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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
An amazing and funny book for people who like to write. It was funny and engaging and I would recommend it to everyone who likes to write anything, or even is just looking for a book. Written by two published authors, they give good tips and advice, explaining things clearly and somewhat concisely. Even though I already knew some of the things that they talked about, they gave me a new perspective on many different topics. The authors continued cracking jokes and adding in little bits of writing and examples, which were funny and informative. A MUST READ FOR AN ASPIRING WRITER!!!!!
I was child writer. Which is to say, I was one of those kids who wrote endless stories between the ages of nine and fourteen or so. Of these stories, I finished only one. And I remember taking a writing class over a summer once that I enjoyed, but otherwise I didn't have a lot of direction when it came to my writing. I dabbled a bit in high school, but for the most part my creative side floundered for many years before getting a bit of a revivification in adulthood. So it's impossible for me not to wonder how all of that might have been different had I encountered a book like Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook as a child. As far as I can tell, there wasn't anything like Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter's book back in the 80s or 90s. For that matter, there hasn't been much like it in the 2000s or 2010s! Mazer and Potter have essentially come up with a juvenile-friendly version of Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. I don't invoke that standard of inspirational writing lightly when I compare it to this book, either. Though there might be the occasional detail I'd expand upon or move about in this title, for the most part Spilling Ink is the perfect book (or gift, for that matter) for any child who dabbles in putting their words in other people's heads.
Kids may know author Anne Mazer best from her [title: The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes] series. Ellen Potter, on the other hand, is better known for the [b:Olivia Kidney|679465|Olivia Kidney|Ellen Potter|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177085032s/679465.jpg|3004655] series or her individual books like [b:SLOB|6177671|Slob|Ellen Potter|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266556247s/6177671.jpg|6357464]. Now these two authors have joined forces to provide their young readers and incipient writers with a bit of guidance. Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook splits into three neat and tidy sections: "Part I: Ready, Set, Go!", "Part II: Crafting Your Story", and "Part III: The Writer's Brain". Within those sections, the authors discuss everything from voice and revision to writer's block and writing partners. The result is an exhaustive but not exhausting series of practical points of advice for kids interested in becoming that most glorious of occupations: writers.
Mazer and Potter work as well as they do together partly because their written voices meld well and partly because they consistently make good points. For example, right from the start they make it clear that in your book the main character is going to have to want something. I can't tell you how many published children's books I read where the characters noodle about, not wanting anything in particular while interesting things happen to them. Some adult writers could benefit from the advice in this story, I think. Another good point is made about making sure your title matches your text. You don't want a funny title on a serious book, after all. "If your story is dark and grim and your title is funny, your readers are going to expect a few chuckles. People hate to not chuckle when they are all set to chuckle. It's like holding up your hand for a high five and not getting one."
The usual groundwork is covered in this story, but there are also some unique choices as well. For one thing, I was surprised to see that Potter and Mazer include an entire section to the art of writing picture books. It would never occur to me that a child writer would want to write a picture book, but why not? I bet some of them would enjoy it. Around the time Anne brought up what it was like to write a series, though, I was intrigued. It seems as if the authors here are making a point of not talking down to their child readers. They're treating them like real writers, and bringing up the areas they themselves know best. I noticed that they didn't discuss what it was like to write a graphic novel or a nonfiction title, but that probably has as much to do with the fact that the authors haven't traipsed all that often into those worlds as it does with the fact that this is really a book about straight up fiction writing. Nonfiction and GNs are a whole different ballgame (though you can hand a kid Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics if they really want to know how to do it).
There were three things in this book that really set it apart from the usual writing advice stock out there. After all, advice is not inherently fun. You need to spice up your text a bit, even if everything you say is good, sane, and healthy. To combat the potential snoritude of the book were the fiction examples, the "I DARE YOU" exercises, and the illustrations. I will explain. Often when going over the finer points of constructing a strong story, Mazer and Potter would write little fictional sections to include as examples. My favorite of these, bar none, were the sections discussing the made up tale of "Boris the Bullet Boy". Potter uses this story to explain where a person might want to begin a story. She does an excellent job of it, to the point where the reader really does want to know more about Boris and his puny little head. The "I DARE YOU" exercises appear as separate portions dotted throughout the text. They're not strict assignments, more lures to get kids writing. By saying "I DARE YOU" the authors are encouraging kids to write on their own, not forcing them into doing one thing or another. Of course, once this book starts getting handed out in Creative Writing classes, then those suggestions will actually become assignments. Ah well. As for the third part, Matt Phelan was the artist asked to create small interstitial illustrations to complement the text. He does a good job of it too. There are really only so many ways to show kids writing or thinking about writing, or excited about writing. He seems to have meticulously covered each and every one. He even illustrates some of the side stories (like the aforementioned Boris).
