Fall Fun!

September has flown by and the leaves are beginning to change already to wonderful golds and oranges and reds. The fall wind wooshes past, blowing in a new season.

This is the perfect time for fun writing adventures. Try an simple alphabetic poem. Print the alphabet on your paper, one letter on each line. Now think of something "fallish" for each letter.

A is for acorns.
B is for birds flying north.
C is for colors--red, gold, and orange.
D is for daylight becoming less and less.

So you get the idea. If you can't make it through all the alphabet, that's okay. Do as many letters as you can. Or if you're working in a group, assign different letters to different people--or work as teams.

Next week is October already. This month is Children's Magazine Month. Magazines are jam-packed with stories and activities and cool art work. Go see what magazines your school or public library have. Usually you can check out old issues. Or find online children's magazines like Guardian Angel Kids, Highlights Kids, or Literature For Kids, where I'll have a new story--SPIDER IN DISGUISE--in the October issue.

Why not try to write your own story with a fall setting? Perhaps you can write a mystery, or a silly story, or an adventure. Take a piece of paper and start brainstorming ideas. Put your main character in the middle of the paper. Now draw 3 circles above and write 3 possible problems for your main character. Down below write 3 different settings. On each side, write in possible minor characters. Then pick out your favorite problem, setting, and characters. Mix them up and see what happens!

Have a Peachy Day!

JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH by Roahl Dahl is celebrating its 50th birthday with a fun, interactive site. You can send a "Virtual Peach" to someone special or a "Peach-Gram." Peachy greetings are circulating the globe, almost 800,000 miles worth when I peeked in at the site.

Everyday is the right day to celebrate a great story!

Storm Country

I had great news yesterday from the Joplin Writers Guild. My short story, "The Blizzard and the Baby," was accepted for publication in the upcoming anthology, STORM COUNTRY. The anthology showcases midwest storm stories and poems. The proceeds will go toward the damaged school libraries in Joplin, Missouri--those impacted by the tornado there earlier this year. The book is scheduled for publication next month in October. I'll keep you posted when I find out more information on purchasing the anthology, but in the meantime you can check out the authors and titles to be included in this fund-raising endeavor.