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 |  Useful information I think you will like to know, inspirations, comments, and more! |
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Welcome to my blog! I'm planning to use it for logging:  bits and pieces of stories: writing exercises that turned out well, story ideas, ... links to other items I recommend reading on writing.com, and why I like them short articles, notes, and information about specific topics results of polls and surveys I created my goals for the year more about who I am, my values, my interests links to authors I like and why I like them anecdotes anything else that I think may interest other authors, my family, and my friendsFeel free to give me your comments! I want this blog to be interactive as much as possible. Come visit often! |
| I recently discovered Squidoo through a writer friend. Although I don't have much experience writing non-fiction, I decided to give it a try, just for fun. I created two Squidoo lenses, so far, which is a fancy word for web pages: About O. Henry, my favorite writer: http://www.squidoo.com/O-Henry About setting goals: http://www.squidoo.com/goalsettingforbeginners What I find interesting with Squidoo is that anyone can create a new lens, for free, within minutes, then use HTML to spice it up with fancy frames, background colors, and pictures. Not only is it free, but there is a possibility to earn money through Squidoo, in two ways. Lens ranking determines the monthly payment. A single lens can earn anywhere between $0 and $12 in a month, depending on what tier it's in. Additionally, if the lens includes links to Amazon.com or Ebay items, and someone visiting that lens ends up clicking on the link and buying something, the lens owner gets a commission. Realistically, it could be very hard to earn a substantial amount through Squidoo. On the other hand, it makes it more exciting to write if ther is a possibility - however slim - to make money with it. So far, I made $0.08 on my first month with Squidoo. Hey, it's better than nothing!  Not enough to quit my day job. I'm learning HTML in the process, which is something I always wanted to learn. I studied computer programming in college, but my life took a different course and I never worked as a programmer. The closest I got to programming is making Excel macros. There was no internet back then, so I have some catching up to do... Do you have a favorite website, other than writing.com, where you post stories or articles? |
| Debbie Ohi, a freelance writer and artist, made these very cute cartoons about writing. You can find them on: https://www.willwriteforchocolate.com The characters are writers living in the same apartment building. Each cartoon stands on its own, but there is some continuity from the oldest one to the newest one. I read them all! Some of them made me laugh out loud. Sometimes a good laugh about common writer issues, such as rejection letters, procrastination, or writer's block, is just what I need to keep me going. Read some of them from the archives, and let me know what you think! I particularly like the one called "Writing Rollercoaster": http://www.willwriteforchocolate.com/2008/06/04/writing-rollercoaster/ |
| For me, it's easier to write a new story than to revise an existing one. I usually don't know how to improve it. However, I recently received a handful of very detailed reviews that pointed me in the right direction. Strangely, these very detailed reviews sent me on a roller coaster of emotions. I asked for it, I want to improve, and I truly appreciate the reviews. At the same time, I wish they all told me, "You are an amazing writer, everything is perfect!" But that wouldn't lead me to where I want to go. My goal is to be a published writer, and I'm constantly aiming at improving my writing skills. Reviews are necessary, and revisions are part of the writing game. By revising my stories based on the reviews I received, I'm learning how to write better. I suddenly start noticing some mistakes I made repeatedly, without even being aware of it. I become aware of my weak points. Moving forward, I probably won't make the same mistakes. My new stories will get better. It reminds me of a college philosophy class about Socrates. If you don't know that you don't know, you are in double ignorance. But if you KNOW that you don't know, you are in simple ignorance, and you can learn. Once you learn what you didn't know, you are not ignorant anymore; you know that you know. As much as I like praise and pats in the back, I am deeply grateful for the writers who had enough love to take the time to review my stories in depth. It takes courage to tell someone what needs to be improved. It's easier to just say, "You're doing a great job!" The fact that someone took the time to review my work tells me they believe in my skills. Otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered revising.  There will always be someone who absolutely loves whatever I write. My mother. She would give me six stars on every story if she could! But I needed the other kind of feedback as well, the more uncomfortable one, that pushes me to change and go beyond myself and improve my writing. Thank you, writing.com, for making this possible! Thank you to all my reviewers of both types! |
