And I was saying. . .oops!

Friday, April 24, 2009 Update & Writing Prompt

It's been a whirlwind of a week that's kept my head spinning. Poetry Boot Camp has been an amazing experience, but now I understand why it's called that. Yesterday I woke up with a hollow head, a numb skull, a complete brain drain. Nothing came to mind, nothing wanted to. I tried and tried, but the words were dull half-lines of nothing much but drivel scribbled on a yellow-lined pad. I persevered and got down a pretty nice poem about the woodchuck who used to keep house outside my door. Woodchucks are such fascinating creatures with so much person-ality. I also made an apple pie for my husband, so we were both very happy campers on boot camp Thursday.

But I did make some promises earlier in the week and I'm going to try to come up to speed this morning. I planned to post a photo from a school visit, but after a couple of failed attempts--not exactly sure why--with strange blank windows popping up in places they should never be--I decided that the best action was no action until a greater mind (my husband) has time to help.

I mentioned something about reviewing a book. Hmmm. . .what was I thinking? I did finish reading it, and loved it. Big recommendation for K.L. Going's new book, King of the Screwups http://www.amazon.com/ This book was such a breath of fresh air after reading so many horribly depressing YA novels. It's funny, and that's not to say that it lacks substance. It darn well does have plenty of substance, but in the hands of a less gifted writer it could be, well, depressing. With class A+ originality, K.L. gives the reader a large dose of life laced with humor in the ongoing screwup foibles of the protagonist Liam, a naturally popular high school senior who keeps trying to make himself unpopular and continually fails. No matter how hard he tries, he just seems to become more popular. That's just a tiny taste of what's in store for you; I don't want to give away the entire plot. Enjoy!

Finally, the WRITING PROMPT. Look at your hands. what do you think they say about you? Okay, I know that our hands came with our bodies at birth, but overtime they have taken on characteristics that show something about us. For example, when I was in high school and played the violin and practiced every day, by studying my hands you would know that I had callouses on the tips of my fingers and that my fingernails were very short, but not chewed, that, the skin on the back of my hand was creamy and smooth, the palm a healthy pink.

Look at your hands to get you started thinking about hands, and think about the people you know and what their hands are like. Then create an impression of a person, real or imaginary, by describing only the person's hands. Keep it short--no more than three sentences. Then do it again. If you described a female, try it again and write about her opposite. Don't forget to use your senses! Have fun!