Terri McIntyre: to YoungWriters

To young writers, here is a story by Kay Edgebumbe for you to read and practice thinking about story endings. In the box after the story, you can write your own ideas. If you had written this story, where would you end it? Why? (Read Kay's previous post for clues about good endings.) Enjoy the story! Terri
 
The Special Box, (or Asher's Box)It was my birthday and what any eight-year-old wants is a nice box to keep my treasures in. Granddad was coming to the party and we all had a lovely time. When granddad handed me a big parcel I thought that's an unusual size for a toy.
Slowly I unwrapped the parcel and in it was the most beautiful wooden box. It had lovely brass hinges and hand made clasp and really look like a box that you only put your best things in. Time passed and over the next few years I kept things in the box that I treasured.
Christmas was here and the box was forgotten just put away under the sideboard furniture. Christmas eve, I went to sleep dreaming of the [...]

Why do we love stories? We love to hear them, see them performed, tell them.
A friend of many years and who started a storytelling website in New Zealand (www.storydad.com) sent me this advice to young writers. He wrote, "It is why I write now."Story telling by Kay Edgecumbe:     Years ago there was just the radio and the fire place to sit beside during the early evening winters nights.This was when mum or dad would entertain their children with stories ether read or from true life,It was the true life of the parents that was remembered and passed on to even their children as short stories of interest to the family.     Now days with ipods, computer games and many more, the art of telling a good short story is rapidly dying.I vividly remember some of the adventures of my dads: he told me how he shot a leopard as I lay on the actual leopard skin. Take hold of those interesting things that happen to you over the years and write them down.     [...]

Here's a short story that appeared in READ Magazine as a play. In the comment box after the story, you can practice writing your own review, meaning saying what you think about it. Instead of just saying, "It's great" or "It stinks," pick out what you like about it and why, and what you don't like about it and why. Some things to look for: Does the beginning catch your attention? Does each new development hold your attention? Is the dialog (spoken parts in quotation marks) realistic? Is the action believable? Does the ending satisfy you as a reader? You'll write a better review if you give some examples.

Theodore’s Music
by Terri McIntyre
 
Theodore Nez picked up his bag and looked around the tiny bedroom that had been his for three months. He never really understood what people meant when they told him, “It’s not working out.” He only knew he had to go somewhere else.
Theodore knew she had taken him in as a foster child after her pastor had approached her [...]

Even fiction needs to be realistic. When we write about realistic people or events, writers need to make sure we've done our homework. Look it up! Here are some of the resources I studied and applied to Stronghold. The first list shows the topics as I looked for and found them. The second list shows some of them in bibliography form, which is useful if you're looking for specific authors or book titles, etc.
 

RESOURCES BY TOPIC in the order I looked for them
 
Working Together--Native American Oral Traditions http://www.saa.org/publications/SAAbulletin/14-2/SAA14.html  
Human Remains:
http://indigenousissuestoday.blogspot.com/2008/05/culturally-unidentified-human-remains.html  
AUB - Berytus Archeological Studies: http://ddc.aub.edu.lb/projects/archaeology/berytus-back/berytus39/ethics/index.html  
JSTOR: Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol. 25 (1996 ), pp. 63-79
http://www.jstor.org/pss/2155818  
Coyote Stories/Poems: http://www.indigenouspeople.net/coyote.htm  
Coyote [...]

I'm dedicating this blog to young writers. I was eight when I decided to be a writer and sixteen when I wrote my first novel. Years later, I became a writing teacher. I love writing and if you do too, here's where you can say so and share ideas. Look for the blog entry box after each post. Remember, always be respectful of other people, even if their ideas are different. It's difference that makes the world so exciting. Terri