Blog
To Read or Not to Read…this is not a question
Use book reviews to promote reading and writing skills
Many years ago, when my son was in fourth grade, he wasn’t reading despite having been read to every night to that point. It was a nightly ritual from early on in his life to read books together. As in many households with similar rituals, we began our reading journey with picture books, progressed to simple chapter books, and gradually over the years, moved...
Poetry is defined as the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm. I say poetry is a song without music. In my opinion, poetry should use strong imagery, strong emotions, and a smooth rhyme rhythm. Many modern day poets prefer free verse poetry. In this article, I am going to share my top ten favorite poetry books and why.
1. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson by Thomas H. Johnson. Emily was a an American poet who became regarded as one of the most...
Top running books—even though I’m not too much of a runner myself
2020 consisted of me running more miles than I ever had in my life. Even though I don’t care for running. The pounding on the road, the labored breathing, and the tedious, never-ending slog across pavement. It is a necessary evil, like a red-eye flight to see the lights of Paris or the handful of spinach thrown into a smoothie. In fact, before graduating college, I had never run more than a couple of miles...
"Read like a detective and think like a judge..." is what my principal likes to say.
Being able to read words is only the first part of the reading process. Being able to comprehend or understand what is being said through the words is the next critical piece to becoming an excellent reader. Have you ever looked at a long story with lots of pages and then decided to speed read through it in order to hurry up and finish it? You may have...
Have you ever felt like things in America can’t get any worse politically or socio-economically? Do you feel that what you are seeing is the beginning of the end of America? Perhaps you have even wondered whether America is soon heading for a break-up like the former Soviet Union? Well, I have a book for you.
Over the past decade, the above questions have repeatedly haunted me and I have tried to read as much as I can to understand contemporary politics...
Do you love writing?
Is it your dream to become an author?
You're not alone, but what do you need to do to reach that goal?
We like asking our authors to share their advice with those who want to pursue writing for publication. Here's what Jeannie Chambers said.
Here are my top FIVE writing tips:
1) Just write! Try to write something every day; it may not have anything to do with what you think you want to write, just keep it up.
2) Write as soon as you get up in the...
Author Kathy Manos Penn shares about her experience with LitPick and why she has found this reading and writing program to be so valuable.
Students, be sure to read about the special student reviewer promotion that's only available until June 15, 2018.
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I discovered this program when I read Jean Gill’s “Someone to Look Up To,” a novel written by a Great Pyrenees dog, as is my book “Lord Banjo the Royal Pooch.” The difference is the dog narrator in...
The PCR Triangle and Our Recommendations
From our data, students seem to be more motivated to read outside of school when a parent is directly involved as their sponsor rather than when they are sponsored by librarians or teachers as part of a group of students. We feel that this parent-child relationship is very important in promoting and encouraging reading during the preteen and teen years and should be incorporated into school and library-...
Today we are joined by Jeff Minich, author of Baby Chomper’s Bath Time and other books in the Nuggies illustrated children’s book series. We have partnered with him and The Children’s Book Review to bring you some tips about writing for children. If you’ve ever considered writing for this audience, be sure to check out his article. Also, enter for your chance to win an autographed copy of Baby Chomper’s Bath Time.
WRITING FOR CHILDREN
For my first children...
Laura P. Angaroni, author of Lowly, shared some questions to consider when you “write what you know.” She is back today with some more thoughts on this powerful way to bring authenticity into your writing.
Check out Part I, in case you missed it.
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WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW
PART II
1. In Part I of my article I mentioned
A. Writing what you know
B. Authenticity...
WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW
PART I
“Who’s joking? You wouldn’t think it was so disgusting if you had a few minutes alone with me,” Matthew carries on with a slimy leer, adding what I’m guessing is a foul name for me that I’ve never heard before. I’ll have to ask Charlotte if she knows its meaning later.
Lowly, p. 29
I bet you my Baby Groot plushie that English teachers have told you to write “what you know.”
I certainly have. For me, the...
The Dog That Helped My Daughter Read
by Sally Keys
“Your daughter is struggling to read aloud in class,” said her teacher to me as I picked her up from school one day. The words struck fear into me. Not because I feared my daughter was not bright - I know she is a fantastic, decisive leader, and is very intelligent to boot - far more so than me. It struck fear into my heart because it reminded me of what I went through as a child. I, too, had mild dyslexia, and reading...
Time Travel in Books
by N.D. Richman
N.D. Richman is here to share more about his action-adventure series, Boulton Quest, and the fascinating idea of time travel. Mr. Richman started this series as a way to get his nine-year-old son interested in reading. The four main characters in these books have been named after Mr. Richman’s own children.
Each of the books in this series have received a five star review:
https://litpick.com/books/brothers-bullies-and-bad-guys
https://litpick.com/...