Now, there is one way in which kids today write that I wish the authors had touched upon just a little bit more. Fanfiction. For a lot of kids today, that's how they start writing. The closest the authors come to mentioning Fanfiction is in Section 6: Blackberries, Raspberries, and Story Ideas, where they suggest at one point, "If you can't get any ideas at all, you can build on other people's ideas . . . You can also take a favorite character and write a story about him or her. This is different from copying someone else's words. We all can and should be inspired by other people's work." Amen to that. Now the way in which most kids do this, and then show off their work, are through various Fanfiction websites. Should Mazer and Potter have mentioned this fact? Maybe warned kids away from sites where the Fanfiction is a tad, uh, adult for their tastes? It probably couldn't have hurt.
I think again about when I was a child writer and I wonder, "Would I have wanted this book back then? Would I have read it? And if I had read it, how would I have read it?" Knowing me, I probably would have skimmed the book for the parts that really interested me. Maybe I would have gone to all the "I DARE YOU" sections and done those exercises. Maybe I would have gone from the back of the book and read forwards. Part of what I like about Mazer and Potter's work here is that the book is infinitely flexible in this way. There will be a certain breed of child reader who will feel that it is necessary to start at the beginning of the book and to read it from cover to cover. But knowing children (and heck, knowing writers) a lot of them will use the book for skimming and browsing. They'll find what they need, use it, then come back to find another little tidbit of what they need. And that's an okay way of reading too. No matter how they come to it or read it, though, Spilling Ink is pretty much one the best young writer's handbooks of its kind I've ever seen. Inspiration can come from a lot of places. Now a lot of inspiration can come from a single place. A necessary purchase.
For ages 9-14.
Kids may know author Anne Mazer best from her [title: The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes] series. Ellen Potter, on the other hand, is better known for the [b:Olivia Kidney|679465|Olivia Kidney|Ellen Potter|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177085032s/679465.jpg|3004655] series or her individual books like [b:SLOB|6177671|Slob|Ellen Potter|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266556247s/6177671.jpg|6357464]. Now these two authors have joined forces to provide their young readers and incipient writers with a bit of guidance. Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook splits into three neat and tidy sections: "Part I: Ready, Set, Go!", "Part II: Crafting Your Story", and "Part III: The Writer's Brain". Within those sections, the authors discuss everything from voice and revision to writer's block and writing partners. The result is an exhaustive but not exhausting series of practical points of advice for kids interested in becoming that most glorious of occupations: writers.
Mazer and Potter work as well as they do together partly because their written voices meld well and partly because they consistently make good points. For example, right from the start they make it clear that in your book the main character is going to have to want something. I can't tell you how many published children's books I read where the characters noodle about, not wanting anything in particular while interesting things happen to them. Some adult writers could benefit from the advice in this story, I think. Another good point is made about making sure your title matches your text. You don't want a funny title on a serious book, after all. "If your story is dark and grim and your title is funny, your readers are going to expect a few chuckles. People hate to not chuckle when they are all set to chuckle. It's like holding up your hand for a high five and not getting one."
The usual groundwork is covered in this story, but there are also some unique choices as well. For one thing, I was surprised to see that Potter and Mazer include an entire section to the art of writing picture books. It would never occur to me that a child writer would want to write a picture book, but why not? I bet some of them would enjoy it. Around the time Anne brought up what it was like to write a series, though, I was intrigued. It seems as if the authors here are making a point of not talking down to their child readers. They're treating them like real writers, and bringing up the areas they themselves know best. I noticed that they didn't discuss what it was like to write a graphic novel or a nonfiction title, but that probably has as much to do with the fact that the authors haven't traipsed all that often into those worlds as it does with the fact that this is really a book about straight up fiction writing. Nonfiction and GNs are a whole different ballgame (though you can hand a kid Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics if they really want to know how to do it).
There were three things in this book that really set it apart from the usual writing advice stock out there. After all, advice is not inherently fun. You need to spice up your text a bit, even if everything you say is good, sane, and healthy. To combat the potential snoritude of the book were the fiction examples, the "I DARE YOU" exercises, and the illustrations. I will explain. Often when going over the finer points of constructing a strong story, Mazer and Potter would write little fictional sections to include as examples. My favorite of these, bar none, were the sections discussing the made up tale of "Boris the Bullet Boy". Potter uses this story to explain where a person might want to begin a story. She does an excellent job of it, to the point where the reader really does want to know more about Boris and his puny little head. The "I DARE YOU" exercises appear as separate portions dotted throughout the text. They're not strict assignments, more lures to get kids writing. By saying "I DARE YOU" the authors are encouraging kids to write on their own, not forcing them into doing one thing or another. Of course, once this book starts getting handed out in Creative Writing classes, then those suggestions will actually become assignments. Ah well. As for the third part, Matt Phelan was the artist asked to create small interstitial illustrations to complement the text. He does a good job of it too. There are really only so many ways to show kids writing or thinking about writing, or excited about writing. He seems to have meticulously covered each and every one. He even illustrates some of the side stories (like the aforementioned Boris).
