Turning stones into building blocks and bread into bread

A Bible reading for this first week of Lent takes us into the wilderness where Jesus had to decide whether to turn stones into bread. He certainly had the power to do so and would have settled an empty stomach right away, but the temptation for the immediate and expedient had no long-term appeal. Why? Jesus knew where He came from and knew where He was going, so hunger pangs, though uncomfortable, did not throw Him off course or trip Him up.

If we trip over stones, maybe we can write about overcoming obstacles.

If we trip over stones, maybe we can write about making a barbecue pit.

If we even see a stone (in Florida they’re rare!), maybe we can find the kind of flat, round, pita-bread-shaped stones that our readers can use to skip-toss across a pond.

Stones of all shapes and sizes can be great tools. Many have a hefty purpose, but if people need bread, they need stones mainly to grind the corn or wheat.

Jesus knew that stones can be a solid foundation for building, but not for making meals. He fed hundreds of hungry people, for example, by turning fish and bread into more fish, more bread.

If you fish around your Idea File or main areas of interest, what fish do you have to share with other people?

If you have even a little bit of anointing oil or oil used for healing or oil of gladness or oil to stop a squeaking door, might it be enough to lubricate a thought, a worry, a spiritually dry spot your readers have?

What grains of truth can you write about to feed someone who's hungry?

What natural God-given ingredients do you have to make hearty loaves of bread or books or poems or stories?

Thank God, Lent gives us time to give who we are and what we have and where we’re going some time and thought and prayer. No hurry, but just so you’ll know: Our readers may be famished for something wholesome, something nourishing, something they can really sink their teeth into, preferably without breaking their incisors on a stone.



(c) 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

Protect your writings, photographs, and valuables before disaster strikes

As disasters fill the news today, prayers undoubtedly fill the air. The first concern, of course, is protecting yourself and your loved ones. If you’re in no immediate danger, though, please take time now to protect the records and valuables in your most valuable life:

Email your poems, writings, and/or works in progress to yourself, so you can retrieve them directly from the website of your Internet service provider.

Scan beloved family photographs and important documents. Save to a DVD and mail to siblings, children, or other family members, including at least one person who lives in another region of the U.S. or in another country.

Upload your prized photographs to a photo website such as Flickr or Picasa, making sure the security settings show as private rather than public.

Investigate free services on such websites as Google Docs and GMX.com that let you privately store your word files with easy retrieval from any computer, assuming you recall the user name and password.

Print out and/or backup copies of your poems and writings on a CD or DVD, and seal in waterproof Ziploc bags.

Seal other valuables too, including important papers, address book, and email contacts in watertight containers. Place them in a large purse, briefcase, or waterproof bag that you keep on your person or close enough to grab.

Although every contingency cannot be covered, consider as soon as you can the type of disaster most likely to occur in your area. In Florida, for example, we often prepare for water-related events, but for some time now, we have experienced drought conditions, so fire poses a threat too, making nonflammable containers a wise choice for storing valuables. If there’s a potential for evacuation, we also try to keep the car gassed up and stocked with water, appropriate clothing, flashlights, and snacks.

At other times, tornadoes and lightning storms have zipped overhead, causing us to stay put with our Ziploc bags, water jug, flashlights, and ourselves in the little basement room beneath our house.

I cannot even imagine what a tsunami must be like, but I have felt the impact of thunderstorms, snowstorms, and a 7.3 earthquake. I’ve seen tornadoes zig-zag overhead and ashes float into my living room from fires thirty miles away, and I’ve been in Hurricane Camille. Thanks be to God, my family and I survived with valuables intact, and, right now, I pray you do too.



(c) 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

You are what you read: reading to write well, think well, and have something to say

The old adage, “You are what you eat,” contains many grams of truth for weighing physical health, but when it comes to healthy thinking and the development of writing skill, you are what you read or don’t read.

Think, for example, of the books that have influenced you in some way. Chances are, you would not be a writer if you had never read a book, but writer or not, the books you loved during childhood, teen years, and last week have shaped your mental outlook and, very probably, your character. That’s power!

So let’s think about books that made us think and make us thinkers.

If you’re a guy, some of your choices most likely differ from mine, but as a young reader, The Secret Garden showed me the healing power of honesty and persistent love, while Anne of Green Gables encouraged belief in a creative voice and spirit. Almost before memory, though, The Little Engine That Could laid the tracks for those later books to carry strong beliefs in caring, persistence, and faith. Later still, such inspirational novels as The Robe and Christy put similar values into the forefront of my forehead.

