A few short months ago, inspired by a mom-daughter writing team, my 7 year old daughter asked, "Can we write a story together Mom?"
Be still, my beating heart...
Be still, my beating heart...
We set right to work, laying out the plan. She would tell me the story, I would record her ideas and fill the story out. So it's been.
We've plugged at it slowly and infrequently. Here and there we tap out a story. In November, we signed up for the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) event hoping it would help kick us into high gear and finish this project. It helped - we wrote 5000 words or so. I was proud of us.
This is Abby's NaNoWriMo notebook:
We've plugged at it slowly and infrequently. Here and there we tap out a story. In November, we signed up for the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) event hoping it would help kick us into high gear and finish this project. It helped - we wrote 5000 words or so. I was proud of us.
This is Abby's NaNoWriMo notebook:
This is where she records the various adventures our tiny characters have.
The adventures of these little people who live in a purse (Purse People), involve dashing underfoot, escaping the house cat, and discovering other tiny residents in the house walls.
She comes up with the initial idea, I type it out, and we fill in plot holes together. Then my work begins - I fill in and add on.
I also get stuck.
Which reads something like this:
____________________________________________
"Ethan and Penny peeked out of the purse, hoping she would not scoop them up. Would she take the purse with her to town? The last time they had gone to town, it had not gone well. Spencer almost got lost in the store. They watched Abigail dash around the room. She grabbed a notebook, rummaged through a drawer and finally came out with a pencil. She looked around the room, searching for something. Was she looking for her purse? Finally she dashed out the door, leaving the purse behind. Phewf. They were relieved.
As they sat there, all relieved, Ethan gasped. "Hey! They're gone! Let's go explore!"
"Nah," said Penny, "I don't want to for some reason."
"Oh." said Ethan, "I wish I had something to say about that."
"Oh." Penny said.
Then they both stood there staring at each other, wishing something would happen.
But it didn't.
But the writer worked through the blandness, and eventually something happened that led to the next thing she began to write."
_______________________________________________
Brilliant segue, right? Ah, but that's what teamwork is for. We regroup, brainstorm, and keep on going.
Two more chapters to go, and the second draft can begin!
She comes up with the initial idea, I type it out, and we fill in plot holes together. Then my work begins - I fill in and add on.
I also get stuck.
Which reads something like this:
____________________________________________
"Ethan and Penny peeked out of the purse, hoping she would not scoop them up. Would she take the purse with her to town? The last time they had gone to town, it had not gone well. Spencer almost got lost in the store. They watched Abigail dash around the room. She grabbed a notebook, rummaged through a drawer and finally came out with a pencil. She looked around the room, searching for something. Was she looking for her purse? Finally she dashed out the door, leaving the purse behind. Phewf. They were relieved.
As they sat there, all relieved, Ethan gasped. "Hey! They're gone! Let's go explore!"
"Nah," said Penny, "I don't want to for some reason."
"Oh." said Ethan, "I wish I had something to say about that."
"Oh." Penny said.
Then they both stood there staring at each other, wishing something would happen.
But it didn't.
But the writer worked through the blandness, and eventually something happened that led to the next thing she began to write."
_______________________________________________
Brilliant segue, right? Ah, but that's what teamwork is for. We regroup, brainstorm, and keep on going.
Two more chapters to go, and the second draft can begin!
