would work even better than I'd thought! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <br /><b>Tip #2</b>: </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Look at the world through a child's eyes. </b>With the babble firmly in place, I began to write. However it soon became clear that the story wasn't working. </span> The babbling was good but the family parts
- especially the bits about Mom and Dad - were boring. What was wrong?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Experienced
writers will have guessed my error. Because I'd gleaned the story seed from an adult, I'd unconsciously adopted an adult point of view. I'd used Mom and Dad's frustration as the main focus for the plot. But a kid's story should NOT be about an adult problem. It should be about a kid's problem! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> I couldn't write from the baby brother's point of view - he didn't even have a problem. He was perfectly happy just babbling away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> That's when I realized the real problem in the story belonged to five-year-old Katie. She had a little brother whose non-stop noise drove her crazy but, even more importantly, it stole all the attention away from Katie herself. Yes - that was
where the story was to be found! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;">(Katie's unorthodox solution to her problem <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">turned out to be a bit of a <span style="font-size: large;"></span>stumbling block to my wonderful publishers for a year or two<span style="font-size: large;">...</span></span></span> but that's a blog for another day<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">.)</span></span></span></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> (c) All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> </span></div>
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Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-9852843181531708952013-04-23T07:41:00.002-07:002013-04-25T14:53:09.527-07:00Story Seed / Writing Tip # 8 - Find a Great Ending!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">For the next few months my blog will be
featuring 1) the tiny, real-life seed from which one of my stories
unfolded and 2) a writing tip that helped the seed grow into a
finished story. </span></span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Seed:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> My
central character was a 100-year-old talking cat on his
ninth life. As you can probably guess, if the cat was on his ninth life it meant that the story teller (me!) pretty much had to kill him off in the final chapters of the book. </span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wqGTiY4kOZnRjWK_55eo6zO8frytdQTHid2y-E9j2w0VJbpkU4Wbl16KGP9nIsc45IBKdDzfowaoWwYfkJQvR9ExdrWao4u-6s9AB1DOlHJIOtVlVf7Vzlutz8QS2zzoKT8g6kOjZ-gv/s1600/cat+artimus+pen+and+ink27022013_0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wqGTiY4kOZnRjWK_55eo6zO8frytdQTHid2y-E9j2w0VJbpkU4Wbl16KGP9nIsc45IBKdDzfowaoWwYfkJQvR9ExdrWao4u-6s9AB1DOlHJIOtVlVf7Vzlutz8QS2zzoKT8g6kOjZ-gv/s320/cat+artimus+pen+and+ink27022013_0000.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;">(c) 2013 Ruth Ohi
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"> Somewhere around chapter 7, however, I realized this was a story I was never going to finish. I simply could not bear the thought of killing this cat! I'd have to give up on the book entirely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Suddenly, however, a
small idea jumped forward. Maybe there was a way I could keep the story completely honest, fulfill the "nine lives" scenario <b>and </b>ensure that no animal died in the telling of the tale.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> I began to write again with renewed energy and determination. This was a story I would definitely finish after all!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Book: </b> <i>A Cat of Artimus
Pride </i>(Annick Press1991, illustrations by Ruth Ohi, novel ages 8 - 11)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Writing Tip:</b> Do you have
trouble finishing your stories? The best writing tip I know for people who start stories and never finish them is to sit
down and think up a truly great ending. But don`t stop with only thinking of it -- <b>actually write </b>that part of the story. It can be a few lines, a paragraph, maybe an entire page but at least get <i>something </i>written down. The physical writing will help your ending become a strong and concrete goal.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Is it even possible to write the ending of a story when you haven't finished the in-between bits? Of course it is! It's another way I keep energy in my novels. I write the fun parts, the exciting parts. I let the energy of those moments spill out onto the page and grow in all directions. I will, of course, need to add connective bits at a later time -- but often not as much as I think. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Beside<span style="font-size: large;">s resolving the plot, here are my three favourite things to <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">i</span>ncorporate into the ending of any story:</span></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> - an element of surprise</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> - a revealing shift at the core of the central character</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> - and<span style="font-size: large;"> (</span>if the story can possibly carry it<span style="font-size: large;">)</span> a touch of humour.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">And yes, some stories must have <span style="font-size: large;">sad endings. But <span style="font-size: large;">not this one</span>!</span></span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> (c) All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span>
