Yesterday I presented a workshop, Wikis, Word Choice and Red Font:
Ride the Revision Wave of the Future at the South Carolina Council of Teachers of English conference. This is my third year to have the opportunity to work with teachers in the tranquil setting of palm-packed Kiawah Island. Driving home yesterday I reflected on how much fun it is to share my book, Teaching the Story: Fiction Writing in Grades 4-8. Several teachers told me, "I can't wait to use this back in my classroom on Monday." Other teachers were impressed with the amount of reproducibles on the resource CD that comes packaged with the book. One middle school teacher had just completed a unit on writing the memoir and decided that having her students write a short story would be a logical extension of their work. We talked about how my mini-lesson, "Getting to Know You - The Author" would help students write fiction based on their own experiences—rather than writing a story about a character (such as a "cool" college student) that they couldn't write authentically.
Every writer dreams of autographing her own book. My pleasure is multiplied knowing that my labor will result in teachers inspiring their students to become better writers. A Charlotte novelist, Robert Whitlow, reviewed my book when it first came out and said: "Someday, a successful author will thank Carol Baldwin for writing this book. Teaching the Story… equips teachers to debunk the prejudices against story writing and release the creative gifts within every student. I highly recommend it."
What more could an educational author ask for?
educational author, Teaching the Story: Fiction Writing in Grades 4-8, Kiawah Island, sccte, wiki, revision, teaching writing
