We read it in submission guidelines: “Looking for high concept novel.” Unless you know what high concept means, that particular tip isn’t going to help.
Misa Ramirez, who I interviewed last week, wrote an excellent article defining high concept and how to make it work for you. This Wednesday Writing Tip is a link to the page on her site where she posted the article, Making High Concept Work for You. Thank you Misa!
Don’t forget to check out her blog, Chasing Heroes.
Posted in Writing, Writing Tips
Tagged high concept, high concept novel, misa ramirez, Writing, Writing Tips
The need for a quiet sign in the classroom is obvious. A clicker will quiet students quickly when you need to get their attention.
Quiet signs can be annoying, or they can be helpful. The quiet sign should be a signal students respond to readily, to save transition time. In addition, the quiet sign should be something you and the students don’t get tired of and begin to ignore.
I use a clicker. I found the frog clicker I use through Creative Mathematics. It’s a little green frog that hangs on my lanyard. The click is high pitched and loud without being irritating. There are several reasons this is my favorite quiet sign.
There are many choices for quiet signs, but none of them have all of the positive attributes I just listed.
Some teachers use rain sticks or chimes. Unfortunately, they aren’t always in a convenient location.
Some teachers use a hand signal or a countdown. This only works once you’ve already gotten the students’ attention, and it’s not always effective.
Some teachers use a clapping rhythm. This works, but many students tend to ignore it after a while.
The clicker is my gold standard for a quiet sign. It always works, and when you need the attention of your class quickly, it’s a reliable quiet sign.
Posted in Teaching, Teaching Tips
Tagged clicker, quiet sign, teacher, teaching tip
Lasagna Florentine in a Crockpot
You don’t have to go hungry or eat junk food while you’re writing or teaching long hours if you make good use of your crockpot. Using your crockpot will net you more writing time. I love my crockpot for the way it simplifies my life.
So often writers will say they don’t cook or clean while they’re writing or under a deadline. Teachers get so busy they don’t think they have time to cook. They don’t want to lose focus, so they skip meals, or they eat junk food.
This isn’t healthy physically, mentally, or spiritually. A good meal can be the break you need to recharge and keep going.
It’s often hard to find time to cook, and some of us may not like to cook. With a crockpot, meals can be fast, easy, and healthy. You can cook almost anything in a crockpot, not just soups and stews. Set your crockpot on the kitchen counter, and plan to use it at least three times a week. There are recipes all over the Internet to suit your taste.
To get you started, here are some of my favorite dinners:
Enjoy!
Posted in Staying organized
Tagged crock pot, crockpot, crockpot dinner, crockpot lasagna, crockpot roast chicken
How Nancy Drew Saved My Life
By Laura Baratz-Logsted
I picked up this book last week, thinking it would be a fun and quick summer read. I enjoy reading funny women’s fiction when I need a break from heavier material. This story depicted the heroine as brainless and immature, neither of which I find funny or entertaining. Sorry, Laura.
The heroine is getting over a broken heart and loss of a job. She chooses to read 56 Nancy Drew novels as her recovery method. As hard as I tried to suspend my disbelief for the sake of the story, I never could buy into the premise that a grown woman would do that, no matter how heartbroken and devastated she was.
The book has the standard “nanny falls in love with the male employer” plot, only the heroine does it, not once, but twice. Sheesh.
Throughout the book she keeps asking herself, “What would Nancy Drew do?” Well, dear, she certainly wouldn’t fall in love with her married employer. Make that plural.
The story ends in an unsatisfying way, that makes the heroine appear addle-brained and irresponsible. That’s exactly the reputation that chick lit has been trying to break out of for years.
There is one saving grace when you read a book like this one. You can assuredly put it down and say, “I can write better than that.”
Posted in reading
Tagged book review, chick lit, nancy drew, reading, womens fiction
My latest articles at Suite101.com Word of the Day Spanish Word of the Day
