Institute of Children's Literature #4

Lesson 4
Starts Part Two:
Taking a New Perspective.
I have received more books!
a market directory-Magazine Markets for Children Writers,and two textbooks:
Searching: A research Guide for Writers and
Essentials of English


Assignment 4 Is to write 500-1000 words of a nonfiction article. It can be on any topic.
This lesson focuses on the nonfiction and can be a How- To article, or science or history. The lesson leads you through the process of selecting your topic, researching it and narrowing the focus down.

I was doing some research for a speech for my son when I came across the name of a woman, Mary Edwards Walker. She is the only woman to have received the Medal of Honor. This intrigued me and I had to find out more about her.

When this lesson came along I had already done quite a bit of research on her and the times she lived. This lesson really helped me put together what I felt was a good article. The response from my instructor was also very encouraging.

I am still struggling with the research part though. I found lots of information on her, but they are primary sources. so if you write nonfiction and know the ropes of how to access primary sources, please leave comments.

Assignment 3

The assignment for lesson 3 was to write a 500 word memoir description targeted to a young reader.
Sounds easy, just 500 words. The problem is once I got started I couldn't stop. Getting start was hard alone. Which memory would I choose? The one about sister getting stuck in a tree? The one when I fractured my collarbone? Or the one when my baby sister was born? Would any of these interest anybody?
I finally chose to describe my grandparent's home. Even though we lived in the age of TV and electricity, my grandmother still chose to cook on her wood stove (even in the summer!) they had no TV! only a radio.
I found lots to describe and was told by my instructor that I "effectively hit all of the senses."
That was another tip they gave us which I have seen suggested in other writing books: To highlight a sense in a color.
So for sound I used green, feel-red,smell-blue, sight-hot pink, and so on. It really is helpful to see if you are using all of the senses or if you are using only one or two. It makes you think: What did grandma's house smell like?

Another tip the instructor gave was when describing something from the past that the young reader may not be familiar with. I had described the string hanging from a light bulb, but did not say what the string was for. That got me thinking of other things that are different now. Most phones don't have cords. I don't think any of my kids know what it is like to try to have a private phone conversation when the only phone you have is in the family room. They are not going to leave the room just so I could talk to my boyfriend.

I can't claim this organizational tip as my own, this came from my good friend Pat.

When I first started the Long Ridge writing course, she bought me a notebook and put pockets in them and instructed me to keep all my work in them. This has proved invaluable. As I proceed in the course, I am to refer back to previous assignments. Keeping it all organized is a big help.
I do have it organized on computer and backed up to a flash drive. Each folder is labeled by assignments. I keep what I sent and then I also keep an edited version (what the instructor sends back).
This photo shows the folder I keep my hard copies in. I also print out any "Talk Abouts" my instructor has suggested for further reading. Then if I need more help in another area like "weedy words" I can find it quickly. I can always find these on the student center for Institute of Children's Literature, but I still like to hold papers inmy hand and have them there at the computer when I am working on my assignments.

Do you have a unique way of organizing your work in progress?

Institiute of Children's Literature assignment 2

On Assignment two of the Institute of Children's Literature I learned how to cluster words and form them into ideas and then into a story. I studied the examples of stories in the "Best of the Children's Market"( I love this book and refer to it often.)

I was given a list of words to choose from and could use as many as five. Depending on the age I was writing for determined the length of my story.
I learned about beginning, middle and endings of stories and how to put it all together.

Since the maximum number of word counts to be used was 1000, I learned to narrow down the story and focus on one aspect.

On my feedback from my instructor I was told I needed more description. I have a hard time trying to add description in without making it sound forced.

The other thing I need to work on is conflict.I was referred to two "Talk About" which are very helpful and I have printed them out and refer to them often.

Part One Materials-ICL

In part one of the Institute of Children's Literature along with the course manual I received "Best of the Children's Market" and "From Inspiration to Publication".
The "Best Of the Children's Market" is invaluable as a study guide. This is a collection of stories that have been published. It tells the word count, magazine it appeared in, genre, and a personal note from the author.

When I read a story or nonfiction article in a magazine I often wonder "How many words is that, exactly?" This book tells you. It is also categorized by age and fiction and nonfiction.

The book: "From Inspiration to Publication" is also a good tool. It has articles to help you as a writer from beginning, characters, plotting and even researching. I have chapters assigned to read by the course work.

I have tabbed pages for quick reference and underlined and written notes in this book. It is well worn and I'm only halfway through the course.

My ICL experience Assignment One

I belong to the Southern-Breeze region of Society of Children's book Writers and Illustrators and once in a while someone will ask about the Institute of Children's Literature correspondence course, so I thought I would blog about my experience.

First of all I was a skeptic, I saw these ads all the time and just thought it was a hoax. Then I talked to other writers who took the course and actually sold some of their stories they did as assignments.

Being my impulsive self, I sent off for the test for both the Long Writers course (writing for adults) and the ICL course. I got accepted by Long Ridge first and learned a lot, but so far nothing published. My friend Pat had already done the ICL course and learned a lot of things that were not covered under the Long Ridge and since writing for children is what I really wanted to do, I took the ICL course as soon as I finished the Long Ridge course.

I would recommend either course.

For the first assignment I was given three pictures to choose from and to write a story using the pictures as a jump start to a story idea.
I learned to have more than just an idea, to have a beginning, middle and end. I learned to use dialogue to give information, describe a setting and to stay with in a specified word count- something magazines will want me to do if they are going to publish my story.

One thing I learned during the Long Ridge course was that you can do this course entirely on line. I had started with mailing my assignments in and then learned that I could e-mail them. The turn around time is much faster too.

ICL and Long Ridge both will not just take your money and forget about you. If you do not turn your assignment in on time they will check up on you, offer encouragement and other aids.
If you need more time for an assignment you can go to the Student Center and request more time. So even if you are working, you can go at your own pace.
They also offer different ways to pay and offers that include discounts.

The feedback is phenomenal too. Specific to my writing ability and offers other helps called "Talk Abouts" to work on certain problems I am having.

If you are reading this and have taken the course please respond by telling me what worked for you and what didn't.

If you are considering taking the ICL course and have questions, please feel free to ask, if I can't answer I'm sure others will be able to.


Good luck on your writing venture.

Happy 4th and Woes Me!

George Washington addressing his men in Williamsburg

Hope everyone has a Happy 4th of July and remember the folks that gave lives and limbs for this freedom.
Thank you to all of you in the services and May God Bless the USA!




Well I did the unthinkable, I lost the draft of the new story I was working on for assignment 6 of my ICL course. I don't for the life of know how I did that. I always save my drafts and I think this is the first time this has happened and I didn't even have a hard copy. I looked in all my storage devices. I have been working on procedure manuals and finished the last one Saturday night.
My good friend Pat Weaver said I needed to write it over anyway and I agreed. But I wanted to get the first draft down before I started editing.
So I guess you know where I will be starting tomorrow...