Before we even begin to read by ourselves, book choices shape our thoughts.

Books continue to shape the well-read life.

Books also help us to develop as writers.

From childhood on, the King James Version of the Bible shaped my thinking, first for the content, which I better understood in the many newer translations that followed, but also for the poetry and musicality that still make me want to go for a poetic flow even in writing nonfiction.

To develop my writing skill on purpose, however, my initial choices came from books published by Writers Digest. Their magazine and also Poets & Writers continued to supply useful information and ideas as has my long-time membership in Writers-Editors.com. 

Hopefully, you will gain some useful information about writing on this blog and about poetry on the Poetry Editor & Poetry blog. Such resources help writers in general, but our book choices show our individuality as we become what we read. So, let's:

Read ourselves well before choosing books to read.

My writings, for example, went from inspirational romances and devotionals to a picture book for preschoolers and life-health encyclopedias for college students. Sounds nice, but the fun of writing about all sorts of topics in all sorts of genres did not win a consistent readership nor help me to develop a voice that can be heard above the crowd.

Our books influence readers who stop to listen.

Our books help readers become what they read.

Our books also give us what we most want to read.

For years, I devoured novels, but I rarely read them now, so, for now anyway, I no longer write them. Thanks to my grands, I still read children’s books, especially well-written picture books, and I still like to write them. Most often though, I read stacks of poetry and every reputable translation of the Bible, which I also review on the Bible Reviewer blog.

As I put together my love of the Bible and of poetry, I asked myself this question, which may help you to read yourself well too:

What book(s) will be most likely to help me at this particular time in my writing life?

For example, my response led me into studying a classic that combines my particular interests: The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. I read it years ago but did not get the literary references, spiritual themes, or political purpose of that book, which is primarily a treatise on the separation of church and state – a division that had not been fully realized in the early 1300's.

When Dante wrote his book, the current title had not been accepted. He did not call his manuscript “divine” since that might have been presumptuous enough to land him in a low level of Purgatory! Within a couple of centuries, however, readers added the word, but the original title was simply The Comedy, which has nothing to do with the comedic laughter of today but, rather, means the opposite of a tragic tale. To define quickly:

A tragedy is a story that starts well but ends badly.

A comedy is a story that starts badly but has a happy ending.

To keep my reading of this classical work from being tragic, I needed help! When I previously read the slender volume, I had somehow missed the heft of its meaning. So to help me “get it” this time, I ordered all three volumes with contemporary free verse translations by Robert M. Durling and heavy-duty footnotes and articles by him and Ronald L. Martinez. Yes, it's a little intimidating – okay, a lot. But reaching the half-way mark has gave me a larger view than I would have noticed on my own, helping me to reassess my biblical values, poetry, and life.

Undoubtedly, my choice of reading material will help to shape my thinking and my approach to future writing projects. And, isn’t it best to think about and assess our dearest beliefs before we sit down to write? It’s not that we want to tell people how to think or what to feel, but our clarified thoughts and beliefs help readers better clarify their own priorities as they continue to become what they read.

(c) 2011 and 2019 revision by Mary Harwell Sayler, poet-writer


The Divine Comedy of Dante, Vol. 1, paperback



Purgatorio, Dante, Vol. 2, paperback



Paradiso, Dante, Vol. 3, paperback



Dante, three-volume set, hardback

Your writing success can soar with an honest but kind first reader

You’re your own first reader of course, so, hopefully, you make a habit of reading aloud every word you’ve written, listening closely to what you say and how effectively you say it. If something seems “off,” change it! Then, when your manuscript feels and sounds ready to you, find a good first reader.

If you just want a pat on the back, fine. Pick whoever knows and loves you a lot to read your manuscript and tell you how great it is.

If, however, you want an honest assessment of the strengths and weaknesses in your work so you can improve your writing as you revise, excellent! This means you’re aiming for professionalism, so your requirements for a first reader now need to be higher too.

But, where do you go or to whom do you turn?

For that important first reader, look for a friend, family member, or writing peer whom you trust to speak truthfully without putting you down.

If you’re fortunate enough to have several people in mind, pick the person who likes and often reads published works in the genre you have chosen.

As you choose your first reader, age will be a factor too. For example, if you write for preschoolers, read your story, poem, or nonfiction picture book text to young children who enjoy being read to in this fun Read-To-Me stage.