| Just trying my new signature and sharing the good news! Thank you to my sponsor, PENsive is Meemaw x 3!   and to GabriellaR45  for this honor.** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| My husband was walking on the beach with the kids yesterday, and he found a turtle with a Korean sign taped on its back. I'm very curious to know what it says. They took a picture of it, and now I'm looking for someone who could translate it in English. The thing is, it was a fresh water turtle, and it was released in sea water... The park ranger came and took it to release it where it belongs. Poor thing! |
| With the unemployment rate going up, we need to make sure we are the best in our fields. I found some great websites to brush up on grammar skills: https://www.dailygrammar.com: Simple grammar lessons and exercises, to review the basics. Having learned English as a second language over twenty years ago, it was about time I freshened up my grammar skills! I'm usually good at spotting grammatical errors, but I don't always know how to explain what's wrong. These lessons are helping me write better, and review better. https://www.nonstopenglish.com: Quizzes of all kinds and all levels. I set up a free account to keep track of my scores. The tests were designed by non-American English speakers, so some expressions or rules are a bit different than American English. I also found numerous mistakes in the tests' questions and answers. Still, the quizzes are helping me identify what areas I need to work on, for example: will versus going to, which I thought were the same thing, until I took a few tests and scored very low... https://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com: Grammar Girl gives us fun grammar tips. I just stumbled upon this site while searching for the difference between lay and lie, and I immediately saved it as a favorite. I also signed up for the Grammar Girl Tip of the Day. https://www.thefreedictionary.com and https://www.answers.com: Dictionary + Thesaurus + Examples + Idioms + Phrasal Verbs + Translations + ... These are the most complete English resources I've come across so far. Webster's Dictionary is good for definitions, but these two websites offer a lot more than a definition. I've been using answers.com extensively, and I just recently discovered thefreedictionary.com, which can be set up has a home page. The latter includes weather forecast, facts of the day, word of the day, forum, and more. |
| I have been writing my goals since I'm a teenager, and I still do. It helps me focus on what I want to accomplish, and gives me something tangible to work on, as opposed to just dealing with wishes floating in my head. I started writing the tips, methods, and exercises I've come across throughout the years, in the form of a short book, "Invalid Item"  . I restricted my book-in-progress to writing.com authors only, because I'm planning to get it published on Triond once finished. If you would like to read it but don't have access to it, please e-mail me for a passkey. Your feedback is appreciated, whether it be "sweet and encouraging," "heavily constructive," or anywhere in between! I only posted one chapter so far, but the book will have at least five chapters, possibly more. The other four chapters are hand-written notes that need some work. I may have all five done by the end of the week, though. This week is Book-in-a-Week challenge week, and my goal is to write 18 pages. |
| I recently came across several good resources for writers. To help me keep track of what's what, and to help other writers benefit from the knowledge, here is a list of websites I'm currently exploring: book-in-a-week.com: challenge for writers - make your own writing goal for the week (10 pages or more) and try to reach it. Occurs every first complete week of the month, from Monday 8:00 a.m. to the next Monday 8:00 a.m. All you post is how many pages you wrote, not the actual writing material you produce. My goals were 10 pages in November, 12 pages in December, 14 pages in January, 16 pages in March, and... you guessed it, 18 pages for this month. The April challenge starts this coming Monday. I can't wait!! I reached my goal every single month so far. I go under Annie (NJ) on this site. facebook.com: great for networking and meeting people. You can post pictures, post what's in your mind right now, updates from your other websites, ... Writing.com has a group on Facebook. I'm also in the O. Henry group, and the Flylady group. absolutewrite.com: forum for writers. Post questions, or answer other people's questions. I learned a lot just by reading what was already there. I haven't posted any questions yet. The only thing I did so far is introduce myself in the newbie forum. I received 31 replies. Sometimes they have a special guest, such as an agent or a publisher, who is available at certain times to answer questions. What a gold mine for a writer looking to be published! squidoo.com: free publishing website. Design your own lens (website) within minutes, and click "publish" when ready. If you include links to amazon.com or ebay items, and people buy the product through your lens, you get a commission. Other than that, you get the great feeling publishing an article gives you. Rate other lenses, interact with other writers, and learn how to design a great website. I only have one lens so far, and I still have to improve it: http://www.squidoo.com/O-Henry. twitter.com: to stay informed. Follow celebrities or people you know. Every time they update their twitter account, you get the update. I found my favorite singers, some writers I know, and my brother-in-law on that site! I still have to learn; I just signed up this week. triond.com: publishing website. Submit your articles/stories for web publication. You get paid by the number of visits you get to your item. The pay is not so great, according to what I've read in the forums, but every little bit helps! I still have to come up with something to publish. That's all for now! Writing.com is still my favorite. What's your favorite website for writers, besides writing.com? |
