All Things Middle Grade

Alanna B.

Um,yeah so... ok then.
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Oh, man, have you guys read this?
An Ode to E.B. White and a Very Special Teacher


Definitely required reading for writers and teachers. Just a quick piece about how much hearing Stuart Little read aloud in 2nd grade changed someone's life. Warning: you'll probably cry.
Thanks for sharing. Both of my parents are teachers and if I do say so myself they are both pretty awesome. :)
And a belated happy birthday to YOU!
 

jtrylch13

Has semi-colon; will use it!
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I've been away for awhile, so I had to catch back up. Timp - rutabagas are delicious in pasties, so watch out.

Okay, nothing else to say. Just glad to be back.
 

DavidBrett

Alas, poor Yorick, he fed me 'nanas
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Well, I'm back from the hospital a bit sore but none the worse for it. So now it's time for a long catch-up post!

After that bad joke you think people are going to go and look at that link. I'll only go and look if you now post a good joke :D

Really? Okay! .... The Aristocrats!! *Note: the set-up to this joke has been removed due to explicit language, content, crassness and depravity. Also, it's a terrible joke. So terrible, in fact, that this disclaimer is actually more funny than the joke it's intended to warn against. Go figure.*

"SWEDES" ARE ALSO A KIND OF TURNIP, PEOPLE!

THERE ARE NO TURNIP PEOPLE.

/WHY ARE MY CAPS STUCK?

Y'know, for a second there I thought you were asking 'WHY ARE MY CATS STUCK?' Which led me to assume that someone had snuck in whilst you werent looking and glued their paws to the floor. Or, for those of you so animal-friendly that even imaginary mistreatment of kittens is horrific, that said kittens may be stuck in a time-loop. Your choice, people.

I have to say, that was rather clever, David.

I forbid anyone to eat David. He's clever. And seems to be fitting right in with the kidlit gang.

Really, Smish? Well, cheers! *Wears his 'Smish Approval of Awesomeness Badge' with pride, because it means he finally owns a SAAB^*

Besides, you wouldn't want to eat me, I don't taste good at all. Trust me, I've tried...

... What? I was bored, hungry and too lazy to get off my lazy butt to go down to the kitchen. Hey, is there a term for eating yourself? Autocannibalism, perhaps? Whatever; it's icky and I didn't have enough BBQ sauce anyway.

Oh, it's nothing like that. Despite writing being my job, I still suffer from quite a sizeable lack of self-confidence in my 'art'. So I don't really think myself an expert. I'm better at taking things in than imparting them, that's all!

Nonsense, Ivan, you're advice is just as valuable as anyone else's, don't be so down on yourself. The one thing I know and love about the writing art is that, published or not, everyone has a different approach to it; whether it's structure, voice, themes, writing routine or how they go about creating characters, plots, settings, etc. No two writers are exactly the same, which is what makes each and every one of their insights priceless and worth reading/hearing. Besides, what may seem commonplace/sense to you in regards to your writing process may just be that elusive thread someone is desperately searching for to complete their literary tapestry, so to speak (okay, probably got too poetic there :p)

So, please Ivan, never hesitate to share your wisdom! It's always appreciated - and that goes for everyone, I'm sure.

...Think that's everything!
 

SheilaJG

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Thanks for sharing that, Kitty. What a fabulous story!

Well, I'm back from the hospital a bit sore but none the worse for it. So now it's time for a long catch-up post!


Besides, you wouldn't want to eat me, I don't taste good at all. Trust me, I've tried...

Glad you're doing okay, David, but you've got that old Monty Python bit playing in my head now:

Much to mum and dad's dismay,
Horace ate himself one day
He didn't stop to say his grace
Just sat right down and ate his face.

Yikes, the thing my brain remembers (and doesn't).
 

t0dd

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Much to mum and dad's dismay,
Horace ate himself one day
He didn't stop to say his grace
Just sat right down and ate his face.

Disgraceful. Couldn't he have said grace before engaging in self-cannibalism? Some children just have no manners these days.
 

Wordcaster

Straw that broke the camel's back
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Saying hello to the middle grade writers here.

I am a new writer working on my first novel - a middle grade heroic fantasy (think The Ranger's Apprentice meets a medieval version of the TV show Fringe with a father-son relationship).

I've written quite a few short stories and am now on a rewrite of the novel, which should come in at about 40k words.

I see quite a few experienced and successful writers here and I look forward to interacting with all of you.
 

kposa

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Welcome, Wordcaster! You'll like it here. Your novel sounds interesting. I write MG fantasy too.
 

jvc

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Saying hello to the middle grade writers here.

I am a new writer working on my first novel - a middle grade heroic fantasy (think The Ranger's Apprentice meets a medieval version of the TV show Fringe with a father-son relationship).

I've written quite a few short stories and am now on a rewrite of the novel, which should come in at about 40k words.

I see quite a few experienced and successful writers here and I look forward to interacting with all of you.
:welcome: Greetings and hello and welcome to the kidlit gang.
 

jtrylch13

Has semi-colon; will use it!
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Welcome Wordcaster! I'm from Michigan and write fantasy as well. Hope you enjoy Aw and learn a lot!
 

Wordcaster

Straw that broke the camel's back
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Thanks for the warm welcomes. Very cool to see some fellow Michiganders. Perhaps I was mistaken thinking that writers in this area of the US were lacking.
 

Smish

Reads more than she writes.
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Welcome to the kidlit gang, Wordcaster. Hope you like brownies and milkshakes. :D
 

DavidBrett

Alas, poor Yorick, he fed me 'nanas
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Welcome to the gang, Wordcaster! Your novel sounds intriguing... I absolutely love Fringe and the X-Files, so a fantasy take on it would be very interesting!

On a side note - damn, blast and unmentionable-profanities! Spent ages working on the revisions for the PSI prologue and Chapter One, only to find I saved them to my laptop at home rather than on the memory stick I have with me here at the library... sharing the awesome improvements will have to wait another day :'(
 

Amarie

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Hi Wordcaster!

Here's a fun middle grade moment for the day: A mom I know was lamenting about her 11-year-old daughter, who is now determined to wear the elf ears she got at a Ren. Festival as much as possible. So that means school (which is an elementary school with a strong independent streak, no one cares), also restaurants, shopping etc. I think it's hilarious and so classic of some kids that age. By 13 or 14, I doubt the girl would want to do the same thing
 

kellion92

A cat may not look at a king
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Amarie, I love that, and if I were that mom I would treasure every smile and funny look my daughter inspired. So cool to be unabashedly different.
 

Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue
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Here's a fun middle grade moment for the day: A mom I know was lamenting about her 11-year-old daughter, who is now determined to wear the elf ears she got at a Ren. Festival as much as possible. So that means school (which is an elementary school with a strong independent streak, no one cares), also restaurants, shopping etc. I think it's hilarious and so classic of some kids that age. By 13 or 14, I doubt the girl would want to do the same thing

That's awesome! I went to school with a kid who had actual pointy ears (crazy!) and everyone loved him, he may in fact have been elf, or part-elf :D
 

MsJudy

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I told my son, and now he can't wait for the next Ren Faire so he can buy himself some elf ears...