Pros and Cons of Each Point of View
By Claire Merchant
When beginning to write a story, one of the first things you need to consider is the point of view to tell it from. Today, I’m going to tell you a bit about the three styles — first person, second person, and third person, and tell you a little about some of the pros and cons of each.
First Person: Walking-in-their-shoes style. [Me, I, my]
This is a favourite for fiction writing. It is a story as told by the main...
Start a Playwriting Contest Using 20 Questions
by Deborah Baldwin
Twenty-nine years ago, I was president of a community theatre, the Columbia Entertainment Company, in Columbia, Missouri. Also, I was the director of a youth theatre program for them. I volunteered hundreds of hours to both programs. It was an amazing learning experience and one that I draw upon from time to time in my career.
Here is the story of probably the most important thing we did in this company: ...
Book Therapy
By Claire Merchant
Books make me happy. Stories are my therapy. I’ve said before that I’d probably be in an asylum if I didn’t write, not just because of the voices, but because I find it very difficult to cope with the stresses that come with reality. Plus, I think a lot, and trying to think of multiple things at once sounds productive, but it’s really just super overwhelming. More often than not, it ends up resulting in a panic attack and me turning into a...
Put the Writing First
by
Mark Huntley Parsons
I’m a children’s author, as is my wife. (She’s a kidlit veteran while I’m the new kid—I’ve spent the last several years primarily writing non-fiction: a couple of non-fic books and maybe 200 magazine articles for national publications.) My first YA novel, Road Rash, was published by Knopf/Random House and named to the 2015 ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young Readers list, as well as the 2015 Bank Street...
In The Life Of…
By Claire Merchant
Hi, I’m Claire. I’m a writer and published author from Perth in Western Australia. Since 2013, I have had eight books published through Pegasus Publishers in Cambridge, England, and I have self-published a short eBook on Amazon. I have one more book ready for release, and I have all up completed writing twenty-five.
I have an identity crisis at least once a week, and depending on how that particular week is going, sometimes it’s...
Strengthening Reading Skills Through Drama
by Deborah Baldwin
Teaching has its up and downs, but one of the most rewarding experiences of teaching is seeing a student’s eyes light up once some learning connects with them. I like to teach “magically” if I can. I don’t wear a wizard’s robe and pull out a magic wand —I have no idea how that is done. I mean when a student learns something when they don’t think they are doing anything but having fun....
Why the Term “Young Adult Literature” Is Dangerous
By Michael J. Bowler
I hate the term “Young Adult Literature.” Teens and children are NOT young adults and they never will be young adults. Twelve and under are children or kids. Thirteen to eighteen are teens or adolescents. Eighteen years old is the beginning of young adulthood in America, and the adult brain isn’t fully formed until age twenty-one plus. That’s real science, not my opinion.
I point this out...
Voting, Elections, and the U.S. Political System
By Jeff Fleischer
Jeff Fleischer’s new book, Votes of Confidence: A Young Person’s Guide to American Elections, is designed as a primer (or refresher) for teens and adults alike -- about voting, elections, and the US political system in general. With the election just a few months away, he joins LitPick to answer a few questions about how that system works.
***How do absentee ballots work? Do they start counting the absentee ballots...
So You Think You’re Done- The Value of Editing and Revision
By Eileen Cook
There are few things better than typing the words THE END at the bottom of your manuscript. All the long hours, the time spent whacking your head on the desk, and the late night emails to fellow writers despairing that you’d ever finish have come to a conclusion. You’re done. You’re ready to pop the cork on some champagne and wait for publishing fame and glory to come your way.
Wait! Don...
Welcome to South Coast
By Claire Merchant
Welcome to South Coast—or should I say, ‘Welcome to the inside of my mind’?
To you, it may be the setting for a novel that you read—or eight that you have read since I have published seven paperback novels and an eBook in the last three years. To me, South Coast is my entire world. It is a place that makes sense to me and where all my friends live. I may have published seven books, but I have written a total of twenty-five; plus...
Inspiration for Painting in the Dark: Esref Armagan, Blind Artist
by Rachelle Burk
Today LitPick has the pleasure of bringing you a special interview with Rachelle Burk. You previously met Rachelle when she visited LitPick for Six Minutes with an Author and Extra Credit interviews (https://litpick.com/author/rachelle-burk).
This time Rachelle is here to talk about her new book, Painting in the Dark: Esref Armagan, Blind Artist, illustrated by Claudia Gadotti. In the book, actual photos of...
Writing, Directing, and Producing a Stage Play
By Joan Donaldson-Yarmey
Last winter I took my writing in a new direction. I attended a two-day play writing course. By the end of it I had adapted a short story of mine, which had won first place in a flash fiction contest in “Ascent Aspirations Magazine,” into a half hour stage play. In the spring I entered my play in the Fringe held here in Port Alberni, B.C. This summer I produced and directed my play on stage in front...