| I recently created a poll to find out what other writers do when they read something and end up not liking it, either because it was poorly written, or it doesn't agree with their values: "Invalid Item" Out of 24 answers:  8 voted: I back out without a word 6 voted: I point out one or two things that need improvement 4 voted: I put my values aside and focus on the writer's skills 2 voted: I just rate it without commenting 2 voted: I give a long, detailed review to help the writer improve 1 voted: I give a positive review to encourage the writer 1 voted: Other Total Votes: 24 I find it hard to review something I didn't like reading, especially if the writer's opinion is opposite to mine! But I still think it will be beneficial if I let the writer know how it made me feel, as a reader. If it was poorly written, it would sometimes take too long to list everything I think needs improvement, but if every reviewer makes an effort to point out a few things and make one or two suggestions, this writer will have a chance to improve the story, learn from it, and eventually write better. Nobody likes to get a bad review, but at the same time, I believe most writers on this site want to improve their writing skills. I know I do. So don't go easy on me. Give me your comments, whether you liked my writing or not. Just do it in a kind way. |
| Back in December, I wrote a short story called The Sea Mouse for "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge" and it won honorable mention. I received such good feedback from this story that I decided to revise it and submit it to Spider magazine for children. This is my first attempt in submitting to a magazine. Wish me luck! I made The Sea Mouse a private item, until I hear back from the magazine. I may have to completely remove it from my portfolio if it gets published. If you haven't read the story yet, please ask me for a passkey. I want to thank the other writers who took the time to read and review The Sea Mouse: Arakun the Twisted Raccoon  : Thank you for posting the contest prompt in the first place. If it wasn't of you, this story would have never been written in the first place! The prompt was to write a story of 300 words or less, using the words mouse, seashell, and sponge.Cubby  : Thank you for your detailed review and suggestions. It helped me tremendously in revising and improving my story.I also received less detailed reviews, but the kind words of encouragement are what made me decide to revise and submit the story: PKP Puppycat Jaye P. Marshall  ... and an anonymous reviewer. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment on my story! Sometimes even a short comment can make a big difference in someone's life. I received many reviews since I started posting my first item in November 2008, and each one of them was helpful in some way. I like long, detailed reviews, but I also appreciate the short and sweet ones. Thank you everyone, and I'll let you know if I get published! I know it's sometimes a long process... but I keep reminding myself that a story has more chances of being published if I send it out than if it's sitting on my shelf. |
| About a year ago, I was practicing my beginnings, as a writing exercise. Here is what I came up with: Beginning # 1 Everything happened so quickly, I didn't even have time to think. Now what will I do? I thought in despair. I looked around furtively, trying to find a quick fix, but to no avail. "Some things cannot be fixed." My mother's words resonated in my mind. But there must be a way! There has to be a way. And I'd better find it quick! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Beginning # 2 "Again! Do it again!" Sophie said, giggling. She loved when Karl visited her family, because he always spent the first twenty minutes playing with her and Derek, her big brother. Karl was spinning Sophie in circle above his head like an airplane, until she got dizzy. "My turn!" Derek said, holding his arms straight to be lifted up. Karl laughed, breathing hard. "What? Do you think I'm a machine or something?" he said, tickling them. "Kids, give Karl a break," Mother said, smiling. She turned to Karl, who was now sitting low in a comfy chair, fanning himself with a magazine. "So, how have you been?" she said, handing him a coffee mug. Karl was now in "adult mode" and Derek and Sophie disappeared in their bedrooms. They were not to bother Karl anymore, and even if they did, he wouldn't respond to them and would just keep talking with their mom. They knew that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Beginning # 3 "I understand," Lucy said, "but you are not to mention it until..." She paused, when she saw me in the door frame, coming back from soccer practice. "I'll talk to you later!" she quickly said, then hung up the phone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Beginning # 4 It was just an ordinary day in the life of Sally McBride, or so she thought it was. The sun was shining amid a few puffy clouds, and she was walking home, humming a song. "Hey!" she said when she saw me. "What's up?" She paused, and looked at me carefully. "You look pale," she said. I didn't answer. "What's wrong?" she said, now worried. I collapsed in her arms, and she shrieked. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Beginning # 5 "Katie! Katie, where are you?" Sara called at the top of her lungs. She scanned the edge of the forest with her hand shielding her eyes. Where could she have gone? "Sara, are you coming?" the camp coach cried. "It's time for camp fire! Is Katie with you?" "She was a minute ago, but I can't find her now!" Sara responded, looking as far as her eyes could see. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Which one should I develop into a children's story? |
| I published my first Squidoo lens: http://www.squidoo.com/O-Henry. Right now I'm only experimenting, but I'm planning to write more lenses in a near future. Do you have any experience with Squidoo? |
| I just posted my profile on Facebook this week, but I also hear a lot about MySpace. When I looked into MySpace, it seemed to be designed for a younger audience, like high school and college students. However, I hear more and more about renowned agents, authors, and publishers being on MySpace. Should I post my profile on both? Which one is best? So far I find Facebook a great networking tool. I was able to connect with writers I knew from another website and learn more about them. To your opinion, which one is best, Facebook, MySpace, or both? I created a poll to find out, "Invalid Item" |
| The first three chapters of my children's book are on their way to the publisher, via snail mail. Wish me luck! I keep picturing the tons of manuscripts they have to go through, and mine in the midst of it. What would make them choose mine? The first paragraph? The catchy title? The professional looking cover letter? It's a bit like buying a lottery ticket: Hey, you never know! I have more chance of being published if my manuscript is in the hands of a publisher (being considered for publication), than if it's sitting on my shelf gathering dust, that's for sure. Several odd things happened that made me select this publisher. While reading some of the books they published, I found out their office was (or used to be, before being purchased by Boyds Mills Press) in Asheville, NC, which is where my favorite short story writer, O. Henry (William Sydney Porter), was buried. Is he helping me from above? While I was still hesitating about sending my manuscript, someone posted a comment in a forum with a quote from Stephen Roxburgh, ex-president and publisher of Front Street Books. A few days later, I saw another post, on another website, referring to Stephen Roxburgh again. This gave me the last little push I needed to send my manuscript. If I keep seeing the same name, from different sources, I take it as a sign to go ahead. It may be three months before I hear back from them, but I have plenty to do in the mean time. I would like to start submitting my short stories to magazines for children. Thanks to my many reviewers, I now know what I need to improve in order to become a better writer. Thanks, everyone, and especially my mentor, Arakun the Twisted Raccoon !If you ever published a children's book, let me know about your experience. |
| I found a quote on my daily calendar, which I thought was very approrpriate, considering the period of financial uncertainty we are going through right now: "If you have love in your life, it can make up for a great many things that are missing. If you don't have love in your life, no matter what else there is, it's not enough." -- Ann Landers |
| I once did a writing exercise called "My Mother Never..." (suggested by writer-teacher Jim Magnuson) where you are supposed to complete the sentence by writing anything that comes to your mind, as rapidly as you can. The purpose of the exercise was to get plot ideas, by associating a character and situations that are unlikely or untypical. Here is what I came up with (I left out the first few sentences, which didn't lead anywhere...): My mother never piloted an airplane, although she is an Aquarius, a sign of Air, and she dreamed for years of being able to let her spirit fly while her body rested. My mother never built any highway, although she paved the way for my future, and she certainly paved her own way in life. My mother never worked in a factory, although she produced three excellent, wonderful, lovely children (hum! hum!) My mother never went to war, although she certainly stood up for what was right. She lead by example, which was more powerful than a cannonball in destroying any trace of evil along her path. Her radiance melted any coldness in people's heart, her bright attitude dissolved any pessimism, and her faith and spirituality were strong enough to conquer any trace of doubt in people's mind. Although this exercise did very little to give me plot ideas, it reminded me how wonderful my mom was, which is even better than any story I can come up with. Happy Birthday, Mommy! Bonne Fete, Maman! |
