Writing Lab: Kurt Vonnegut’s eight essentials for a good short story.

 I fell in love with the writing of Kurt Vonnegut in High School. I was introduced to him by my assistant football coach and science teacher's wife Mrs. Dalyrimple. She and Mr. Dalyrimple took me under their wings mentoring me through a rough patch in high school. (One day I hope to write about that experience because it change my life.) She saw my fascination with modern science fiction. I think I told her I wanted to be a writer like Rod Serling of  Twilight Zone fame. I loved anthology's and short stories. She gave me her copy of Cat's Cradle and I never looked back. That was in 1971. Thank you Mrs. Dalyrimple.

 Now as I get ready to write a short story for Camp NanoWriMo in July, I began as I always do, seeking out research that could help me with short story writing. Though I had read Kurt Vonnegut's ideas for writing short stories years ago, I could not honestly tell you I remember them very well. Then, thanks to friends, I came across his words again on Rabelle's Society Blog. I want to thank Rabelle's Society for posting  Andrea Balt's article on Kurt Vonnegut's Eight Essential's for a good short story. I hope you will enjoy it and use it because I believe that is why he shared it with us.
 
Writing Lab: Kurt Vonnegut’s eight essentials for a good short story.

Writing: Camp NaNoWrimo is here for July

 To see far is one thing:going there is another. - Brancusi
From the book Art & Fear

Camp NaNoWrimo is an extension of National Novel Writing Month, known as  NaNoWriMo (na-noh-RY-moh)  an annual internet-based creative writing project that takes place every November. NaNoWriMo challenges participants to write 50,000 words of a first draft for a story they would want to write or even publish. It's purpose is to encourage young and old who might be too scared to write or lacked the discipline an opportunity to join hundreds of thousands of individuals from around the world at the same time to write the story they always wanted to tell. 

The simple goal of NaNoWriMo is to get people writing, no matter how bad the writing is, through the end of a first draft. It should be noted that there is a time to celebrate length, or what so many call "the journey" or "experience of the journey" that gives one confidence to complete a task. Once the first draft is completed then the quality can be addressed in the editing phase which you have as long as you want to accomplish.

Even John Green entered the NaNoWriMo competition in 2009. Great words of advice from the author of The Fault in our Stars. I love what he had to say. I played this for my students and encouraged my students to participate.

Encouraged by my student's, I was lucky enough to write 52,818 words which made me in the eyes of the NaNoWriMo world a winner. The truth of the matter is if I had only written 10,000 words I would have been proud of what I had accomplished. I wrote my story  during a school year in which I had 6 Advanced Placement classes, two after school clubs and athletic administrative duties after school. Most of my writing happened between 10pm and 1am every night until Thanksgiving vacation. I had little time to make friends and utilize all of the helpful tools available to all participants. I do not want to miss out on it this time.This was one of the hardest and best experiences of my life to date.

Camp NaNoWriMo  is a little different. They had two sessions planned this year. The first session was planned for April which I missed due to severe illness and the second is for July.

Chris Angotti, Director of Programs and his crew envisioned "this Camp originally as an off-season alternative to National Novel Writing Month, but it's evolved into much more than that: writers choose their own projects—from novel sequels to scripts to pop-up books—and find cabin communities (and often new friends) to support them. You can sign up and check all of this out at Camp NaNoWrimo "
 
"It is more like a retreat because you can write anything, and  you're capable of when you have the time and space to create". I am looking forward to this Camp.

You can also set flexible word-count goals (10,000 to 999,999) and the ability to add your own project genre. I chose Horror/Fantasy with a number count of 20,000 for a short story that I definitely want to have published. I even have my own preliminary cover art to go along with the story. Working Title: A Golem and his Boy.

If you love to write or just want to get started telling a story that has been with you for a long time make Camp NaNoWriMo your creative retreat this summer. Sign up today )  Get ready because the writing begins July 1!

* Some of this post is redited from my post dated November 1, 2013 or emails from  explaining the programs to previous writers of the program.