Now, there is one way in which kids today write that I wish the authors had touched upon just a little bit more. Fanfiction. For a lot of kids today, that's how they start writing. The closest the authors come to mentioning Fanfiction is in Section 6: Blackberries, Raspberries, and Story Ideas, where they suggest at one point, "If you can't get any ideas at all, you can build on other people's ideas . . . You can also take a favorite character and write a story about him or her. This is different from copying someone else's words. We all can and should be inspired by other people's work." Amen to that. Now the way in which most kids do this, and then show off their work, are through various Fanfiction websites. Should Mazer and Potter have mentioned this fact? Maybe warned kids away from sites where the Fanfiction is a tad, uh, adult for their tastes? It probably couldn't have hurt.
I think again about when I was a child writer and I wonder, "Would I have wanted this book back then? Would I have read it? And if I had read it, how would I have read it?" Knowing me, I probably would have skimmed the book for the parts that really interested me. Maybe I would have gone to all the "I DARE YOU" sections and done those exercises. Maybe I would have gone from the back of the book and read forwards. Part of what I like about Mazer and Potter's work here is that the book is infinitely flexible in this way. There will be a certain breed of child reader who will feel that it is necessary to start at the beginning of the book and to read it from cover to cover. But knowing children (and heck, knowing writers) a lot of them will use the book for skimming and browsing. They'll find what they need, use it, then come back to find another little tidbit of what they need. And that's an okay way of reading too. No matter how they come to it or read it, though, Spilling Ink is pretty much one the best young writer's handbooks of its kind I've ever seen. Inspiration can come from a lot of places. Now a lot of inspiration can come from a single place. A necessary purchase.
For ages 9-14.
Fun, easy to read, and useful for people of all ages! I borrowed this book from the library but definitely want my own copy! So much good information delivered with humor and style!
Popular children's book authors Mazer and Potter provide practical writing tips and an inside peek into writers' lives with this charming writers' guide. Whimsical illustrations by Matt Phelan enhance the book's playful tone. Give this book to an aspiring young writer or add it to classroom and library collections.
Publisher’s Summary:
LEARN HOW TO WRITE LIKE THE EXPERTS, FROM THE EXPERTS.
Practical advice in a perfect package for young aspiring writers.
After receiving letters from fans asking for writing advice,accomplished authors Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter joined together to create this guidebook for young writers. The authors mix inspirational anecdotes with practical guidance on how to find a voice, develop characters and plot,
make revisions, and overcome writer’s block. Fun writing prompts will help young writers jump-start their own projects, and encouragement throughout will keep them at work.
******************************************************************************************************************************************************
Authors Anne Mazer (The Salamander Room, the Sister Magic series and The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes series) and Ellen Potter (the Olivia Kidney series, Pish Posh and my personal favorite, SLOB) team up together to craft a book geared toward the middle grade set. Offering sage advice, this reader-friendly book is stuffed with helpful tips for those wishing to start on their own writing journey. Mazer and Potter come into and out of the text alternately, adding their own (often funny) spin on how to write first drafts (just write!), how to interject dialogue (a sticky point with kids), encouragement to keep a journal and write in it daily, as well as how to deal with writer’s block and criticism.
Though aimed at ages 9-14, Spilling Ink will most definitely be used as a reference for me with my own students as well as when I help facilitate a teacher’s writing conference this summer. I can envision placing the text on my ELMO and reading whole chunks of Spilling Ink aloud. The conversational tone the authors adopt gives the reader the illusion that they are chatting about the craft of writing over a leisurely cup of tea with friends, and truly makes the oftentimes challenging task of writing accessible. The whimsically drawn illustrations by Matt Phelan add even more levity. I especially enjoyed the “I Dare You” sections of the book. Peppered throughout the thirty sections of text, these serve as practical writing prompts: “Think of an event that you wouldn’t consider suspenseful. It might be waiting for the school bus, walking your dog, or visiting your grandparents. Create a situation in which this everyday even suddenly becomes incredibly suspenseful.” (p. 103) Spilling Ink is a teacher’s best friend!
Favorite passages:
From ‘Showing Up On the Page’: “Eighty percent of success is showing up,” Woody Allen said. (p. 13)
From ‘Truth or Dare: Getting to Know Your Character’s Deep, Dark Secrets’: *Ask your character the following questions: then write down their answers. They will answer you, I promise. At fist it will feel like the answers are coming from your own brain, but you are sort of sharing a brain with your character at this point. You are imagining what it is like to be them (a very useful skill, both in writing and in life!)