You do not even need to know your first reader! For instance, ask your local librarian about reading your work to the appropriate age group who regularly meets in the public library. This may be a weekly story time for preschoolers, a daily after-school program for older kids, or a literary discussion group for adults who get together each month. Regardless, take notes of the feedback you get, writing down exactly what was said, so you can carefully consider each comment later when you’re alone, ready to revise.

If your area offers a writing or critique group, this can provide yet another option for you to find a good first reader. Just give yourself time to get to know the individual members and the quality of their writing as you look for someone with whom you connect.

Look, too, for someone who shows respect for your work. Although you want to find someone you can count on to give you an honest assessment, you certainly do not want or need a first reader whose “honesty” is actually cruelty or jealousy in poor disguise!

Often, a first reader can spot rough spots in a manuscript, pointing them out matter-of-factly, which can help you to see what to do to improve the work. If this doesn’t happen, try putting your manuscript aside long enough to be able to return to it objectively.

If your first reader writes in your genre, s/he will be better equipped to advise you about ways to revise more effectively. If not – or if you know something is not working but do not know what to do to correct the problem, it’s probably time to get a professional critique.

Mary Harwell Sayler

Artistic, creative people get creative at any age

In high school days of English lit, teachers of teens loved to extol boy-or-girl-wonders such as the poet William Cullen Bryant, who reportedly wrote Thanatopsis at the young age of 18. Thanks to the Internet, a little research not only showed this information to be verifiable and true, but the kid actually published poems years earlier!

Now decades past my expiration date for being a wonder, I wondered what happened to Bryant. Not much went on with his poems, but the boy-poet advanced into his 80’s as an editor and writer of prose.

I’ll take that as an encouragement and hope you will too, because, at any age, creative people can and do find outlets for creativity.

What interests me even more than age or art genres, though, is how one artistic endeavor often leads to another. Take Thomas Hardy, for example. He started out as an architect and somehow that visual art helped him to write artistically in all literary genres.

Or consider the Reverend Gerard Manley Hopkins, who, besides studying theology, studied art and music – all of which he then combined into poems still loved and bought by the book-load today.

In investigating how one art informs another, I also discovered that W.B. Yeats studied art too, whereas G.K. Chesterton reviewed books about art. In and on other artistic stages, James Joyce sang professionally, and Dylan Thomas tried writing movie scripts.

How successful those creative acts were, I do not know, but each of those poets and writers wrote memorable manuscripts for years, some even into old age – timeless, tireless poems and stories still studied, collected, and recollected with ageless honor. What a wonder!


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(c) 2010, Mary Sayler



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Writers Write. Writers Learn. Writers Work.

Writers need to write.

“Real writers” have to write, but getting published is not the starting place if you want to become established as a freelance or assignment writer. The first step comes, plainly and simply, in writing. However, publication is a natural step toward improving your work.

That might not be what you expected to hear, so I will say what I just said in another way in hopes of being clear:

Getting published can help you to improve your writing.

Notice that I did not say writing for publication brings you closer to the fame-and-fortune fantasy that distracts many writers from the real adventures of the writing life. Thanks to everyone’s overnight Internet potential for renown, writers may be more likely to become poor and famous!

So, at first anyway, forget about money. Forget about a celebrity life. Forget about marketing and developing a platform, and simply focus on what it takes, realistically and professionally speaking, to get really, really good at your job:

Writers write. Writers learn. Writers work.

If you keep on writing and revising, your work will improve with practice, and getting published will help. How? Why? Besides activating, energizing, and employing your writing skills, publication encourages you to:

Thoroughly investigate topics that actually interest you.

Develop resources you can count on to be accurate, update, and precise.

Develop the discipline of a regular working schedule.

Research “the other side” of almost anything.

Find a balanced perspective beyond beliefs or unsubstantiated opinions.

Find your voice.

Find your preferred genre – the one in which you’re “a natural.”

Find out what’s being published and still needed in your field.

Become more aware of what publishers, editors, and readers seem to like.

Become acquainted with print and Internet markets for your chosen genre.

Follow writers guidelines with no amateurish demands to be the exception.

Meet deadlines with the same professionalism people usually show in being on time for an important engagement or business appointment.

Get input, including constructive criticism, from potential editors.

Get feedback from readers.

Get the encouragement you need to keep on writing.

Give your writing career the respect you'd show for any worthwhile endeavor.

Give yourself specific, manageable goals adjusted to fit you first as a person, then as a writer.