| I learned long ago that love is not an emotion, but a decision I make of giving of myself to somebody else. Emotions are ever changing, and often unpredictable. I cannot plan on falling in love; it just happens. The only control I have is how I act upon these emotions. I can decide to love someone through good or bad times, for the better and for the worst. When I got married, I made a decision to keep giving of myself, regardless of how I may feel at the present moment. The best comparison that comes to my mind between the feeling of being in love and the decision of loving is investing in the stock market (how romantic!) In any relationship, like in the stock market, there are ups and downs, and sometimes the downs are so low, a young investor may feel like moving all his investments elsewhere. But if he is an educated investor, he'll know that if he hangs on long enough, most likely the stock market will go back up again and he will end up gaining in the end - not immediately, not instantly, but eventually, most likely, he will gain. That is, unless he realizes the "system" is a fraud, and he is being abused, then yes, he should move his investments elsewhere at once! Now we can replace "investing" with "loving" and the same principle applies. The "stock market" can be compared to a "feeling of being in love" gauge. Wayne Dyer talked about love in his series of tapes about manifesting your destiny. He stated that your soulmate is the person you can't stand. This single sentence has been in my mind ever since I listened to these tapes. His explanation is that the person who can push your buttons and make you "flip out" was put on your path for a reason: teaching you to master yourself. He goes on explaining that whenever your spouse, or stepmother, or teenager says something that makes you lose your peace, that person is reminding you that you haven't mastered yourself yet. You need to learn to choose peace over being right, to choose love over ego. You don't need to place yourself on the same emotional level as the person "pushing your buttons". You can decide whether to get involved in an argument or not. Who knows what that person is going through? Maybe he or she had a very bad day at work. I found that if I react the opposite way of how I feel like reacting - smiling instead of frowning, remaining quiet instead of raising my voice, great things start happening. It's no fun for someone to yell and argue if nobody responds back on the same level. The trick is not to take the offense personally. Most of the time, there is an underlying cause to the outburst. It feels and looks kind of foolish to yell back at someone who talks quietly and remains in control. The argument fades away before escalating into a major fight. I tested it many times on my husband, and it works. Later on, when the storm has passed, we can always have a more reasonable conversation and solve the problem, in a better atmosphere.I wish I had learned these lessons when I first got married. I guess someone should add one more chapter to Cinderella story - about what happened after she said "I do". Maybe I should write my version of the story, some day... |
| I recently went on "Invalid Item" and I named my birthday Generation Peace Day. There has been a Lost Generation, a G.I. Generation, and Baby Boomers. We have recently seen generations X, Y, and now Z. What's next? We're running out of alphabet letters. I think it's time for Generation Peace, don't you? At least we seem to be headed in this direction, with our new president being the first African American, opening the doors for not only tolerance among races and cultures, but for cooperation and understanding. But a president can only do that much. We individually have to decide to live in peace, internally and externally. If I get started on the subject of peace, I may write a whole essay! Let's just keep it short for now. Some words I've heard long ago in a song summarize my way of thinking: Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me. ... And from another, more recent song from Daughtry, What about now? What about today? Peace has to come from within. Politics helps, a kind husband helps, and a good financial situation helps, but ultimately we have to personally choose peace over being right in an argument, having an easy, comfortable life, or anything else disturbing our inner peace. I decided to live in peace. For example, instead of complaining internally about having to shovel (Shouldn't it be my husband's job to shovel? Why do I have to do this? It's cold, it's wet, I'd rather do something else than shovel snow right now...), I started by shoveling my next door neighbor's part of the sidewalk. I know it must not be easy for them to come out and shovel, since the husband is working late and the wife is busy with a baby. The joy it brought me picturing my surprised, happy neighbors gave me energy to continue shoveling my side with a smile. It's not always that easy, but I need to make a conscious effort every day to change my paradigm for something more positive. I strongly believe peace is a decision we can make. Why not start today? Do something selfless, without seeking recognition, and see what happens. Let me know your success story in a comment on this entry. |