Fantasy Art Master: Dan Dos Santos Repost from ...The desk of Dragon One

Dan Dos Santos 

I had the privilege and pleasure of meeting our feature artist Dan Dos Santos at Dragon Con in Downtown Atlanta. He was the first artist I saw at the convention and I was awe struck by his talent, his body of work and the vividness of his art. I was like a little kid again as I poured over his paintings. The last artist who had such an impact on me was Frank Fazetta. I could not believe how detailed his art was when I found out he painted them in oil. We talked for a long time and I found him very personable and helpful, especially when I shared with him that I sponsor an Art Club at my school. I am a proud owner of some of his work and will continue to collect his work..

His webpage site "The Art of Dan Dos Santos" http://www.dandossantos.com/ is informative and educational with a special short video clip showing how he paints his work. http://www.dandossantos.com/extras.htm. His blog site "Muddy Colors, An Illustration Collection" is full of great art, insightful commentary on varying artists, their art and great information about the art community. http://muddycolors.blogspot.com. Aside from freelance illustration, Dan also co-hosts a series of instructional demonstrations called "Art Out Loud."

(edited from his Bio Page)

Dan's work spans a variety of genres, including novels, comics and film. He has worked for clients such as Disney, Universal Studios, Boeing Aircraft, Saatchi & Saatchi, Scholastic Books, The Greenwich Workshop, Penguin Books, Random House, Tor Books, Upper Deck, Wizards of the Coast, and DC Comics.

Dan began at an early age it was pretty apparent that drawing was a talent he possessed early on. Growing up, he spent nearly all of his spare time drawing his favorite cartoon characters. By his teenage years he moved onto comic books, a passion he still holds clear.

His local high school sponsored a program called "Careers in Art." The program placed students in a weekly internship with a design company or working professional. It was through this program that he met his long term mentor and learned the basics of illustration, and thus decided to choose that as his major in college.

Later he convinced his parents to help pay for art school. He attended the School of Visual Arts from 1996- 2000. College is where he honed his skills and love for the traditional art of oil painting. He graduated the top of his class with a degree in illustration, and received that years "Special Achievement" award in his major.

After Graduation, with some scholarship money in his pocket, he began his career painting portraits out of his parents' basement. Eventually he rented a studio, and found a gallery to represent his art and start pursuing his dream of becoming an illustrator.

Dan has been the recipient of many awards. Recently he has received a 2010 Silver Medal from Spectrum, the 2007 Jack Gaughan Award for Best Emerging Artist, and was the Chesley Award winner for the Best Paperback Cover of 2007. His illustrations have graced the #1 spot on the New York Times' Best Seller list numerous times.

Movie: Retrospective on Flash the movie...Gordon's Alive!

We have been on hiatus for a time due to various reasons but health being the dominate one.  I hope to get back into writing this blog on a weekly basis.

Growing up, I was a big Flash Gordon fan ( over 30 years). I never forgot how much fun the movie was to watch and how I loved the musical score . It was my introduction to Queen, Sam Jones and Melody Anderson along with Max Von Sydow, Timothy Dalton, and Brian Blessed. Ryan Plummer    and the people at i09 put together a interesting article on this Cult Classic and a lot of things that went on behind the scenes.

The Weirdest Things You Never Knew About the Making Of Flash Gordon. This Article is interesting and explains a lot about the film and the way it looks today. You get the inside story of how screwy it was to work for Dino De Laurentiis and a international film crew.   Everyone has a different take on the film and I think if you have seen Ted with the Sam Jones scene you can not help but come to realize the " he saved everyone of us".