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(c) 2010, Mary Harwell Sayler

Writing a job description for the mature writer

Mature writers can be described and often recognized as those who have gained experience, found ways to reach out to readers, and begun to develop proficiency in their work. They probably have acquired at least a few publishing credits too.

Contrast that portrait with the very first stage of writing when we started to write with little thought of anything else. To be fair, though, in our writing infancy, that’s really all we need to do – just write.

So we write and practice at being grownup writers, and we write some more. We don’t worry too much about the needs and concerns of our potential readers or editors. We just write and hope they will love every jot and dot.

Before we know it, we’ve started toddling along, trying to gain our balance in the big, sometimes overwhelming world of publishing. Then a rejection slip trips us up, or we feel shocked that no one picks us up right away as the next great poet, novelist, or nonfiction sage. Like, who do they think they are?

Most of us whine awhile. Some of us decide to do things ourselves, and some of us keep on trying. Then, with or without an occasional good cry, something starts to happens.

Sometime somewhere for some – no, for most of us – a creative spurt with new growth occurs. Suddenly we start to take ourselves and our work seriously, enthusiastically, even studiously. We start to read as if we have just discovered reading. We start to study works in our genre.

We study journals, magazines, and books to see what we like and why.

We study guidelines produced by publishers we like.

We study markets to see what’s hot or where there’s a gap our writing can fill.

We study terminology, techniques, and tools of our trade.

We study words – how they sound together or how their connotations add layers of interest, mystery, and meaning.

We study our first drafts and read them aloud to hear if anything sounds off in sound or sense, and if so, we fix whatever needs fixing and go on.

We study ourselves to find out what we’re especially interested in writing about and to whom we most want to speak.

We study our potential readers – from the titles and topics that draw them to the ads that intentionally target their specific priorities, interests, and needs.

And we read.

We read books, journals, e-zines, anthologies, and information on a variety of reliable Internet sites.

We read our poems, novels, children’s stories, and how-to books out loud, and we read aloud each revision.

We read the publishing industry by what’s up or down or undecided.

We read editorial responses as personal words of encouragement as evidenced by even the tiniest personal note.

We read our readers, whom we care about and have gotten to know as friends.

We read ourselves, honestly but matter-of-factly, as the writer or poet we are gradually becoming – the mature writer, the mature poet whose maturing work we just love to read.


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(c) 2010, Mary Harwell Sayler



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Writers and stress

Everyone knows what stress is. Without it, fiction would have no plot. Most of us would be bored, and nothing much would change. Sometimes, though, poets, writers, and other sensitive people perceive stress as, well, a burden.

In the last couple of postings, we discussed (okay, I did) the importance of sitting in a neutral position at your desk but also leaving your computer or dropping your laptop (not too forcefully) and walking away to exercise your muscles and bones, to flex your joints, and to strengthen your whole body. But sometimes that’s still not enough.

At any desk at any age, the body of a writer is more than a machine, more than a computer, more than a body of writing. Separating ourselves from our work can be difficult, but the simple act of doing something different will often bring a new perspective or a burst of creativity.

Without exercising that healthier outlook, stress becomes a culprit, rather than an interesting plot. The body clamps down in a protective mode that can be self-defeating and not at all creative.

So, what’s a body to do? Change intents. For instance, consider:

Stress may be a sign we’ve taken on more than we can handle.

Stress may be a sign we’re working on a project to which we are not drawn.

Stress may be a sign of exerting our own importance into our worries or work.

As a writer and poet, I still get caught up occasionally in productivity and deadlines, not because of the demands of editors or of readers but because I want to share what I have learned. I want to make a difference. I want to inspire readers. Or, to put it another way, I get caught up in my own sense of self-importance.

Poets and writers seem especially hopeful of helping the whole world become its better self. Ironically, though, my outlook and my writing seem to improve dramatically when I become a conduit for words, writing them down, as I am now and seeing where they lead. Because I’m a Christian as well as a poet-writer, I suspect that leading has to do with the power of God, whose importance can not be overstated, but who puts up with me, stress and all, just waiting – waiting for me to take a breath and listen, stress-free, and hear.


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(c) 2010, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.













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Sedentary writers need to exercise self-awareness

Spending a lot of time at your desk can produce many manuscripts but, often, many neck or backaches too. If you use a laptop instead of a desktop, you might get comfy then feel achy later. So, next time, check to see if your neck and spine remain in a neutral position as described in the last posting.