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Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-87798657538557636162013-04-16T09:15:00.002-07:002013-04-16T09:15:20.009-07:00Story Seed / Writing Tip # 7 - Lurking Beneath the Suface<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefdI8h0ssUDD5zqc43qUhBKNPUVAk7hRawqyNe7U0a9Dzk0Wu62soVjgs_cmANgvM5TQM-31bEBoD8bFo5sU59ymIffW3PgEzxW6iXZVcwmyESfL94zIs9_YexQPiOICwJBasUNQKuohd/s1600/nicholas27022013_0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefdI8h0ssUDD5zqc43qUhBKNPUVAk7hRawqyNe7U0a9Dzk0Wu62soVjgs_cmANgvM5TQM-31bEBoD8bFo5sU59ymIffW3PgEzxW6iXZVcwmyESfL94zIs9_YexQPiOICwJBasUNQKuohd/s200/nicholas27022013_0000.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) 2013 Ruth Ohi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The Seed:</b> It was story-time at Canmore Library and the wonderful librarian had the rapt attention of even the youngest child. This story-time deserved a book of its own!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Book:</b> <i>Nicholas at the Library</i></span><i> </i><span style="font-size: small;">(Annick Press 1990, illustrations by Ruth Ohi, picture book ages 4 - 7)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Writing Tip:</b> The strength of any story comes from emotion, honestly portrayed. But emotion very often has hidden layers. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> In the published story, Nicholas and the librarian jump in and out of books (with the help of the "librarian's emergency ring") to return a lost chimpanzee to its story-book home. It's a great romp - but the mission <i>is</i> important. And to get that little bit just right, I <i>unconsciously </i>drew on something deeper, something that had happened when I was a child myself.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> I was eight years old and sitting in the truck watching helplessly as Dad walked the brushy area where a cow had recently given birth. The cow was visibly upset. But nowhere could Dad find the newly born calf.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> "The coyotes must have got it," he said, shaking his head sadly as he came back to the truck.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> This loss mattered to him in a way I'd never seen before. A cattle herd is part of the livelihood of a farm but, even more important, farmers see themselves as protectors of their animals. And then my eight-year-old brain did a lovely jump backward to earlier in the morning when I'd been h<span style="font-size: large;">e</span>lping him move cattle from one field to another.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> "Dad, do you remember that one little calf who didn't want to cross the road?" I asked hopefully. "The one I really had to chase?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Suddenly my dad was smiling again. And off we went to the rescue!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> A story-chimpanzee returned safely to its book; a newly-born calf returned to its mother. They were the same story, <span style="font-size: large;">although </span>I didn't realize it at the time. It was only years later, while looking through early drafts of the story, that I found a small hint of connective tissue that only mys<span style="font-size: large;">elf (</span>or someone who has been around animals at birthing time) had would recognize.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> <b>And the writing tip from all this?</b> Even as a writer ne<span style="font-size: large;">eds to </span>be aware of the basics and absorb all the information available (here and elsewhere!) about plot, character, dialogue, pacing, theme, etc. -- <i>please </i>also be aware that to find a story's true potential sometimes you just have to trust your instinct and follow the magic of "story" itself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Nicholas at the Library</i> became part of two lovely literary celebrations! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> - In 1999 it was given to Grade One students across Canada with the sponsor<span style="font-size: large;">s</span>hip of The Canadian Book Manufacturers' Association for Canada Book Day.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> - In 2000 it was given to a whole new cohort as the first TD Ban<span style="font-size: large;">k</span> Financial Group (and now annual) "Grade One Give Away during Book Week with The Canadian Children's Book Centre</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Canadian Chidlren's Book Centre</b> is an excellent resource for writers, teachers, librarians, parents, caregivers and lovers of great books for kids. Visit them at http://www.bookcentre.ca/</span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> (c) All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span>
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Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-28661997767192009802013-04-10T06:48:00.001-07:002013-04-10T06:55:23.795-07:00Story Seed / Writing Tip # 6 - Have Fun with Language Itself<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
celebration of the fun I've had writing for kids, every week my blog will be featuring 1) the tiny, real-life seed from which one of my stories unfolded and 2) a writing tip that helped the seed grow into a finished story. </span></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8y-qW3zEaEyWysPz19rsvpDcbsRXT8se5v7Zj-10HtIuHGVSatOsVXLejco3GDr6gsD3Vlf4uARVgchLbwl9QxihclNzQ5kKPWA0LPn7jgJ36IDF55mnXGdqDz_YHw-Dt2H23LPFYAe7-/s1600/norman+snowball+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8y-qW3zEaEyWysPz19rsvpDcbsRXT8se5v7Zj-10HtIuHGVSatOsVXLejco3GDr6gsD3Vlf4uARVgchLbwl9QxihclNzQ5kKPWA0LPn7jgJ36IDF55mnXGdqDz_YHw-Dt2H23LPFYAe7-/s200/norman+snowball+cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) 2013 Ruth Ohi - Thanks Ruth!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Story Seed: </b>“Mom, what
