When it comes to NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), Laura Miller of Salon is a naysayer, calling it "a waste of time and energy." She's more impressed by those who commit to read 10 books in 10 different categories. Read Miller's blog post here.

It's time once again for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). As the website explains, it's "for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved." Visit the NaNoWriMo website to learn more.

Teachers, if you are looking to incorporate writing into your specific content area, check out these helpful writing sites:

Purdue Online Writing Lab

The Writing Site

National Writing Project

Teachers, Halloween is upon us, and your students may be brewing up some spooky stories. Don't let them fall into the trap of clinging to overused intensifiers and boring adjectives!  Continue reading...

In our first writing class every September, I tell my students to print in their notebooks, big capital letters, please, that to tell a story, a writer must:

GET A PERSON IN A PLACE

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Okay, let's be honest. I'll go on record and say it. Some students are naturally more gifted at writing essays than others. Oftentimes these are the students to whom writing simply springs forth. It doesn't matter if it's narrative, persuasive, expository or descriptive, these students' paragraphs simply flow and their choice of words seems innate. These students naturally gravitate to the honors level classes, expanding their essays in ways that make teachers' eyes tear up with joy.  Continue reading...