| I participated in the Book-in-a-Week challenge (http://www.book-in-a-week.com) last week. My goal was 12 pages, and I reached it! In the process, I found a great community of writers - some experienced, some beginners. I started participating in the challenge in December, with a goal of 10 pages (the minimum required). I wrote the first draft of a middle grade book I had in mind since a long time. It still needs a lot of revision and polishing, but it gave me a good head start. If it wasn't for the challenge, it would still be an idea in my mind to develop at some point in time... Now I have something to work with. I like the extra incentive to write it gives me, since I have to report my results throughout the week. I also find it motivating to interact with other writers by reading and posting in forums on the site. One of the posts about successfully managing house work and writing mentioned about http://www.flylady.net. I checked it out, signed up to receive e-mails, and started applying the tips and techniques right away. Not only is my house cleaner now, but the whole concept gave me an idea for a short story, "Invalid Item" . Throughout the week, I wrote this story and others, as well as blog entries, for a total of 12 pages. Next month, I'm trying for 14! What motivates you to write? |
| When I started writing, I realized I had a lot to learn to become a good writer. The best way I found was to study the experts, writers who are still remembered today for their outstanding works of fiction. I wonder how some of them became classics, because I didn't enjoy them at all. Others were real gems that I'm planning on analyzing more thoroughly in a near future. Regardless of whether I liked them or not, I learned a lot with each one of them, and got exposed to many different styles, characters, settings, and themes. Here are the classics I read so far: 1. Moby Dick (Herman Melville) 2. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) 3. Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck) 4. The Hound of Baskervilles (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) 5. Jonathan Livingston Seagull (Richard Bach) 6. Gone with the Wind (Margaret Mitchell) 7. The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway) 8. The Call of the Wild (Jack London) 9. Animal Farm (George Orwell) 10. The Lord of the Rings (#1) (J. R. R. Tolkien) 11. The Hobbit (J. R. R. Tolkien) 12. The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner) 13. Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Harriet Beecher Stowe) 14. 100 Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) 15. Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad) 16. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) 17. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) 18. To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) 19. The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway) 20. Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka) 21. The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne) 22. The Red Badge of Courage (Stephen Crane) 23. The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) 24. The Maltese Falcon (Dashiell Hammett) 25. The Catcher and the Rye (J. D. Salinger) 26. Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare) 27. The Best Short Stories of O. Henry (O. Henry) 28. Complete Works of O. Henry – Vol. I (O. Henry) 29. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain) 30. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain) 31. Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens) 32. Great Expectations (Charles Dickens) 33. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (J. K. Rowlings) 34. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J. K. Rowlings) 35. The Secret Garden (Frances Hobson Burnes) 36. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) 37. Little House in the Prairie (Laura Ingalls Wilder) I also read some classics for children, since this is my favorite genre. I have to read a story to my seven-year-old daughter every night anyway, so why not read her some classics and learn something about writing in the process? 1. Narnia – The Magician’s Nephew (C. S. Lewis) 2. Narnia – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) 3. The Princess and the Goblin (George MacDonald) 4. Witches (Rhoal Dahl) 5. Matilda (Rhoal Dahl) 6. The Little Prince (Antoine de St-Exupery) 7. A Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket) My favorite classic novels so far are Jane Eyre and To Kill a Mockingbird. I must admit I also enjoyed reading Harry Potter, although perhaps not as much as my ten-year-old, who read the whole set within a year! Is it considered a classic? If not, it must be a future classic. In the process of reading all these books, I also discovered short stories. O. Henry became my favorite short story writer. Can you tell? I wrote an article about him, "The Life and Stories of O. Henry" , and one of my stories is inspired from his life, "Invalid Item" . I also wrote a limerick summarizing his life; you can read it if you scroll down to December 18th entry. Yeah, I know, I'm not much of a poet. I just had to write something and that's what came out.What's your favorite classic novel? What should I read next? |
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