Here are the questions (feel free to make up your own too).
1. What is your happiest memory?
2. What makes you laugh so hard soda shoots out of your nose?
3. What don’t you want anyone to find out about you?
4. What is the best part of your personality?
5. What shoes do you usually wear?
6. Name some things that you are not very good at.
7. How would your best friend describe how you look?
8. What irritiates you (i.e., noises, bad habits, personality traits)?
9. What are you afraid of?
10. Tell me about your family.
11. What does your bedroom look like?
12. What do you think of yourself when you look in the mirror?
13. What’s the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?
14. Do you have a crush on anyone? (pgs. 26-27)
On page 181, a Writing Partner Contract complete with pages/words of writing and days of the week partners are committing to write. “We also hereby declare that we think the other one is brave, supremely talented, and generally awesome.”
*ARC (uncorrected proof not for sale) made available by Anne Mazer. Spilling Ink will be published March 30, 2010.
LEARN HOW TO WRITE LIKE THE EXPERTS, FROM THE EXPERTS.
Practical advice in a perfect package for young aspiring writers.
After receiving letters from fans asking for writing advice,accomplished authors Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter joined together to create this guidebook for young writers. The authors mix inspirational anecdotes with practical guidance on how to find a voice, develop characters and plot,
make revisions, and overcome writer’s block. Fun writing prompts will help young writers jump-start their own projects, and encouragement throughout will keep them at work.
******************************************************************************************************************************************************
Authors Anne Mazer (The Salamander Room, the Sister Magic series and The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes series) and Ellen Potter (the Olivia Kidney series, Pish Posh and my personal favorite, SLOB) team up together to craft a book geared toward the middle grade set. Offering sage advice, this reader-friendly book is stuffed with helpful tips for those wishing to start on their own writing journey. Mazer and Potter come into and out of the text alternately, adding their own (often funny) spin on how to write first drafts (just write!), how to interject dialogue (a sticky point with kids), encouragement to keep a journal and write in it daily, as well as how to deal with writer’s block and criticism.
Though aimed at ages 9-14, Spilling Ink will most definitely be used as a reference for me with my own students as well as when I help facilitate a teacher’s writing conference this summer. I can envision placing the text on my ELMO and reading whole chunks of Spilling Ink aloud. The conversational tone the authors adopt gives the reader the illusion that they are chatting about the craft of writing over a leisurely cup of tea with friends, and truly makes the oftentimes challenging task of writing accessible. The whimsically drawn illustrations by Matt Phelan add even more levity. I especially enjoyed the “I Dare You” sections of the book. Peppered throughout the thirty sections of text, these serve as practical writing prompts: “Think of an event that you wouldn’t consider suspenseful. It might be waiting for the school bus, walking your dog, or visiting your grandparents. Create a situation in which this everyday even suddenly becomes incredibly suspenseful.” (p. 103) Spilling Ink is a teacher’s best friend!
Favorite passages:
From ‘Showing Up On the Page’: “Eighty percent of success is showing up,” Woody Allen said. (p. 13)
From ‘Truth or Dare: Getting to Know Your Character’s Deep, Dark Secrets’: *Ask your character the following questions: then write down their answers. They will answer you, I promise. At fist it will feel like the answers are coming from your own brain, but you are sort of sharing a brain with your character at this point. You are imagining what it is like to be them (a very useful skill, both in writing and in life!)
Here are the questions (feel free to make up your own too).
1. What is your happiest memory?
2. What makes you laugh so hard soda shoots out of your nose?
3. What don’t you want anyone to find out about you?
4. What is the best part of your personality?
5. What shoes do you usually wear?
6. Name some things that you are not very good at.
7. How would your best friend describe how you look?
8. What irritiates you (i.e., noises, bad habits, personality traits)?
9. What are you afraid of?
10. Tell me about your family.
11. What does your bedroom look like?
12. What do you think of yourself when you look in the mirror?
13. What’s the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?
14. Do you have a crush on anyone? (pgs. 26-27)
On page 181, a Writing Partner Contract complete with pages/words of writing and days of the week partners are committing to write. “We also hereby declare that we think the other one is brave, supremely talented, and generally awesome.”
*ARC (uncorrected proof not for sale) made available by Anne Mazer. Spilling Ink will be published March 30, 2010.
Great ideas and info.. Will read again several times. Love all of the ideas to share with my kiddos.
Loved, loved, loved this book. Most books I just check out of the library, but part way through reading this I had to go out and buy my own copy. I know I will reread it many many times!
This is a fantastic book for anyone who wants to become a writer. All the advice is really good, and is told in a memorable and engaging way. Love it! :)
Liked this more than I thought I would. Most writing books one reads are really dense but this one wasn't. Also some unique advice which tends to be lacking in most writing books.