colour are my eye yolks?”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That question alerted me to the fact
that my son was using words in an unusual manner. Over the next few
weeks I heard him come up with the wonderfully descriptive (but
hitherto uninvented) terms “loaves of hay”, “the beak of the
car” and “I'll help you hatch the peas”. I was never quite able to fit
those expressions into a story but when Norman first asked for “more”
and Leanna explained the term he should use is “bigger”.... I
knew the same playfulness of language was at work. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Book:</b> <i> Norman's Snowball</i> (Annick Press, 1989, illustrations Ruth Ohi, picture book, ages 4-7)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Writing Tip</b>:– If an idea
doesn't work one way, turn it sideways and try a different twist. I made sure Norman
embraced the joy of his new found mastery of that one word in the English language with all his energy. It also allowed me to use another writing technique that is very effective when an author is working on a picture book manuscript - repetition. The three together - energy, playfulness and repetition - make this book one of my favourite read-alouds when I do class visits. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> This was also the first of my stories to be illustrated by the wonderful Ruth Ohi. I'll mention her more than once over the next postings. For anyone who has met Ruth, enjoyed her presentations or read any of her titles (she writes her own stories as well as illustrating for other authors), you will know that the adjective "wonderful" is not an exaggeration. I have been so lucky to have had her bring many of my characters to life!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> c All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-38673487816164676012013-04-03T07:03:00.001-07:002013-04-10T06:41:14.932-07:00Story Seed / Writing Tip # 5 - "Ordinary" Objects<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">For the next few months, every week my blog will be featuring 1) the tiny, real-life seed from which one of my stories unfolded and 2) a writing tip that helped the seed grow into a finished story. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Seed: </b><span style="font-weight: normal;">In
the bottom of the kids' dress up<span style="font-size: large;">-</span>box was an old green jacket that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. That s<span style="font-size: large;">ense of mystery w<span style="font-size: large;">as enough to get me writing! </span></span></span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9KeJg9CCrinRWlq5rsOdPhFkIgS9X12Mt52ntrEdKNU_nKDR1rSbUO-aPgNeWWLWcB_dX-gkSVM4Va-m1rOMqA0xQIScU821kJ9XCyqq4ypZT_c8Sb5qYe6E2us4kRyqFEQqCd_b0sus/s1600/juggling+with+dark+hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9KeJg9CCrinRWlq5rsOdPhFkIgS9X12Mt52ntrEdKNU_nKDR1rSbUO-aPgNeWWLWcB_dX-gkSVM4Va-m1rOMqA0xQIScU821kJ9XCyqq4ypZT_c8Sb5qYe6E2us4kRyqFEQqCd_b0sus/s320/juggling+with+dark+hair.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The name of the young artist is unfortunately lost in the mists of time.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Book:</b> <i>Casey Webber, The
Great </i>(Annick, 1988 - novel, ages 8-11)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Writing Tip</b>: Even an ordinary object - like a jacket - can become a great story seed so long as you think about it <span style="font-size: large;">in </span>different ways.<span style="font-size: large;"> Some suggestions are:</span></span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Is the object associated with a
sad time in a character's life? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Is it something a character doesn't
have but desperately wants?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Is it a threat? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I<span style="font-size: large;">s it</span></span> part of a puzzle,
something to be figured out in order to solve a mystery? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;">Does it have a magical quality? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Does it reve<span style="font-size: large;">al something <span style="font-size: large;">deeper about the <span style="font-size: large;">central character<span style="font-size: large;">?</span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Can the basic traits of the object be used in u<span style="font-size: large;">nexpected ways<span style="font-size: large;">?</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">For this book, whenever Casey put on the jacket, he became invisible<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">. There are so many diff<span style="font-size: large;">e<span style="font-size: large;">rent ways to think about the act of "dis<span style="font-size: large;">appearing"....<span style="font-size: large;"> a </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>single story seed can sprout an entire vine laden with possibili<span style="font-size: large;">ties! <span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">An interesting sideline to the writing
of this book is that I spent several weeks doing a small but “active” bit
of research. My hard work resulted in only one short line of actual
text but when I visit schools, it's how I end my presentation.<span style="font-size: large;"> A</span>s the young artist who drew the picture above ha<span style="font-size: large;">s</span> depicted,<span style="font-size: large;"> w</span>riting can be fun in more ways than one!
