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My good cyber buddy, Clara Gillow Clark, is having her second annual Spilling Ink writing contest for children in grades 4 to 8! Spilling Ink by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter is a great resource book for your classroom or your home–it’s a young writer’s handbook. On her blog, Clara says, “Spilling Ink is a humorous and inspiring book of advice, questions, and writing prompts for young writers.”

Basically,the contest goes like this: Write 200-300 words on one of these writing prompts:

Writing Prompts from Spilling Ink, the Book:
Writing Prompt #1: I DARE YOU Rewrite a scene from your life. Think of something that happened today. Something that wasn’t perfect–maybe something that was even downright mortifying–and rewrite it as you would have wanted it to happen. (Tip from Clara: Remember that scenes have a beginning, middle, and end!)

Writing Prompt #2: I DARE YOU Think of two people you admire. Now think of the thing you admire most about each of them. Combine those two qualities into one person and write about that person in the following situation: She or he is walking down the street and a strange man hands your character a small sealed carton and says, “Don’t let anything happen to this!” Then the man sprints away. What does your character do next?

Writing Prompt #3 from Wendy Townsend and Clara Gillow Clark: Is there a pet you wish you could have? Is it a wild animal? Maybe a goldfish, cat, dog, white mouse, a lizard or a snake? Perhaps, your pet is imaginary? You really really want this pet. Write about all the ways you might go about getting this pet. Now write a scene where you put that plan into action.

After you (students/kids) write your piece, you e-mail it to: [email protected] by May 1. You can win cash prizes, books, and a publication opportunity on Clara’s blog. For all the details, check out the post here.

If you are interested in Spilling Ink, click on the link below:

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Reading Mary Ann's last post reminded me of a wonderful handbook for young writers that I recently bought for a talented neighbor.  In it, Anne Mazer bravely confesses that she's never much cared for Charlotte's Web.  While I adored Charlotte's Web and probably read it a dozen times, I must admit that I have no memory whatsoever of the passage Mary Ann cited with such love and affection.  I am a foodie, and instead it was the buttermilk in the creases of Wilbur's ears and the scraps of Templeton's newspapers that made a lifelong impression on me.

Reading, as I always tell my students, is a highly subjective experience.

A Wrinkle in Time conjures for me images of cocoa; lettuce and tomato sandwiches; turkey and dressing.  Of course I also remember pulsating IT, the rhythm of the bouncing balls and jump ropes, the quirky language of the three Mrs. Ws. 

In short, I am not a visual thinker.  At all.  I don't care whether the heroine of my book has honey-colored hair or which brand of shoes she is wearing.  What grounds me in an alternate reality is the scent of freshly cut grass or the taste of a dark chocolate Reese's cup.  Yet how to describe these sensations?  Because many of us are visual thinkers, English, I would venture to say, has evolved to possess a dearth of descriptive words for scents, sounds, and, to a slightly lesser extent, tastes.

From Ramona Quimby, Age 8, by Beverly Cleary:

"Ramona bit into her hamburger.  Bliss.  Warm, soft, juicy, tart with relish.  Juice dribbled down her chin.  She noticed her mother start to say something and chnage her mind.  Ramona caught the dribble with her paper napkin before it reached her collar.  The French fries -- crip on the outside, mealy on the inside -- tasted better than anything Ramona had ever eaten."   

I never liked hamburgers as a kid until I read this passage.  I don't believe that Beverly Cleary is best known for her descriptive language, but I still think of this scene every time I eat a french fry.

Of course the brilliance of Beverly Cleary is typically recognized to be in her humor, and these are the other passages that have always stayed with me.  From the first page of Ramona the Pest:

"'I'm not acting like a pest.  I'm singing and skipping,' said Ramona, who had only recently learned to skip with both feet."

I have a five-year-old daughter, and Ramona IS my daughter.  Oh, when Ramona thought she had to sit still for "the present," when she described her eye color as "brown and white," when she understood the lyrics of the national anthem to involve a "dawnzer" that emitted a "lee light" -- what child could not empathize with these situations and laugh?  I am typing this paragraph and thinking, "I can't WAIT to read these books to my kids

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A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a copy (hot off the presses!) of Spilling Ink by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter. Thanks ladies! While it's a writers guide for YOUNG writers I immediately found useful and insightful advice. Quite frankly, I think I would be intimidated by an 'adult' writing book. And who doesn't love every drawing Matt Phelan does? I took this to a doctor's appointment and was REALLY disappointed that I didn't have more time in the waiting room. Once I dig deeper, I'd love to do a longer review. In the meantime, just check it out yourself!
With writing on my mind, I found the early reader above offering me another nudge toward writing. Catina (that would be the cat character) writes every night but only desires fame from her pursuits. Turns out, she's a lousy writer and after a 3 part act, it resolves with the message that you should do what you love and happiness will follow.And of course I loved their little flawed friendship as well as the soft, charismatic illustrations. I think as long as your mind is open and close to good material, you'll find the inspiration you need.

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This week sees the release of Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter. I was pleased as punch to contribute a series of drawings for this amazingly detailed and highly entertaining look at the writing process. I think this book will be invaluable to any young writer in your life and I really wish I had something like this when I was growing up.

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Welcome back! I know you're all anxious to learn about the authors of  http://spillinginkthebook.com which is making its debut this week! A big thank you for taking part in the celebration with us!

Don't forget that you still have time to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Spilling Ink or SLOB!  I know the authors would love to get feedback on the interviews. Don't forget the Writing Contest!  If you missed that post, I'll be happy to send you the details. Simply e-mail me: [email protected]


Ellen: It started with horses. I loved horses. I grew up in New York City, where the only time you ever saw a horse was when it was pulling a carriage, or when a fancy person rode it through Central Park. I was not a fancy person. So instead of riding on them, I wrote about riding on them. It was almost as good as the real thing. Well, maybe it was even better because in my stories I was able to ride my horse through the Sahara and over high fences on the Olympic equestrian team and occasionally I dashed across the English moors on a high-spirited chestnut stallion. Oh, and in real life,  I am allergic to horses.

Anne: When did you first realize that you wanted to become a writer?

Ellen: It was a real ta-da! moment. I was in the school library looking for a book to read.The librarian suggested Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. I found it on the shelf, pulled it down, and started reading the first few lines. It was so good that I sat down on the floor, stuck my nose in the book, and was instantly lost in Harriet’s world. I don’t remember what yanked me back into reality (probably the librarian telling me to get up off the floor), but I suddenly realized that the best books in the world were written for eleven-year-olds ... which was great, because I was eleven. On the other hand, my twelfth birthday was right around the corner, and after that I’d be a teenager, and after that . . . holy cannoli, adulthood. Then what on earth would I read? I was horrified by the thought that I would get “adult amnesia” and forget about all the great kids’ books. So I decided then and there that even if I couldn’t always be eleven, I could always write books for people who were eleven.

Anne: How long did it take you to become published?

Ellen: It took a long time. No, actually it took a looooooong time (my first shor

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