It isn't the Earth, actually, it's my job. In the past, when my work got stressful, I found I would blog a lot. I needed to keep that write part of me alive and not let it slip away. However, right now most of my brain cells have been overtaken by 32 third graders, and instead of needing to escape from the situation, I find I really like it. I greatly enjoy these little people and thinking about ways to make our time together as meaningful as possible.
A part of me will always be a teacher, I suppose.
So, as I blogged about before, I thought it would be interesting (exciting, crazy, maybe stupid) to read my middle grade novel to my own class. We are a little more than the middle of the way through, so I thought I'd share some thoughts.
1. There is NOTHING like writing a special part of a book that you HOPE that kids get, and then seeing the light bulb go ON and hands shoot up into the air with comments! It.was.awesome. Today I was reading the fifth tale, A Pigboy, a Ghost, and a Pooka, and I got to the part where one of the characters may or may not be what they seem. Oooooh! The gasps, the looks, the questions. I'll never forget their faces.
2. It made me hope there would be an audio-book of Trinket someday. I actually like hearing this story better than silently reading it. I think there are those books that lend themselves more to be read aloud, and some that are more private, and better savored in solitude. Trinket is the former.
3. Would I change anything about the book? Short answer: No. Long answer: Truthfully, there are a few phrases that I read differently than I wrote them. I don't know why my brain makes the change, but it does. So there is that.
4. It makes me itching to write!! My writing time has been small lately, and focused mostly on revision. I really want to write something that surprises me. I just wish I knew what. (Of course, then it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?)
So, I have a few minutes which are not packed with anything, so I think I will open a word document and see where it takes me....
hrh
2 comments:
Story Queen - the part you shared about the looks on the kids faces was easy to imagine, and beautiful! Your magic is appreciated.
How exciting to see your students "getting into" your book! Awesome!
I agree that some books are so great for reading aloud and some are nicer in private. I'm very visual, and I sometimes like to look at phrases and sentences a few times to take them in, maybe just to savor them or maybe to think about them as a writer.
Enjoy it all, the writing and the teaching. Those lucky students! :)
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