For your practice writing sessions: 365 creative writing prompts, one for each day of the year.

Reading and Writing Worksheets About Animals. These Worksheets are helpful for kids to help them improve their reading and writing Skills. Pupils will read the passages and answer the questions.

This is a funny reading about Chocolate. This worksheet can be useful for exams - ESL worksheets

When I heard that Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, was visiting Denver, I actually gasped out loud. The Book Thief has been influential in my writing and reading life in more ways than I can name. Suffice it to say that I have about a million favorite books, but when forced to choose just one, I say The Book Thief. The characters don't let you go, the plot is so original, and to say the writing style is beautiful is an understatement. So of course I jumped at the chance to hear Zusak speak, and to get my copy of The Book Thief, as well as his new book, Bridge of Clay, signed. Zusak was a funny and charming speaker, and warm and welcoming when I met him in the signing line. I wish I could have just recorded the whole talk and posted it for you, but here are six things he said that stood out to me the most. Know the backstory Zusak said that the way he is able to tell if he'll be able to turn an idea into a novel is how much backstory comes to him. When you're planning your book, knowing the background of the characters is incredibly important. Even if most of it doesn't end up in the book, pieces of it will, and that's what will give your characters life and make the story memorable to readers. The more your characters seem like real people you know, not just one-sided figures you write about, the more they'll come alive in the reader's mind. Having a deep backstory is the best way to accomplish this. Incorporate details Zusak used this simple metaphor to convey the importance of details: Once he was at an airport, and forgot his jacket in the security line. When he returned to claim it, the guard asked him what it looked like. He didn't just describe the color, but also the logo, and how there was a piece of folded-up paper in the pocket. With these precise details, the guard had no trouble believing he was telling the truth and the jacket was his. Likewise, when we incorporate specific, unique details into our stories, the reader is able to believe that we are telling the truth, even while knowing it's fiction. Details are what make your story jump off the page and lodge itself in the reader's mind. They're what make a reader stop and think, Yes! That's exactly how that feels/sounds/looks. How did they know?! If you don't feel something, neither will the reader Robert Frost once said, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader. Zusak modeled this when writing both The Book Thief and Bridge of Clay. During the Q&A session after his talk, a young reader asked him if he cried when writing the end of The Book Thief. He confessed that he had ugly cried as he wrote the ending--like many of us as we read it--and had actually cried even harder when writing the end of Bridge of Clay (causing many of us in the audience to groan with grim but eager anticipation). If you have laid out the backstory of your characters and incorporated details that bring them to life, you as the writer will end up caring deeply about them, so that whatever you feel when writing their fate, the readers will also feel. Keep writing, no matter what During the Q&A session, someone asked him who had encouraged him to keep writing when he was young. With a laugh, he responded, Absolutely no one. He spoke of how he had never won a contest, never had a short story published, how his parents and his English teachers never thought he would publish a book--but something in him knew that's what he wanted to do, so he kept trying. When I met him in the signing line, I mentioned how I was a writer and The Book Thief had been so inspirational to me. To my delight, he asked about my writing, and when I said I was writing an adult contemporary fiction novel and had just sent it to people to read, he reminded me that even if I got negative feedback, I was still a writer and I needed to just keep writing. It is easy to be discouraged when we don't get glowing responses to our work, but imagine if Markus Zusak had listened to those around him and given up. Know that you are a writer, and so you must keep writing. Write the book only you can write This might have been my favorite thing Zusak said all night. He doesn't try to write books that are better than other writers or that win all the awards; his focus is on trying to write stories that only he is capable of writing. No matter how you feel about The Book Thief or Bridge of Clay, I know that they're books only I could write, he said. Don't compare how good your book is to other books or other writers. Focus on the story that only you can write. Writing takes a bit of luck Throughout his talk, Zusak mentioned several instances of luck that contributed to his success. Not just in terms of finding an agent or publishing, but in the actual writing of his stories. Before writing The Book Thief, he was visiting a school and leading an activity in which students choose a color and write from its perspective. He ended up writing from Death's perspective, and thought, Hey, maybe I should use this in that book I'm planning set in Nazi Germany. He also had another page-long piece about a girl in modern-day Sydney stealing a book and had the same thought of incorporating it into the Holocaust story he was planning. Of course, these two ideas are crucial to making The Book Thief into what it is. Likewise, with Bridge of Clay, when he first came up with the idea for the book, he chose the character name 'Clayton' at random. It was only later in the process of planning and writing that he shortened it to Clay, and realized it fit perfectly with the idea of building a bridge. Writing takes a lot of skill, and you have to know how to use those strokes of inspiration in your stories, but it's also helpful to know that a bit of luck is always involved. A huge thanks to Markus Zusak, both for his incredible stories and for a wonderful evening. Denver's Tattered Cover bookstore also has my undying love for bringing amazing authors to visit. To buy Zusak's newest book, Bridge of Clay, click here. You can also read more about Zusak and his books on his website. (FYI–This post includes affiliate links. I promise to never recommend anything that I haven’t loved and think you should try!) Have you read The Book Thief or any of Markus Zusak's books? What's your favorite? Who is the author you would most love to meet? Who is someone you've already met and loved? Let me know in the comments!