Besides keeping your back and joints neutral as you sit, practice self-awareness. Most writers and poets get so caught up in their work, they don’t even notice when fatigue sets in or aches begin to nag, but if you train yourself to listen to your body, you can give more attention to weaker areas then work to strengthen them. How?

Take a break every hour (two at the most) and notice how you’re feeling.

Stir around.

Swing your arms.

Roll your shoulders.

Notice which muscles or joints ache or have tired the most.

Concentrate your exercises on those areas.

Most exercises requires at least enough energy to get out of bed, but some work well on a mattress. For example, rest on your back with your arms at your sides. Lift one leg and hold that position for a count of 10. Do this five times then repeat with the other leg. This exercise will help to strengthen your hips, tighten your stomach, and ease stress in your lower back.

If you have a backache, rest on the bed with your knees bent and your feet flat on the mattress. As you cradle your neck in a pillow, bring your knees toward your chest. With your knees bent, lower your feet to the mattress again. Repeat this exercise five times.

Forget the adage, “No pain! No gain.” Use movements that do not strain.

Throughout the day, stretch like a cat to increase flexibility.

Maintain correct posture.

Assuming your doctor approves, find activities you enjoy.

Swimming and bicycling do not provide enough resistance for strength-training or weight-bearing, but they exercise the body in general and are fun.

To tone muscle and strengthen bones, carry a small weight in each hand as you walk around your home or a mall.

For general strengthening, climb stairs, jog, play ball, or dance around instead of just sitting at a desk, waiting to be inspired. A fun exercise or activity will strengthen your body and increase overall circulation, helping your good mind to find its peak performance too.


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(c) 2010, Mary Harwell Sayler 

Also see the related article, "On the Ball: The Ergonomic Writing Life."

 
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On The Ball: The Ergonomic Writing Life

Sitting at a desk too long can be a big pain in the downside of your writing life. So get on the ball - a medicine ball, Swiss ball, exercise ball, Pilates ball, or one of those big blue balls kids play with – sort of like a thick-skinned beach ball for giant babies.

Regardless what you call the thing, the idea is to get on the ball then sit there, using those tiny little muscles, which might otherwise be unbeknown, to keep your balance. Strengthening those muscles will help to strength your back, which, if you’re in a poorly fitted chair, will hurt more and more as your writing life gets rolling. (I speak from experience!) Some people also use a ball to sit at their computer, but I prefer an ergonomic chair with lumbar support and knobs to adjust the height, arm width, and, especially, the tilt.  

Besides my tendency to sit way too long at my desk, my own back and spine problems caused me to research the subject and write The Encyclopedia of the Back and Spine Systems and Disorders for Facts On File. The same company also published my book The Encyclopedia of the Muscle and Skeletal Systems and Disorders, which the American Library Association honored as a nonfiction academic favorite for the year. I’m not mentioning that to brag (okay, maybe I am) but to let you know that I know backs and back pain, and the two do not automatically go together.

A well-fitted, ergonomically correct chair improves your desk posture, which helps you to avoid those backaches caused by fatigue. As you adjust your chair to fit you and your work station, notice each joint of your body. Then think in terms of right angles or an L-shape to ensure a neutral position.

In a well-adjusted chair:

Your knees will be at 90-degree angles while the bottoms of your feet hold down the floor.

Your back and thighs will form a capital L as you sit in a neutral position.

Your neck will not bend or stretch toward your monitor or twist to one side.

Your elbows will rest lightly against your waist.

Your wrists will be straight as your fingers cup the keyboard.

After all of those gyrations, however, you still might not be able to tell whether you’re in a neutral position. If not, check a reflective surface or ask someone to look at you squarely and see if anything needs adjusting to sit you comfortably upright.


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(c) 2010, Mary Harwell Sayler

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Writing Winner Nonfiction For Kids

Each year I judged entries in the children’s literature category of an international writing contest I kept hoping to find well-written nonfiction articles or interesting chapters excerpted from dynamic nonfiction books. Some actually did arrive, while others seem promising before descending into a central set of flaws.

In an obvious effort to be fresh and lively, many writers started their nonfiction for children with scenes from a novel. For example, they might begin with dialogue, a problem, a child’s thoughts, or an amusing conversation that reads like the opening of a sit-com. Often, a main character asks a grandparent about a subject soon to be addressed but, unfortunately, not nearly soon enough. These novel openings sound good at first but quickly bring confusion since readers will rarely be able to tell what the book is about until they read a page or two or three.