Local Writer: Hugh Howey, Writer, Roofer, Yacht Captain, Hero and Inspiration

  Hugh Howey, Writer, Roofer, Yacht Captain, Hero and Inspiration

I have to say, that I became aware of Hugh Howey when a friend ask me if I had read Wool.  I said “no, is it at Barnes and Nobles”? He said, “I read it on my Kindle through Amazon”.  I told him I did not have a Kindle and I would wait till it was on Audible. I explained I have limited time to read anything new with all the stuff I do for my classes but I could listen to it on my way to work since it takes me approximately a 50 minute drive. That was last year; now flash forward to Sunday 9/15/2013, sitting at my favorite breakfast restaurant Glady's in Okeechobee, Florida leafing through the Palm Beach Post when I turned to the Accent section of the paper. There in bold letters on the main page was, Jupiter E-Book Sensation with a photo of Hugh Howey playing catch with his dog on the beach

The article about Hugh Howey in the Palm Beach Post was awesome, especially when he discussed his experience as a yacht captain in New York City docking his ship next to the World Trade center on 9/11 just before the first plane crashed into the twin towers on that fateful day

Excerpt from the Palm Beach Post written by Scott Eyman 9/15/2013

Twelve years ago, writ­ing was still far into the fu­ture. On Sept. 11, 2001, Howey was in New York, captain­ing a 74-foot Sunseeker mo­tor yacht for a wealthy hedge fund manager. The boat was moored in North Cove Mari­na, at the base of the World Trade Center.         

"When the planes struck, they did so directly over­head," he remembers. "The first one was an accident, of course. That's what we all thought. I remember watching the second plane bank hard and came screaming down Lower Manhattan and I thought this was some sort of accident. Your brain just turns off. I was silently yelling for the pilot to pull up, was thinking of some sort of malfunction, the kinds of things I was too smart to be­lieve. But the truth was too evil for me to comprehend.

"I remember the heat from the fireball. I remem­ber thinking 'It's just like the movies.' And then the people started running and screaming, and I thought that was just like the movies as well - the panic in everyone's eyes."

Howey's boss said they had to get out of there - everybody believed more planes would be hitting momentarily. "I cranked the engines and start­ed throwing the dock lines. People asked if I was leaving;  ' I said that I was, and if they wanted to come, they should get on board. I remember ask­ing them to take their shoes off, and how that seemed wrong even in the moment. My wires were crossed."

Howey steered the ship across the Hudson to Liber­ty Landing Marina, but there was no room, so Howey tied up at a restaurant. A group of construction workers asked if Howey would take them back to the site of the Trade Cen­ter. They wanted to help. He agreed, dropped them off and then picked up others. He would see the same construc­tion workers later when they came back for the lunch pails they left on the docks, and told him about the looting they witnessed.

"It's easier to talk about now, but I didn't for the lon­gest time. We sat on the bow of the boat and watched WTC 5 (or was it 7?) fall, the radio bursting with the news be­fore the rubble even settled. We watched both buildings come down. The night before, we had sat in Windows on the World at the top of one of the towers and looked out over the city. That spot was now in empty space. "It seemed surreal. Still does."

The first thing I did after reading the article was go directly to Audible to check the release date for Wool and downloaded it. (Now available)

Below is a link to the Palm Peach Post video chat with Mr. Howey

http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/videos/news/hugh-howey-best-selling-author/v9dPy/

Mr Howey began his SILO series in 2011, writing Wool as a stand-alone short story. He published the work through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing system. He has said that he choose Amazon's system because of its freedom of self-publishing.

 (From Wikipedia) "The story of Wool takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth. Humanity clings to survival in the Silos, subterranean cities extending over one hundred stories beneath the surface. The series initially follows the character of Holston, the sheriff of Silo-18, with subsequent volumes focusing on the characters of Juliette, Jahns, and Marnes. An ongoing story line of the series is the focus on the mystery behind the Silo and the secrets that it holds. The Silo's mystery is eventually revealed by the end of book five, with First Shift being a prequel to the series. The series has grown in popularity, and recently Ridley Scott has optioned the book Wool for a movie".

It is inspiring to read about people who have truly lived life and fulfilled their dreams. Mr Howey has done that and continues to do so through his writing. We can only hope to follow examples like his in our own lives.

Writing: My First Nanowrimo Event...I am Scared.

National Novel Writing Month, shortened as NaNoWriMo (na-noh-RY-moh) is an annual internet-based creative writing project that takes place every November. NaNoWriMo challenges participants to write 50,000 words of a new novel between November 1 and 30. Despite its name, it accepts entries from around the world. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to get people writing, no matter how bad the writing is, through the end of a first draft.