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Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-91806182040411949372013-03-27T06:33:00.001-07:002013-04-10T06:55:58.807-07:00Story Seed / Writing Tip # 4 - The Magic of a List<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In celebration of the enjoyment I've had writing children's books, every week my blog will be featuring 1) the tiny, real-life seed from which one of my stories unfolded and 2) a writing tip that helped the seed grow into a finished story. </span></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZg_RhyphenhyphenGv722-KMUFZcoQVm3ivGE3KW23BYA98kuYQG50JpF0Rgvf0McWYphvyb_1cgXdWy_d5CHcy5AnblpG8bYjAHFEtftJ_UTKU6pt_qnNr1_eUtlwWM8zH8EPDBVJkii6btBiYs3WA/s1600/ben's+ss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZg_RhyphenhyphenGv722-KMUFZcoQVm3ivGE3KW23BYA98kuYQG50JpF0Rgvf0McWYphvyb_1cgXdWy_d5CHcy5AnblpG8bYjAHFEtftJ_UTKU6pt_qnNr1_eUtlwWM8zH8EPDBVJkii6btBiYs3WA/s200/ben's+ss.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) Lisa Smith </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Seed:</b> New snow had fallen
and our family was packing up for a winter picnic. My two-year-old was rushing around like crazy. If there
was this much excitement, there had to be a story! <span style="font-size: large;">Even</span> with my husband helping, however,
it was too hectic to find my notebook and really write. Just before I headed out the door, I grabbed a scrap of paper and made a quick list of the last four things I'd put into the
back packs...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Book:</b> <i>Ben's Snow Song</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Writing Tip:</b> If you can't
do any other kind of writing...make a list! All afternoon that scrap of paper with it's four words, so patiently sitting on the counter at home, became a gathering spot for my thoughts. The magic of a list is that, even while it helps you focus, it almost begs for your thoughts to expand as well. Soon all my senses were reaching for words and phrases.
The sound of the skis on the snow. The happy buzz of chickadees. Words repeated in my head to the rhythm of our movement through the trees.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i> Sunlight, shadow, sunlight, shadow.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i> Cold and quiet, </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i> world of snow. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Have you ever noticed how a list becomes a
poem? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> When we stopped to build a fire, the <i>crack </i>of the wood being split, the smells of roasting hot dogs and the taste of gingerbread men all joined in. <i> </i></span><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> No matter how well things seemed to be turning out in the list/poem department, however, I knew I must <b>not </b>forget the basics. Every story needs a crises. This is a gentle little story so the crises could be gentle as well - but it <b><i>is</i></b> there<span style="font-size: large;">, complete with re<span style="font-size: large;">solution.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <i> </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPjkwjgqV6TUiJovj_FQOp6-5yAXGvYsprZ5MKY_aBe7HL7G_v6Os3ArU9xgIsurbCYH3vC-l1U21ts23FGW0wB7lnayYvUsASUEesn44fK5prqtJgkRolQIt1iJLNXunMTzvP7GyUZjy/s1600/ben+sleeping02032013_0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPjkwjgqV6TUiJovj_FQOp6-5yAXGvYsprZ5MKY_aBe7HL7G_v6Os3ArU9xgIsurbCYH3vC-l1U21ts23FGW0wB7lnayYvUsASUEesn44fK5prqtJgkRolQIt1iJLNXunMTzvP7GyUZjy/s200/ben+sleeping02032013_0000.jpg" width="196" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(c) Lisa Smith </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Lisa Smith did a perfect job of giving the illustrations the wintery freshness and the family warmth they needed. More of Lisa's lovely art can be seen on her<a href="mailto:lisa@lisasmithillustration.com"> home page </a></span><a href="mailto:lisa@lisasmithillustration.com">lisa@lisasmithillustration.com</a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">By the way, it's not just when I'm in a hurry that I use lists. I also use them <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">to overcome writer's block (a </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">form of "free fall" )</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">to<span style="font-size: large;"> internalize the age and interests of my <span style="font-size: large;">young characters</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">to <span style="font-size: large;">broaden a story plot (lists <span style="font-size: large;">hel<span style="font-size: large;">p</span> to both focus <i>and </i>expand<span style="font-size: large;">)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">to try and pin down an illusive