Another problem arises with credibility and accuracy – or the lack thereof. With no bibliography to cite sources at the end of a manuscript, no one knows if the author has spent weeks searching, sorting, and sifting through reliable information or just passed along personal opinions and assumptions as fact.

A more common flaw occurs in the quality of the writing. For instance, passive voice seems particularly prevalent as illustrated by circling phrase after phrase that states, “It is” or “There was.” Such a passive voice usually comes across as a passive writer, who did not take time to search for active verbs and strong nouns that readers can readily picture.

Speaking of pictures, young readers need to be able to envision what they’re reading whether the pages contain illustrations or not. For the writing to be this clear, each sentence usually needs an easy-to-picture noun that brings to mind a person, place, or thing, but not a vague idea. An active verb can then put that noun into motion. If the nonfiction manuscript happens to be the text for a children’s picture book, those mental images on every page become vital or, voila, no picture book.

That seems obvious, but, fortunately, so do solutions to each of the problems mentioned. Most writers have fine minds and can figure these things out for themselves once they recognize a problem or even know to look for one. What often happens, though, is that we get caught up in stories we can’t wait to share with our kids or grandkids, forgetting that children can not follow unless we remember they’re right there beside us, waiting for the next picture, the next thought, the next word they can easily connect with, enjoy, and understand.

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(c) 2010, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.



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Writing Children’s Stories With No Pink Fairies Or Old Fads

Each year I judged children’s fiction entered in the international writing contest sponsored by Writers-Editors.com, I often saw the same mistakes. Since the contest was “blind,” I didn’t know who submitted which manuscript, much less the age of the writers, but I suspect that most were very young or very not.

Stories and novel chapters typically sound like they're from young writers when they focus on trends or have fantastic settings with stereotyped characters who aspire, not to replacing Harry Potter, but to being him. I saw a lot of fairy tales with little pink fairies flying around too, but nothing to entice readers to follow them into (oh, please) Never (again) Land.

Whether sweet little stories or scary, fantasy fiction often has predictable people or plots. If writers do try something new, they’re apt to forget that young readers cannot always follow their sudden flights into a heightened vocabulary, including made-up words with which any earthling would say "What?"

Inappropriate vocabulary does not affect futuristic manuscripts only though. It’s also a problem in the “good ole day” stories where children-in-the-now do not know slang words or references to fads of a half-century ago. If such outdated words or phrases have real significance in a story, the context can help to explain, but too much of this will tuck resistant readers into an early nap.

Like most writers, older people want to tell their tales as a means of recording memories, working through old wounds, or validating their lives. That’s wonderfully healing and very appropriate in a journal, diary, or family album, but these stories seldom have anything to do with the young stranger on the other side of a page.

Relaying your own story has another potential hazard, too, since such manuscripts often go on way too long. What started out as a good idea can quickly bog down in details, descriptions, or rambling events that weaken the overall story. A true episode may be hard to cut, but what interests the writer can be too much for a restless child reader to sit still and hear.

One way to know whether you’ve fallen into this common trap is to ask if your story has a specific theme and purpose. If not, the pages may be a series of events loosely linked by the characters or setting. All is not lost though! As you revise your fiction for children, these tips might help:

• Focus on a particular child or group of children you know within your chosen age group.
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• Revise or rewrite your story with those specific faces in mind.
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• Look for a relevant theme to guide your revisions. For example, omit episodes that do not help either to enforce or to oppose your theme.
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• Begin the story with the main character identifying, clarifying, and/ or working toward resolving the main problem.
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• Consistently stay in the viewpoint of that character.
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• Without going back and forth, let the plot unfold as the story happens.
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• Remove long descriptions that hinder the story's movement.
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• Use a variety of sentence structures and lengths for older readers, but shorten long sentences in stories for young kids.
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• Avoid slang, archaic phrases, and words outside a present-day child's vocabulary.
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• Let context clarify the meaning of new or unusual words. If a word is key to the story, use it right away and, if need be, include a definition.
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• With the possible exception of an occasional crank or crackpot, portray adults in a positive light with no demeaning statements about law enforcement officers, teachers, parents, or grandparents.
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• Avoid biases and bigotry of all kinds.
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• Avoid lopsided viewpoints and unbalanced information. Make sure you have intelligent, caring people on both sides of the story.
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• Remember the adage: "Show. Don’t tell." Let your well-chosen characters care enough to act in character and resolve -- or accept -- the story's problem by The End.

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(c) 2010, Mary Harwell Sayler 

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