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Looking for love is probably one of the toughest missions a hooman can set out on, apart from staying in love happily ever after. All jokes aside, the Pew Research data has shown that nearly half of U.S. adults – and a majority of women – say that dating has become harder in the last 10 years.

Ridiculously simple. H/T Quora

Most times, it feels like everyone but you is having the time of their life, but here’s the thing: everyone feels that way.

National Author's Day is November 1 - so what better day to celebrate your favorite author and the books they write? Look to these funny memes about writing and author quotes from books that perfectly describe what it's like to write for a living.

I asked my Instagram followers,“What are some signs of amateurish writing, in your opinion?” Here are the results!

If you want to know how to write a book with no experience, this post shows you exactly how to get started writing. Yes, even without a degree.

Free write and read Easter worksheet for kindergarten. Students practice reading and writing the high frequency word "can". Next, add a drawing to the

Planning your guided literacy time is bout to get so much easier. I get asked a lot about how to tie reading and writing together, while focusing on fluency, comprehension, phonics, vocabulary, writing, etc. I create this resource to get kids excited about reading and writing, and to make planning

National Author's Day is November 1 - so what better day to celebrate your favorite author and the books they write? Look to these funny memes about writing and author quotes from books that perfectly describe what it's like to write for a living.

Searching the Internet for cheap textbooks? Here are some legit websites so you don't have to keep browsing anymore!

If you want to know how to write a book with no experience, this post shows you exactly how to get started writing. Yes, even without a degree.

This Product has 7 pages of reading and writing practice. This product is great for Kindergarten or first graders. It helps to teach children in reading and writing in many ways. You can use as a classroom activities, morning work, word work and literacy centers. Get Reading and Writing Practice Growing Bundle HERE This set contains pages of variety activities and worksheets. The following activities are included in your purchase: - Read and Color. - Missing Letters. - Match, Read and Write. - Fix a Sentence. - Sentence Building. - Read and Write the Correct Sentence. - Make and Sentence from the pictures. If you like this product, you may like: August Reading and Writing September Reading and Writing Practice October Reading and Writing Practice November Reading and Writing Practice December Reading and Writing Practice January Reading and Writing Practice February Reading and Writing Practice Reading Comprehension the Bundle Alphabet Letter of the Week A to Z Bundle For more information about my products and freebies, please check out: Miss Faleena Pinterest Miss Faleena Instagram Miss Faleena Facebook Miss Faleena Website Please see the preview to download the free sample. Thank you for stopping by! You can contact me at [email protected] with any question. Kindergarten | Kindergarten Worksheets | First Grade | First Grade Worksheets | Reading| Writing | Free Reading and Writing Practice | Reading and Writing Literacy Centers | Printables| Morning Work | Worksheets

National Author's Day is November 1 - so what better day to celebrate your favorite author and the books they write? Look to these funny memes about writing and author quotes from books that perfectly describe what it's like to write for a living.

If you're writing a book for the first time and you're not sure what the steps to do it are, you can follow these simple tips to start writing your novel.

Get your students reading and writing this summer with these fun and engaging enrichment activities for elementary grades.

100 Sight Word Booklets with a Sight Word Passage Option for the first Fry 100 Words. These easy and print-and-go booklets are a great way to extend the

teaching daily routine vocabularyusing present simpletelling the timeI ask my students after reading this text to write about their own daily routine and then to tell it by heart. - ESL worksheets

Reading and Writing Worksheets For Kids related to Farm Animals. Pupils will read the passages and answer the questions. It will enrich their vocabulary and improve their reading and writing skil

Ah yes, torturing readers, your favourite hobby!

I Was Just Told, “No One Will Ever Read Your Book,” Should I Quit? How devastating. You go to a writers group for years. You get really comfortable with these people. You finally feel okay letting someone else read your writing.

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If you’ve considered converting your screenplay to a novel, and you’re interested in self-publishing that novel, this article is for you. With the growing interest...

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Planning your guided literacy time is bout to get so much easier. I get asked a lot about how to tie reading and writing together, while focusing on fluency, comprehension, phonics, vocabulary, writing, etc. I create this resource to get kids excited about reading and writing, and to make planning