theme</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">to come up with a stronger and more surprising ending</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">to keep track of the problems I know exist in a manuscript but haven't quite figured out how to fix yet </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">t<span style="font-size: large;">o plan what I'll work on during my next writing period so that when I <span style="font-size: large;">do<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-size: large;">return to a story </span></span>I<span style="font-size: large;">'m off to a running start</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Happy writing, making lists<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>and enjoying the great outdoors in whatever way the season allows... until the next blog! </span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">c All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
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Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-79263623507383325452013-03-20T07:07:00.000-07:002013-04-10T06:57:34.269-07:00Story Seed / Writing Tip #3 - Save Your Rough Drafts!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Every week</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> my blog will be featuring 1) the tiny, real-life seed from which one of my stories unfolded </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">and 2) a writing tip that helped the seed grow</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> into a finished book.</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP14LNozXSfL7hkmpOHUg0kaG5GuuOT0W61DV6nmeEVBvgl2fPB7kcKL0waW2IN-8DvPZLo9lv6AWTeTuY4BPLO6fAFCbyvog4mvp0QyEU9kwhLGkP9vsdgeAB_bpdsnboZGuswWoRCQVo/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP14LNozXSfL7hkmpOHUg0kaG5GuuOT0W61DV6nmeEVBvgl2fPB7kcKL0waW2IN-8DvPZLo9lv6AWTeTuY4BPLO6fAFCbyvog4mvp0QyEU9kwhLGkP9vsdgeAB_bpdsnboZGuswWoRCQVo/s320/010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>The Seed:</b> "Help! Help!" I heard the cry and raced into the living room. My four-year-old's foot was stuck in the pocket at the back of the sofa. Was the child about to be swallowed whole?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>The Book: </b> <i>Leanna Builds a Genie Trap</i> (</span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Annick Press 1986</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;">)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>The Writing Tip:</b> Remember last week when I talked about jumping right into the action? This moment of panic definitely filled the bill in that regard. But<span style="font-size: large;"> this time I </span>was trying to write a picture book for younger kids and if I started in such a dramatic way the story would be too frightening. I di<span style="font-size: large;">dn't want to give </span>little kids nightmares!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> I began wandering around the house, gathering up </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">all the small things that get lost in a home with busy children. </span></span> They were friendly, familiar objects...a good place to start. I added my mysterious blue tin box (<span style="font-size: large;"></span>it just felt like it belonge<span style="font-size: large;">d).</span> But it wasn't until I came across my kids' favorite rope (used for forts, climbing, and traps!) that I knew I really had a story. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Those familiar objects became the start. The trapped foot bec<span style="font-size: large;">a</span>me the crises. It was another lesson learned -- a story seed needs to be looked at from all directions in order to figure out where it might best be used.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> I also learned a valuable lesson about rough drafts. An editor asked me to rework the <span style="font-size: large;">ending </span>of the story. I wrote six possible last pages, chose the one I liked best and tossed the others away. The next morning before I mailed the envelope, however, I happened to pass the waste basket. Looking down into the crumpled pieces of paper, I spotted an ending that I rather liked after all....</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Yes - t<span style="font-size: large;"></span>he "discarded" ending is the one the editor liked the best. Save those rough drafts!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> p.<span style="font-size: large;">s. </span>The illustrations for the book were done by Catharine O'Neill. I <b>love </b>them <span style="font-size: large;">b</span>ut I haven't been able to find her contact information to ask permission to use them here. </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Catharine, if you are out there, please e-mail me so I can replace this photo with your cover art!</span></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> My photograph above makes me shake my head. I try so hard to come up with good visual images but they always end up "uninspired". I am SO grateful for the wonderful, amazing visual artists who illustrate my books!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">c All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-43326438965466687342013-03-13T06:19:00.000-07:002013-03-13T06:22:28.127-07:00Story Seed / Writing Tip #2 - Jump into the Action<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In
