Tagged!

I was tagged by fellow writer Lauri of Thoughts from Botswana. It’s called Scrabble Tag and here are the rules:

List at least five things you do to support and spread a love of the written word, then tag five people. (If you list something that touches youngsters, you get a bonus letter!)

So here goes:

1. I read. ALOT. I read the Bible. I read classic fiction. I read new releases. I read magazines. I read waaaaaaaaaay too many blogs. I read cereal boxes. I read pill bottles. I read labels. I read other peoples' personal diaries -JUST KIDDING! - I read and read and read nonfiction for research into anything and everything that interests me or that I have a question about. Research in the past week has included, among other things: adrenal supplements, training techniques for long distance biking, P.A. equipment (all those technical specs made me cross-eyed!), chocolate, hairstyles for thin, wispy silvery hair, recipes for Boston Cream Pie, how to diagnose stitching problems on my stupid sewing machine, Third Day's concert schedule, composting, and whether or not my new running sneaks were made in the U.S or not (they were).

How, may you ask, does this promote writing? Well, folks, if no one ever reads it...what's the point? Besides, my girls see me doing all this reading and they are following suit. They know from my example that reading is a form of pleasure, a way to get information, a way to grow, a way to escape, a way to burn your dinner if you're reading whilst you stir!

2. I review newly released romances for The Long and Short of It. Most of these books are of the "e" variety and I read them by sitting 18" away from my computer and wishing I had a portable reader. ;-) Happily for me, LASR allows me to select which books I review, so I can stick to the sweeter and/or inspirational ones.

3.I incorporate writing into every school subject. One of the hallmarks of my high school science classes - I taught biology and chemistry to a co-op group of 7-9 homeschooled students for several years - is extra credit in the form of creative writing. Science has so many fun and weird and interesting words/terms. We pull them out of context, make up new meanings and write crazy stories. It's SO fun!

My own children have grown/are growing in a world of written verbage. One of our favorite activites is writing extemporaneous essays on topics pulled from an envelope. Another is the "stories in the round" that we, as a family create. When I get out paper, a timer, and M&Ms things start getting very exciting around here - even Mulletman (who hates to write) joins in! Each person writes a story title, then passes their paper to the left. Now each person writes for 10 minutes, starting a story based on the title they received. When the timer goes off we all pass our papers to the left, stretch a bit and enjoy some M&Ms, then set to on part-the-second of the story. We repeat the process until the tales are finished. The stories take such bizarre twists and turns that we usually end up in hysteria.

4. I write plays, skits, and songs, many of which have been performed by others.

5. In the past I have conducted homeschool writing workshops in my home for elementary students. The events were very popular and some of the students still bring up techniques I taught them so many moons ago. I am working now on getting Silly-Head's reading skills up to snuff. Once she's doing a bit better, we'll start those writing workshops again.

6. I write. ALOT. I write on my blog. I write comments. I write on forums. I write on Facebook. I write prose on my Squidoo lenses. I write novels and short stories. I write emails and letters.

One of the most common sounds in our house is the clack, clack, clack of the keyboard! And, once again, my girls observe and copy and contribute. They are always "helping" me with plot lines and ideas and names and they are both becoming writers. Girly-Girl is always writing and illustrating stories. Silly-Head just tells us stories - long, hilarious, convoluted stories, some of which I write down for her.


OK...as you all know, I am not a tagger. So if any of you support the spread of the written word, then feel free to "steal" this meme!