Picture Windows

Here is a little window into my world. About this time of year, I start getting sick of the cold, my dry skin, and natural gas prices, and begin to look longingly forward to the warmth of spring. So here is a photo of a park nearby, to remind me of why I love winter. Who knows? Maybe it will inspire some poetry.

Tuesday Tip #9: Great Family Reads

Today's tip will benefit writers and non-writers alike, because we can all benefit from a good read.

Reading a good book is a great way to bring a family together. Sitting together in one room, possibly curled up with blankies and hot cocoa, journeying together into worlds of words and wonder! What better way to spend a cold, winter evening at home, away from the glow of the TV? Or to entertain eachother during a long drive? Or to spend the last twenty minutes before lights out? Reading a good book as a family will spur conversations, elicit giggles, create warm memories, foster a love of reading (and maybe writing), and who knows what other yummy stuff can come from it if only we try!

So, here are a few suggestions of novels to try reading as a family:

The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo
Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White
The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau
Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke
The Trolls, by Molly Horvath
The Ugly Princess and the Wise Fool, by Margaret Gray
The Princess and the Goblin, by George MacDonald
The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Happy Reading!

A Good Day

I wanted to blog last night, but I was plum tuckered! Funny how a good day can leave you rested and worn out all at once.

The day started with an IM session with Corey. We worked for 2 1/2 hours on our "letters" story. We made some real progress on revisions and only had one real disagreement. There's always something to disagree about when co-writing, but that's a way to ensure that our writing is the best it can be. We rarely settle on "good enough," but keep working until we are both thrilled with each word, each line, each detail of our story. It can be tough (and at times frustrating), but it is also fun and oh so worth all the effort! We've written some darn good stuff.

After all that work, it was time for lunch. I cut up a mango for the four of us to share, and it was like biting into a chunk of summer! I would love some warmer weather, especially considering it has been too cold to enjoy what snow we've gotten so far. It's almost the end of January and we haven't gone sledding yet!

Enough rambling, though. Last night we went out dinner at The Pizza Machine. It's a pizza buffet place with indoor rides and video games. We paid for an unlimited play card and proceeded to play. The first thing we played was the "Deal or No Deal" video game, which works much like the TV game show, except you win tickets instead of money. We hit the JACKPOT! We had the winning case--400 tickets! It was such a riot, people around us probably thought we were crazy with our yoo-hoos and laughter. But that is not all, oh no, that is not all.

We also rode the go-carts. When I raced, I was in last place the whole time, but I had fun and gave my arms a good workout. My oldest daughter came in second place when she raced, and my younger daughter came in first! It was so much fun cheering her on. One time she even yelled "Daaad!" in annoyance after he yelled at her to "hug the curves" for the 18th time. She was very proud to have that blue ribbon in her hand when we left.

I could go on about the fun we had, but it was just nice to goof off with my hubby and kids until late into the night (I kicked hubby's butt in air hockey). I wonder what we'll do next weekend?

Tuesday Tip #8: Great Games for Writers

When the cashier saw the game in my hand, she said, "Are you a writer?" I laughed and said, "Yes! How did you know?" She replied with a smile, "It seems like writers and English majors are the only ones who buy that game."

The name of the game: Man Bites Dog. It's a card game in which the players are dealt a hand of word cards and then must arrange some (or all) of the cards into a logical, and often hilarious, news headline. It is a great way to stretch those writing muscles and get others in on the fun too!

Here are a few other games that are great for getting those creative juices flowing:

Cranium, a fun game that's like a mix of all the best. Trivia, word games, charades, even sculturing!

Taboo. You really have think creatively to get your teammates to guess the word.

Balderdash. Have fun inventing odd definitions for interesting words!

Have some fun and stretch those writing muscles!