celebration of 50 published titles, every week<span style="font-size: x-small;"> my blog will be featuring 1) the tiny, real-life seed from which one of my stories unfolded <span style="font-size: x-small;">and 2) a writing tip that helped the seed grow<span style="font-size: x-small;"> into a finished book.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvMRaXveIe-Hw-Kd5zmp5i0B4oBhqkfmgWz2dkhZwR6VVzdwYBl2tQjqgzXpk4jmPbNk3pcUCKq41i5YeaYTSbSfu0hhhDGKUAaHssLwnP941d2Vc0p34hVKjt03op_bIBxJordAqyUDG/s1600/sarah+and+the+magic+science+project.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGvMRaXveIe-Hw-Kd5zmp5i0B4oBhqkfmgWz2dkhZwR6VVzdwYBl2tQjqgzXpk4jmPbNk3pcUCKq41i5YeaYTSbSfu0hhhDGKUAaHssLwnP941d2Vc0p34hVKjt03op_bIBxJordAqyUDG/s200/sarah+and+the+magic+science+project.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Seed: </b>I stood in the middle of our corner grocery store and stared at the clerk's dangling earrings. Those earrings reminded me of my wonderful, amazing Aunt Mag who, with a mysterious smile, would look at us sideways and announce "I have magical powers, you know. If you don't behave, I'll turn you into a frog."<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>The Book</b>:<i> Sarah and the Magic Sc</i><i>ience Project</i> (Annick 1984, 2005)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>The Writing Tip:</b> The first line of the story seems so simple: "On a bright morning in May, the lady at the corner grocery store turned Derek Henshaw into a frog." Originally, however, that part of the story was a full two pages of "scene setting" before I distilled it down to exactly what it needed to be.</span></span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"> Rewriting isn't fun. But it <i>is</i> necessary. Take out the boring parts. Add interesting parts. Bring your story </span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">alive with</span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"> short bits of dialogue, quick touches of humor. (Remember when last week's blog post talked about energy? Dialogue and humor both bring energy!) Tell the story - or at least think about it - from a different character's point of view. Do research to come up with wider ideas. And</span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">, especially if you are writing for young people</span><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;"> or if you are someone who has trouble simply getting your story started in the first place,</span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> jump right into the action. </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92QOz5P7DyvzbJh3IX_e34NE6pgJaFS9v5PjLbL-GzHLP-BjDcjcgNgXG2GL6OUrYjUj-HzbTc2MxcMCyq4l_qze1KBDBQesZCByy0UxvXcTaCtwiTq7HXXqiwZFhiv_0QhKel_xMqBWq/s1600/445+sarah++covers+-+sarah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92QOz5P7DyvzbJh3IX_e34NE6pgJaFS9v5PjLbL-GzHLP-BjDcjcgNgXG2GL6OUrYjUj-HzbTc2MxcMCyq4l_qze1KBDBQesZCByy0UxvXcTaCtwiTq7HXXqiwZFhiv_0QhKel_xMqBWq/s200/445+sarah++covers+-+sarah.jpg" width="187" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Originally issued as<i> Anastasia Morning star and the Crystal Butterfly, </i>and updated in 2005, the book has been published in Canada, Great Britain, Germany and America -- each time with different illustrations. I love the places a book can end up!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> I hope that right now you are reaching for your pen or opening a word document on your computer to begin to write...or rewrite...by jumping in with energy. You never know where your own story might appear!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">c All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
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Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-63434095250421269132013-03-06T06:10:00.001-08:002013-03-13T06:20:09.899-07:00Story Seed / Writing Tip #1 - Energy!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white;"> <span style="font-size: small;"> Today I begin a weekly series "Story Seeds /
Writing Tips". Drop in whenever you feel like it! Or join the blog for
