World Read Aloud Day, March 7

So we've gone from sitting down and taking a few quiet moments with a new ebook on your Kindle/Nook/WhathaveYou to READING OUT LOUD.

March 7 is World Read Aloud Day, which is a world-wide initiative Take Action for Global Literacy, Celebrate the Power of Words, and Change the World by sharing the joys of reading with those in our lives.

How do I plan to celebrate? I'll start in my science classroom by challenging the students to read from the text as if they were a newscaster delivering a "Breaking Story" on the news. Or, other students  might choose to read as if they were auditioning for the leading role in the next blockbuster movie. We've done this before, and it's always a lot of fun.

I'll round out my day by sharing a few chapters from the latest books my kids are reading. Then, perhaps if I still have some energy left, I'll write a new chapter of my own.

Read ON and Read LOUD! 

To put a FUSE to the Muse

You've heard this phrase before: "Feed the muse."

Writers, painters, actors, and creative peoples in general are always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to keep the creative juices flowing, myself included. Recently, I was asked what I did to inspire my creative soul. Did I take walks? Listen to soothing music? Study the stars?

Uh, no. I'm not so artsy-idylic as that. Instead, I keep it simple.

Basically, I drink Rockstar... stock Rockstar (yes, the drink)... think like a Rockstar... and play like a Rockstar. You see, the mind is a powerful thing, and I like to boost it up in as many fun and legal and legitimate ways I can think of (within reason). The adrenaline rush I get in return gives me the confidence, drive, and endurance I need in pursuing all my goals, including those related to writing.

How do I play like a Rockstar? Well,  I do things that normal, responsible persons normally wouldn't do like...

1. Defy gravity whenever possible. For example, in winter, I challenge myself on the ski slope by thinking I can tackle any steep mogul run that gets in my way by keeping  my skis actually pointed downhill, and then I make myself ski that way (downhill) (yes, tricky, I know), even though I may lack all forms of grace in the process.

2. Defy the limits of biochemistry. Specifically, MY biochemistry. This is particularly helpful when I feel like I'm spinning my wheels with a story. What do I do? I run myself into the ground (literally) by running to the gym. The kickback is a special bonus if I happen to accomplish this task in cold weather, when every muscle, including my all-powerful, yet not-so-indomitable-brain, would rather not cooperate. Then when I reach my destination, I let myself feel impressed with having done something that was in its own small way, (not so) amazing.

3. Defy boundaries. Normally I'm a shy person. Reaching out to connect with other people, whether it be simply making small talk in line at the supermarket or making a comment on a new blog I've visited, rejuvenates my spirit. In a way, it's reassuring to realize that we're all human, despite living among one or two awkward monkeys, or llamas, or turtles, or whathaveyou.

All in all, keeping the little things in life sparkling with a daily dose of renewed energy helps keep the well brimming when it comes to tackling my daily writing goals, which in turn, extends into all other parts of my life.
Putting a fuse to the muse... I've found, can be a very fun thing.

Dear Book Bloggers,

You make the world go round!


You are the threads in a perfect homespun, ever-growing quilt, that tie readers to writers, and writers to readers.

You are like a dating service, taking some of the anxiety out of that first date. You diminish the fears in our pressing questions like,.... Will I like this new story? Will I keep coming back for more? If I put the effort into reading, has the author put effort into writing? And, if I've put effort into writing, will readers like what I offer?

You are the whipped cream, the ice cream, the hot fudge and butterscotch ripple, the NUTS, the sweet CHERRY, the clear glass dish, and the big whopping spoon that make the perfect ice cream sundae--the kind of sundae that reminds us of what is was like to dip into that FIRST and best sundae that we, as a child, ever had the pleasure of tasting.

You are the light of the world.

You are like friends, sharing secrets, good secrets, that feed our souls.

You are you, and that is what makes you so fantastic.

[Just letting you know] [to share the love]


;)