School of Education at Johns Hopkins University-In A Single Bound: A Short Primer on Comics for Educators by Drego Little There is a long and well-documented history of prejudice against comics and what educators think they might represent. Despite this history, comics have a strong following among writers and other serious artists. The Nuts and Bolts of Comics Comics are still not considered "reading" by too many educators; an attitude that persists even though when a student is reading a comic (especially a good one) he or she is actually reading on three different levels. Closure provides most of the action in comics. Narrative density enables an artist to say a tremendous amount with a single panel. Causative evidence is elusive, but internationally the countries with high youth literacy rates also have vibrant comics cultures, notably Finland and Japan. If reader interest is important in literacy (it is) and if the way to better and higher levels of literacy for all children is the goal, any text that appeals to millions of young readers around the world deserves to be taken seriously.
How To Improve Your Writing: 5 Secrets From Hollywood Thanks to the internet, people are reading and writing more than ever. But is it me, or does it seem like the quality of that writing has gotten worse? However, this can be a good thing. These days, solid writing really stands out. It can be a competitive advantage in anything you do. Want to know how to improve your writing? Me, too. Andrew Kevin Walker wrote the blockbuster Seven, starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Andy was also a writer on many other big projects including Sleepy Hollow, The Hire, and Fight Club (you might notice in the credits that the three cops who attack Edward Norton are named “Andrew”, “Kevin” and “Walker.”) His new book is Old Man Johnson. Below you’ll learn: The thing that immediately tells readers you’re a good writer.How to surprise your audience.The mindset you need to write like a pro.The secret to effective collaboration.How to make readers feel something when they read your work. And much, much more. 1) How To Improve Your Writing Sound crazy? Sum Up Tags:
How Visual Thinking Improves Writing Younger kids typically love to draw and aren’t too worried about the outcomes of their artwork — until they get older. By the time they’ve learned to read and write, art takes a back burner to academics, primarily because of what most schools prioritize. Over time it becomes harder for kids to think in pictures the way they once did. But what if students were encouraged to think in pictures alongside words? “There’s something about writing that is a link to your brain,” said Marissa Moss, author of the popular children’s book series Amelia’s Notebook. In the books, Moss takes on the persona of a little girl expressing her ideas about the world and people around her. Taking a cue from Moss, teachers from Oak Knoll Elementary School in Menlo Park, Calif., decided to have their students keep notebooks in a similar style. “They’re not used to being given permission to write about whatever they want,” Clancy said. Now, the students write four to five times a week for 45 minutes at a time.
How to Write with Substance and Improve Your Communication Strategies in Visual Narrative Strategies in Visual Narrative ©Werner Hammerstingl 1998,1999 Narrative 1. We can distinguish between linear and non-linear narrative. Linear narrative: Is built on traditional notions of linearity and univocity, has a beginning, middle and end and is usually logically sequential in nature. Non-linear narrative: Contains elements such as : interruption, circular and unfinished references, chronological anarchy. In this lecture we are going to explore the dynamics and strategies involved in creating a narrative structure for still and time-based visual material. Take a single photograph - any photograph - and you have narrative. Because you have signification (the fact or property of being significant or expressive of something). The pre-photographic meaning of what is being framed and photographed by the camera The process of de-coding the signs in the photograph, governed as it is by cultural, ideological and personal histories. Summary of Codes (1) (a) Figures. (b) Signs. (c) Semes.
25 Things Writers Should Stop Doing I read this cool article last week — “30 Things To Stop Doing To Yourself” — and I thought, hey, heeeey, that’s interesting. Writers might could use their own version of that. So, I started to cobble one together. And, of course, as most of these writing-related posts become, it ended up that for the most part I’m sitting here in the blog yelling at myself first and foremost. That is, then, how you should read this: me, yelling at me. If you take away something from it, though? Then go forth and kick your writing year in the teeth. Onto the list. 1. Right here is your story. 2. Momentum is everything. 3. You have a voice. 4. Worry is some useless shit. 5. The rise of self-publishing has seen a comparative surge forward in quantity. 6. I said “stop hurrying,” not “stand still and fall asleep.” 7. It’s not going to get any easier, and why should it? 8. 9. The mind is the writer’s best weapon. 10. 11. 12. Writers are often ashamed at who they are and what they do. 13. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 14.
8 Classic storytelling techniques for engaging presentations A good public speaker takes their audience on a journey, leaving them feeling inspired and motivated. But structuring your speech to get your ideas across and keep your audience engaged all the way through is tricky. Try these eight storytelling techniques for a presentation that wows. You’re doing a presentation, so you start with the facts you want to get across. Deliver a presentation that captures the hearts and heads of your audience by stealing one of these classic storytelling techniques. 1. The monomyth (also called the hero’s journey), is a story structure that is found in many folk tales, myths and religious writings from around the world. In a monomyth, the hero is called to leave their home and sets out on a difficult journey. After overcoming a great trial, they return home with a reward or newfound wisdom – something which will help their community. Using the monomyth to shape your presentation can help you to explain what has brought you to the wisdom you want to share.
Self-Care for Writers Writing can be an odd career. We can go from leisurely writing as we feel like it to stressed under an impossible deadline. We might be in waiting mode after we query or submit, or we might be trying to do All. The. Those variations mean that we can struggle to get into non-writing habits and routines. Deadlines, writing grooves, inspirations, and just plain stubbornness can all play havoc with our schedules. Showers, sleep, and exercise can all become optional. Yet many of those choices can affect our health. Self-Care Tip #1: Schedule in Downtime Last year, I had four releases, and that destroyed my ability to get anything else done. (Yes, this is another one of those posts that I’m writing to try to make myself listen to my own advice. As we’re planning our writing schedule—whether that’s time for drafting, querying, or our future book releases—we should schedule in downtime. Downtime might mean that we binge-watch our favorite shows to refill our creative well. Staying up too late?
Author's Craft - Introduction Just as a woodworker uses many tools and techniques to craft a piece of furniture, a skilled author uses tools and techniques of language and storytelling to craft a piece of writing. We have organized author's craft into two categories, Narrative Elements and Literary Devices. We use the term Narrative Elements to describe aspects of storytelling. The term Literary Devices refers to specific tools of language that can appear in any genre of writing. Our Narrative Elements are setting, foreshadowing, and characterization. Our Literary Devices are alliteration, personification, simile, metaphor, allusion, irony, and parallel structure. If you want to learn more about the aspects of author's craft that we have not emphasized in this project, try doing some research online.