automatic updates and draws for book prizes. For details, see March 3rd's post "I'm Celebrating !" </span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEW6JGfObwdp75zqLAvzsIdBMKiC9I5tWQm9MJqJ0PfDF4yH6tBefMBkKlK2ix1kWqmli2dWiczD3sntI0f9uNrtXrS07fBTuMtcjiSZw_AW5NFhTSF55WuUciqt38CM_9DsBJfNeWZ3uf/s1600/Three+and+Many.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEW6JGfObwdp75zqLAvzsIdBMKiC9I5tWQm9MJqJ0PfDF4yH6tBefMBkKlK2ix1kWqmli2dWiczD3sntI0f9uNrtXrS07fBTuMtcjiSZw_AW5NFhTSF55WuUciqt38CM_9DsBJfNeWZ3uf/s200/Three+and+Many.jpg" width="140" /></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The
Seed:</b> When I was in grades 4-6, the old "three wishes"fairy tale kept showing up in
our reading books. It used to drive me crazy. The foolish adult characters always
wasted their wishes in the worst possible manner. That's when I came up with
my great idea! I didn't actually write the story until fourteen years later...but when I did, it became my first published novel for children. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Book: </b></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>The Three
and Many Wishes of Jason Reid </i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">(Annick, 1983 and 2000)</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Writing
Tip: </b> Some of the ideas one comes up with as a kid are
very good ideas indeed! But good ideas need energy if they're going to be able to carry a novel from start to finish. One way I kept the energy level strong for this book was to alternate chapters. Magic. Baseball. Magic. Baseball. I wasn't even aware I was doing it at first -- all I knew was that somehow, every time I started on a new chapter, I was eager to write. And it showed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Where did the baseball theme come from? I thought at the time that it grew from a casual description I'd pulled from thin air. A boy with a baseball cap - it seemed pretty random to me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> I'm not so sure of that any more. You'll see from future blog posts that some of the things that just "happen" to show up in my stories have all kinds of underlying connections.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> But I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm trying to keep each posting to one short writing tip at a time. And please remember, writing tips are not writing rules. They're suggestions - things you might try to help you start a story, finish a story or improve a story on which you are already working.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> Moving back and forth between settings, subject matter or characters is one way to keep your writing energized and your audience reading. Are you reading a novel right now where the author uses this very technique?<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> c All Rights Reserved. All blog text(except comments by others) copyright Hazel Hutchins.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
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Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-44407584946836179182013-03-03T10:54:00.000-08:002013-04-10T07:10:08.431-07:00I'm Celebrating! - Story Seeds / Writing Tips<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYROD_5Zd-01rClD1up7blzHqWYFyAtFuvX9oJldBfLRZZ0xnp141-Ulb8G4IZoZ1mNhEmCnyDjnx_mp82wt0qTGF1QG1g7myB1wsCjfZAQlwWKOtXKeJjSI7IzQqGSmonPSVO_VgElNNE/s1600/project-cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYROD_5Zd-01rClD1up7blzHqWYFyAtFuvX9oJldBfLRZZ0xnp141-Ulb8G4IZoZ1mNhEmCnyDjnx_mp82wt0qTGF1QG1g7myB1wsCjfZAQlwWKOtXKeJjSI7IzQqGSmonPSVO_VgElNNE/s200/project-cake.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
This is a cake from a wonderful librarian in Fort MacLeod many years (and many books!) ago. But it speaks to why I can't help celebrating.<br />
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I've been so lucky to be a children's author! So much fun writing the books (yes - those labour pains are the easiest things in the world to forget!) So many, many great editors, publishers, illustrators, teachers, librarians, parents, grandparents, caregivers, writers, lovers of children's books and -- best of all -- so many great kids! Of ALL ages. And in all the locations I've been privileged to be invited --- from inner city to outport, prairie grasslands to the far north. <br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">In celebration of fifty
titles (including four new ones this year!) for the next three months
my Word Magic blog will have weekly postings featuring:<br />
1) the tiny, real-life seed from which one of my stories grew<br />
2) a writing tip that helped that idea become a finished story.<br /><br />And yes - in one way it's a bit of navel-gazing. My own private "Hazel retrospective"<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">. But I also hope there will be something there for others ---- for </span></span>students, teachers, librarians, parents, writers and anyone who loves children's books. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The entries will be short... just enough to remind us all of the wonderful "possibility" <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">of story...the small seeds from which they might grow, the sometimes surprising ways in which they can be encouraged.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Feel free to spread the word to others who might be interested. Drop <span style="font-size: small;">b</span>y when<span style="font-size: small;">ever you wish. Or sign-in and "join" the blog to be </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">automatically
