Spelling lists

Whenever I give a spelling test to my students, I try to make up a story while using the words for that week in sentences. It's a blast, and the kids enjoy the test even more, but can also be challenging depending on what spelling/phonics skill we are studying that week. One huge benefit for me as an author is that using the words challenges me to create something interesting for an audience on the fly and within certain parameters. It has also produced some great ideas for characters or monsters or situations that I have put into my current novel. So if you have to help someone study for a spelling test, I encourage you to try it out. You'll be amazed at what you come up with.

Jumping into the web. . .

I attended the 29th Life, the Universe and Everything (LTUE) Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers conference at BYU this past week and many of the authors and editors there stressed how big a deal it is for aspiring and published authors to have a presence on the web, so I decided to jump right in and set up this blog. I've dedicated it to talking about writing and to reading. I hope you enjoy it. I've had a Twitter account for a while now, too, and will be using that more often to keep anyone interested up to date with what's going on. When you drop by, leave a comment or just say hello.