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Last year, I had the opportunity to have two courses I created published on SchoolhouseTeachers.com.
SchoolhouseTeachers.com offers over 400 different courses for preschool through high school along with many other resources all for one low price for the entire family.
My daughters have really enjoyed taking some of the courses available on SchoolhouseTeachers.com over the past year, which I have been sharing on a Pinterest board I have labeled as Completed SchoolhouseTeachers.com Courses.
One of my daughters has been keeping busy with some of the writing courses available on SchoolhouseTeachers.com.
So far, she has completed Paint with Your Words, Writing Advertising Copy, Into the Elements, Exploring Creative Writing, and Creating Dynamic Characters. I hope to have her give me a summary of each of the courses in her own words when she is done with school for the year.
Last month, SchoolhouseTeachers.com added seven new courses to their website, which included a writing course I created called Weekly Writing Challenge.
The Weekly Writing Challenge discusses the importance of writing, choosing a place to write, points of view, brainstorming, characters, settings, problems and challenges, finding solutions, dialogue, beginnings, endings, details, synonyms, verb tenses, nouns and verbs, showing instead of telling, genres, different writing examples, and revising and rewriting with a total of 34 writing challenges.
If you have a child interested in writing or learning more about what authors (and illustrators) do but don’t have a SchoolhouseTeachers.com account, then you may want to check out these books about writing, authors, and illustrators.
Books about Writing
Look at my Book: How Kids Can Write and Illustrate Terrific Books by Loreen Leedy
Look at My Book goes through the process a young boy, girl, and even a dog go through to create their own books. It discusses how to get ideas, brainstorming, genres, research, characters, setting, rough drafts, rough sketches, titles, and more in a fun (and busy) format. After reading this book (intended for ages 4-7/ preschool-3rd grade), children may be eager to create their own fun stories to share with others.
Pick a Picture, Write a Story! by Kristen McCurry
Pick a Picture, Write a Story! is a fun book to get some creative juices flowing for story writing. Throughout the book, pictures are presented with questions to create some story ideas. The book also discusses what stories are, the parts of a story, points of view, characters, plots, challenges, settings, dialogue, kinds of stories, action, brainstorming, and putting it all together. It is recommended for children ages 4-8/ preschool-2nd grade; however, this is a great book for anyone stuck with writer’s block.
You Can Write an Amazing Journal by Jennifer Fandel
You Can Write an Amazing Journal is intended for a younger audience. It talks about finding a place to write, materials needed to journal, “rules” to journaling, and finding the time to journal. It provides multiple exercises to get kids to use their senses, find facts, and get them thinking about writing.
So, You Want to be a Writer?: How to Write, Get Published, and Maybe Even Make it Big! by Vicki Hambleton & Cathleen Greenwood
So, You Want to be a Writer? is intended for ages 8-12 according to the page for it on Amazon. It discusses what it is like to be a writer, things needed to be a writer, genres, topics, writing exercises to overcome writer’s block, writing and rewriting, getting published, information about choosing writing as a career, and resources for writers.
Spilling Ink: A Young Writer’s Handbook by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter
Spilling Ink is intended for tweens, teens, and even adults. It discusses first drafts, where to find inspiration, characters, story ideas, plot, voices, setting, suspense, dialogue, descriptions, revising, journaling, keeping the story interesting, writer’s block, how to approach criticism, and how to develop a writing habit.
Writer to Writer: From Think to Ink by Gail Carson Levine
Writer to Writer is intended for grades 3-6 according to Amazon’s listing, but I think an older audience would appreciate it possibly even more. It discusses advice for writers, character development, plot information, parts of a story, word tenses, and poetry.
Seize the Story: A Handbook for Teens Who Like to Write by Victoria Hanley
Seize the Story is intended for tweens, teens, and maybe even adults who want to write novels. The chapters include: freeing your imagination, creating characters, beginnings, setting, the heart of a writer, writing dialogue, showing and telling, plotting and scheming, conflicts, middles and ends, polishing your writing, point of view, into the future, interviews with authors, and questions and answers. My daughters both really liked this one. They said it really made them want to write!
Books about Authors
What Do Authors and Illustrators Do? (2 Books in One) by Eileen Christelow
What Do Authors and Illustrators Do? really is “2 Books in One” as the cover says. It has combined the books What Do Authors Do? and What Do Illustrators Do? into one easy to read book. There is simple text on each page along with illustrations similar to a comic strip that include two authors, a talking dog, and a talking cat. Although this book is rated for ages 4-7/ preschool-3rd grade, there is a lot of useful information for older kids (and maybe even adults) to learn.
What Do Authors Do? goes through the process authors experience as they publish a book. It shows how two authors may have the same idea but end up with different stories, how difficult writing is at times, how authors may gather information, how long it may take for a story to be finished (more than what a lot of people may think), how authors persist even after receiving rejection letters, how authors edit their work (again!), and more.
What Do Illustrators Do? goes through the illustrator’s process. It shows how two illustrators who are illustrating a similar book may end up with much different illustrations due to their techniques and imaginations. Through the story, children learn about creating a dummy, sizes and shapes of books, sketches, point of view, using models, styles of drawing, designing books, lines, textures, artist tools, cool colors vs warm colors, and more.
The Creativity Project: An Awesometastic Story Collection Edited by Colby Sharp
The Creativity Project is compiled of writing prompts some authors and illustrators had written, drawn, or photographed and the responses from other authors and illustrators they swapped the prompts with. Some of the writing prompts and responses are rather funny and creative!
Our Story Begins: Your Favorite Authors and Illustrators Share Fun, Inspiring, and Occasionally: Ridiculous Things They Wrote and Drew as Kids Edited by Elissa Brent Weissman
Our Story Begins includes pictures, stories, and snippets from the childhood of multiple authors and illustrators including Gordon Korman, Gail Carson Levine, Candace Fleming, Kwame Alexander, and more.
Journals for Writers
Adventure Writing Prompt Journal
Of course, in order to be a writer, one must actually write. This writing prompt journal has 52 pictures along with writing prompts to spark the imagination and get writers writing.
Writers should read, too! These reading journals include a personalized table of contents, space to record a total of 100 books, and more. The cat cover shown in the picture above is actually one of multiple cover options available. (Click here to see all of the available cover options in one location.)
Do you have any book recommendations about writing?
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