entered in a monthly draw for five Hazel Hutchins titles (March, April and May 2013)<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The first post will be Wednesday March<span style="font-size: small;"> 6th - <span style="font-size: small;">which by happy coincidence is World Read Aloud Day!<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>And I'll be posting once a week on Wednesday for the next four months. </span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Story Seeds / Writing Tips<br />At "<span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://hazelhutchins.blogspot.ca/">Word
Magic"</a></u></span></span>
<br />(<span style="color: navy;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://hazelhutchins.blogspot.ca/">http://hazelhutchins.blogspot.ca/</a></u></span></span>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />And, most of all, thank you .... everyone!</span></span></span></div>
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Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-43099181521223970232013-02-26T08:09:00.000-08:002013-02-26T08:09:25.521-08:00Author Visits DO Make a Difference<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlf3r2cSjG_53UnfbjlkJdcua2xqKwbA1F1yvgtI_uMfyW-tSUnK8LTg-8v0cOTfyNAyiCNTGbc8PWgwxyU6-rLonJCxYb7fQzy2s07RNr3WbRzsSmcaDFouecy66HyBLZk_ODrfSnWXIu/s1600/school+visits+make+a+difference+no+mirror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlf3r2cSjG_53UnfbjlkJdcua2xqKwbA1F1yvgtI_uMfyW-tSUnK8LTg-8v0cOTfyNAyiCNTGbc8PWgwxyU6-rLonJCxYb7fQzy2s07RNr3WbRzsSmcaDFouecy66HyBLZk_ODrfSnWXIu/s320/school+visits+make+a+difference+no+mirror.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Yup -- there weren't enough black letters "o" to go around, but even then I smiled happily when I saw the sign. It wasn't just outside the school, it was at the entrance to the town itself. This was an entire community that supported literacy.<br />
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Do author visits make a difference? Do they truly encourage readers and writiers? Over and over I have been told "yes!" by teachers, librarians and parents.<br />
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<u><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">But the real proof </span></u>happened last year when I received an unexpected e-mail. A student who had grown up in a community very much the size of the one above, a location I had visited 20 years ago, was writing to tell how well she remembered my author visit. She remembered that I hadn't just shared my success, I'd shared my failures too....the number of times I rewrite, the times my stories are turned down, And she remembered how much I still loved (and still DO love) the creation of stories.</div>
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On that day, 20 years ago, she had decided to become an author. Today she was writing to tell me she had just signed a contract for the publication of her own very first novel. </div>
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Author visits DO make a difference but it takes teachers, librarians, parents and supportive community members to make them possible. Thank you literacy lovers everywhere! </div>
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Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7730082077536584975.post-21195096430459162672013-02-23T10:16:00.001-08:002013-02-23T10:16:16.994-08:00How Authors Sometimes Travel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ajRyDmo8tXTQdumhUzpOgwl79aJSNIbIhX6P5CwTv8w6vvZQqvMrV3CrvktvlWC8gRl6CsfetWHZSaOBSJajmBfQNR2WuiHxSapGMkbtKpyDV89AFM1RveaV-ZDbphfvlq6gNxC3tuVl/s1600/school+by+plane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ajRyDmo8tXTQdumhUzpOgwl79aJSNIbIhX6P5CwTv8w6vvZQqvMrV3CrvktvlWC8gRl6CsfetWHZSaOBSJajmBfQNR2WuiHxSapGMkbtKpyDV89AFM1RveaV-ZDbphfvlq6gNxC3tuVl/s320/school+by+plane.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I'm going through past school visits to get photos for a new home page (coming soon at www.hazelhutchins.net....but not there yet!). I'd forgotten how many times those visits included smaller communities with limited access. Flying in little airplanes sometimes feels like riding in an eggshell with wings! This is from a trip to outlying areas around Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba.<br /><br /></div>
Hazel Hutchinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06968234406731452000noreply@blogger.com0