Ms. Nancy's Library & Technology Blog

…coming soon…

“I don’t want to be a man,” said Jace. “I want to be an angst-ridden teenager who can’t confront his own inner demons and takes it out verbally on other people instead.”

— Cassandra Clare (City of Ashes)

…from our friend, Sherman Alexie.

Dear Readers,

Are you out there? Howdy. So… I have been hearing some complaints lately about writing. 1) how hard it is 2) how stupid it is 3) how tricky it is 4) why do we even have to do this?

Writing = hard work, but writing also can = fun. Fantastic fun. Filling up notebooks with all kinds of ramblings, doodles, thoughts and mysteries. Writing crazy stories that boom, have a surprise ending. Trying to write in the style of your favorite author. You know what else works? Sometimes when I can’t get started with writing, I just write

GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH

all across the page. (Not the page I’m handing in, obviously.) It works — you might want to give it a try. You can make up your own word. Bleh or No or Huh? or whatever works for you.

Writing is not stupid, alright? All right! When things go wonky is when people take all the fun out of writing. For example: “What. Did. You. Do. On. Your. Summer. Break. Please. Make. It. Exciting.” (Snooze.) No one likes to hear the whip crack and be told WRITE WRITE WRITE!

Also, people get a little stiff sometimes when they write. Write like you’re talking. Write like you’re telling a story (you are — even if it’s a report on the economy, or a description of what your room looks like.) Write like you don’t have a care in the world.

My advice (for what it’s worth): Write like no one is going to read it.

In the case of my beloved library blog… no one is. But that’s all right. There are a few of you out there and to you I say, Hello, and thanks for stopping by. Leave me a note in comments if you would like.

Here is a little fun from the Junior Great Books people (I will leave out the exclamation points! Exclamation points can get you in trouble!!!!):

*Write your own Junior Great Book

* Write something every day in your journal

* Start with “A” and, daily, write a poem that begins with the next letter of the alphabet

* Write a piece each day about a different member of your family

* Write about the places you go, or would like to go

* Write letters to people that you never intend to send

* Write a story that includes 5 random words that you found in the dictionary

* Write a story that includes 5 different animals

Have some fun, writers. Write a story for me and post it in comments, if you get inspired. Poetry is nice, too. I’ve never been able to write it, myself, but I’ve heard. (smiles.)

Have a great summer.

— Ms. Nancy

How can you quickly tell if you’ve found a good book app? Here is a checklist.

“My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go.” — William Shakespeare, playwright and poet (1564-1616)

“They mustn’t know my despair, I can’t let them see the wounds which they have caused, I couldn’t bear their sympathy and their kind-hearted jokes, it would only make me want to scream all the more. If I talk, everyone thinks I’m showing off; when I’m silent they think I’m ridiculous; rude if I answer, sly if I get a good idea, lazy if I’m tired, selfish if I eat a mouthful more than I should, stupid, cowardly, crafty, etc. etc.” — Anne Frank

“No one can get inner peace by pouncing on it.” — Harry Emerson Fosdick

“Don’t depend on our leaders to do what needs to be done, because whenever the government has done anything to bring about change, it’s done so only because it’s been pushed and prodded by social movements, by ordinary people organizing.”

— Howard Zinn

“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And when I am for myself, what am ‘I’? And if not now, when?” — Hillel the Elder

“Never been a better time/than right now” — Red Hot Chili Peppers