The idea is that many people are scared to start writing because it won’t be any good, and if there’s a time to celebrate length, rather than quality, more people will write an entire first draft, which they can then proceed to edit if they wish.

Even John Green entered the NaNoWriMo competition 3 years ago. Great words of advice from the author of The Fault in our Stars

 Writers wishing to participate first register on the project’s website,  http://nanowrimo.org/ where they can post profiles and information about their novels, including synopsis and excerpts. Word counts are validated on the site, with writers submitting a copy of their novel for automatic counting.

Members from our school’s  Science Fiction and Fantasy Club…(Starships and Dragons), some Journalism students and myself are planning to make the plunge. Come join us…I do not want to be the only person who writes like an moron.

 There is even a NaNoWriMo song.  Dig it.

Education: Collabrorative tools in the classroom

Originally, my focuses in the use of technology in the classroom over the last six years had/has  to do with the collaborative nature of online tools and easy of functionality between the teacher and student using these tools. As far as collaborative tools go for education, Google Docs has proven to be one of the best so far for me. My students and I have made it an indispensable part of the AP World and European History classes. Several of my students are now using it in their other upper level and Dual Enrollment classes. It should be noted that some of my friends also use Google docs collaboratively or allow students to use it in their classes. This has also gone beyond the high school classroom to college as some of the students that we have taught are using it exclusively for collaboration in their classes.

I have had the opportunity along with my good friend Tara Malecki (she should be writing this post) to present at our county’s technology workshops to share our own experiences with Google Docs in 2011 and 2012. In the fall of 2013, I was given the opportunity to present this idea of Collaboration and Technology at the State Social Studies Conference (FCSS). Sharing  with my fellow social studies teachers was exciting and eye opening because many of them were working toward the same goals involving technology and collaboration. It was a great session and confirmed for me that this is the direction I needed to pursue.

These events encouraged me to do more research on the topic of collaborative tools. What I have now learned is that students must also be engaged (Engagement) with the tools.  I now realized that I was addressing only part of what I wanted to accomplish with Collaborative learning for my students.

Carnegie Mellon's,  Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation  addresses Collaborative tools and learning . Here is the synopsis from their site  Collborative Tools  based on a White paper literature review (2009) of collaborative learning, assessment, and tools.  Download Collaboration Tools White Paper

Collaborative learning is essentially people working together to solve a problem, create a product, or derive meaning from a body of material. A central question or problem serves to organize and drive activities, and encourage application, analysis, and synthesis of course material. While the landscape of technology that can be used to support central activities of collaborative learning is vast and varied, it is often lumped together under a single label: "collaboration tools."

Tools that exist to support collaboration can:

•     facilitate real-time and asynchronous text, voice, and video    communication.
•     assist in basic project management activities.
•     support co-creation by enabling groups to modify output in real-time or  asynchronously.
•     facilitate consensus building through group discussions and polling.
•     simplify and streamline resource management.
•     enable local and remote presentation and archiving of completed  projects.

Communication     Virtual Meetings     Email     Instant Messaging     Screen Sharing     Blogs     Voice, Video, Web Conferencing     Discussion Boards	Team Definition & Participant     Social Networking     Presence Management     User Profiles     Contact Management
Project Management     Task Management     Time Tracking     Workflow Routing     Milestones     Calendaring	Resource Management     File Storage     Search     Database Management     Version Tracking     Access Management     Social Bookmarking     Commenting     Tagging
Co-Creation & Ideation     Concept Mapping     Wikis     Virtual Whiteboards     Real-Time Collaborative Editing	Consensus Building     Polling     Question Management     Process Archiving
Presentation & Archiving     Webinars     Slide Shows     Hosted Media Sharing

If you are interested in these ideas and bringing Collabrative tools into your classroom I strongly recomment  Carnegie Mellon's,  White paper literature review (2009) of collaborative learning, assessment, and tools.  Download Collaboration Tools White Paper