Category: pets

Posted on by cindyindigo

Pets and Authors



Mayra Calvani, author and animal lover, has a fun blog featuring authors and their pets. I know my pets have been major inspirations for my writings. In fact, they were interviewed by Mayra a while back. If you missed it, here’s the link on April 5, 2009.

But you’ll want to check out all the others as well at www.petsandauthors.blogspot.com. Today Donna Shepherd and her adorable Labradoodle, Sadie, reveal their secrets.
Try writing your own animal story–whether you have a pet or not. Invent a character, give the animal a problem, and send him on his way to solve the problem–and, of course, encounter even more problems along the way.
Here’s a quick list of some favorite picture book animal stories:
GOOD NIGHT, GORILLA by Peggy Rathmann (a wordless picture book)
IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE by Laura Joffe Numeroff
MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS by Robert McCloskey
THE VELVETEEN RABBIT by Margery Williams
Have fun!
Posted on by cindyindigo

Writing Poetry about THE World’s LARGEST Ball of Twine

Okay, have you been doing it?

Writing a new poem every day during POETRY month this April???
I’m so proud of myself. So far (5 whole days) I’ve managed to do it.
My poems are posted among the hundreds of poems (click on Comments)
I’m amazed how much fun it has been–this poetry challenge. 
Mr. Brewer presents a new poetry topic each day.
So far, these are the prompts: origin poem; outsider poem; The problem with ____; animal poem; landmark poem.
Those prompts have helped me create poems on the etymology of “word;” pear tree blossoms;problems; a robin; and THE WORLD’S LARGEST BALL OF TWINE, in Kansas anyway. 
Now it’s your turn to try writing poetry.
Remember, poems don’t have to rhyme. 
Free verse poems are very close to regular talking–only you can break up the words and phrases the way you want to. 
And you can use zinger words–words that pack a punch. Words that sound special or mean something special or make people almost smell something or see something special.
And poems don’t have to be serious either. Read some of Robert Lansky’s silly poems at GIGGLE POETRY.  Be sure and check out his POETRY CLASS where he shows you how to write all different types of poetry. I’ve highlighted some of them in the paragraph above. 
Henry, my yellow and white kitty,(see photo at the top) suggested a poetry prompt you can try for today: CATS.
And he wanted to let you know that he, and Herman & Holly are featured today at Mayra Calvani’s blog: “PETS and AUTHORS.”