I’ll be the first to admit that it’s hard to watch myself on video. For one thing, I had no idea I talk with my hands so much! If you can get past my fluffy hair and lack of lipstick, I think you’ll find some encouraging tips in this 20-minute Homeschool Spotlight!

I just finished doing a fun interview with Candace of Sonbeams. She asked me a bunch of questions and I answered away!

Here’s your chance to get to know me (and WriteShop) a little better and to read Candace’s review of WriteShop Primary. Click on over! (And pssst . . . there’s a coupon code too.)

Sonbeams interview with Kim Kautzer

And make sure to visit Candace’s Sonbeams website if you’re homeschooling preschoolers. Her site has tons of ideas and resources!

With WriteShop Primary Book B recently published in July, and Book C slated for release in just two weeks, I have that opportunity once again. This time, however, In Our Write Minds is honored to be a featured stop on Nancy’s virtual book tour, as she has just released her latest winner: Yes! You Can Learn How to Write Children’s Books, Get Them Published, and Build a Successful Writing Career.

This jam-packed book with the long title is just as long on practical, simple, time-tested strategies anyone can use to become a published children’s author. The most exciting part? By following Nancy’s tried-and-true method, you will learn how to sign a contract with a publisher before your book is even written! Join me as we learn more about Nancy and Yes! You Can.

Q: Nancy, you’ve written over 75 books for both children and adults. Do you have a favorite genre?

A: I love variety! Right now I’m enjoying writing picture books, but I always love to work on different manuscripts and write for different markets. Some of my favorites include beginning readers and Bible stories. And I love writing board books for babies.

I also love to teach others how to write—from young children to adult. That’s why I especially enjoyed writing the WriteShop Primary books and am eager to write the upcoming WriteShop Junior program as well.

Q: I’m curious—what motivated you to create a “how-to” book for children’s writers?

A: Since I’ve led various critique groups for over 15 years, I’m always trying to help the writers in my group—as well as writers I connect with—to meet their personal goals and experience a measure of success. On my blog, I frequently write posts to answer questions writers send my way or to encourage writers each step of the way. One day a publisher contacted me, said she had been reading my blog, and offered me a book contract for the material based on my blog! Thus, my new book, Yes! You Can, was born.

Q: I know you have a heart to come alongside others to help and encourage them. Who, in particular, should read your new book?

A: I wrote my book for the very beginning writer who just has a spark of the dream to write. I also wrote it for people who have been writing for years but just can’t seem to make the jump to the next level of their career. Plus I wrote it for everyone in between. I have a tip at the end of each section for beginning writers and also for professionals to help each level apply the strategies I recommend to build a successful career. For my Writer’s Pyramid approach to time management and focus, I offer strategies for writers who can spend just one hour a day and also strategies for writers who can write 40 hours a week. I geared this book to speak directly to each writer at the exact stage each person is in her career.

Q: Could this be a resource for the homeschool market? How might your new book benefit homeschooling families?

A: It’s amazing how many famous authors wanted to be writers as kids. Because Yes! You Can is geared toward beginning writers, it’s a great resource to give to teens who have that interest or desire to write. They’ll find out about the real world of a writer and will also be encouraged to start following their dreams. Plus, because the book is jam-packed with key information about the industry of writing, they’ll have a handy reference to follow if they want to actually start submitting manuscripts to publishers. There are so many practical step-by-step methods included within the various chapters that it’s also a great teaching resource for a “Writing to Get Published” program. In fact, various universities are starting to consider using it for their writing classes, and one already is!

Yes! You Can is also a perfect resource for homeschooling moms and dads who want to write a book. There are so many adults who have a great book idea but don’t have the faintest idea what to do about it. This book shows them where to start and what direction to go.

Q: Although Yes! You Can has only been available for a few months, do have any success stories to share yet?

A: The strategies in my book are tried and true in that they have worked for me over the years. But not only have they worked for me, these are the strategies that many of the members in my critique groups use. There are so many success stories I could share—from how one member of my critique group landed her very first book contract with the very first publisher she contacted. Other members have gone from not having anything published for years to now writing for top magazines or getting published regularly and actually getting paid for it. One gal followed the advice on my blog and signed her first book contract this summer. And recently, someone I do not know posted the following comment on my blog—it’s probably the best success story I’ve heard of yet!

I’m on Chapter 11 of your book. I love it! You have changed my whole approach to writing for children. By the end of Chapter 2, I started to try your methods. I landed a book contract that same week using your strategies! My whole critique group is buying your book now. I think you may be pioneering a new era. Thank you so much. -Jennifer

How encouraging—and what a testimony to Nancy’s desire to help others write their own success stories. Editors and authors alike are acclaiming Nancy’s new book—so much so that she often sells out whenever she speaks! You can find her latest book—along with her WriteShop Primary books—in the WriteShop store. 

Yes! You Can Learn How to Write Children’s Books, Get Them Published,and Build a Successful Writing Career 
by Nancy I. Sanders

Click here to learn more about or purchase Nancy’s book. At just $19.95, it would make a perfect gift for both the novice and professional writers in your life!

Woohoo! Tomorrow we’ll be guests on the podcast Grace Talk Soup

Host JoJo Tabares will interview our WriteShop Primary team, giving you a chance to find out how we pulled off this project with “six people, one idea, and 3000 miles.”

You’ll get to meet me and Debbie, of course, but Nancy Sanders and David Borrink will be joining us too. You’ll hear our personal testimonies and find out just what’s involved in moving a book from the author’s head and onto your bookshelf!

Where: Tune in to Grace Talk Soup

When: Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. EDT

Episode Description: Kim Kautzer and Debbie Oldar of WriteShop join JoJo to discuss their newest project and how it took effective communication between them, author Nancy Sanders, and graphic designer David Borrink. Tune in as they discuss their new younger-level writing curriculum and what it took to get that project published.

Join the Fun!

Want to ask us some questions? Guess what? You can call in too!

How to join the show live via the phone:
Phone Number: (724) 444-7444
Call ID: 19736

How to join the show live via your computer:
http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/19736
Click on the Listen Now button anytime starting 15 min before the show

And here’s how to listen to any of the past shows:
http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/19736
Scroll down to the “Past Shows” and click one of the orange “Listen” buttons.

Hope to see you there!

Let’s pick up where we left off yesterday and learn a bit about Sallie’s homeschooling philosophy, her thoughts on WriteShop Primary, and how she manages life with an active toddler in tow!

On Teaching Writing

Kim: Many parents complain that teaching writing is just so hard for them. What encouragement can you offer the mom who feels insecure in this area?

Sallie: One of the things that thrills me about homeschooling now is that there is so much help and information available online. It blows me away how I can Google almost any question I can think of and find someone who has an answer. So the first encouragement I would offer is that parents can find a wealth of information and helpful people online.

Most parents know more than they think they know. This is especially true in the early years.  And, honestly, getting a child excited about writing is so much more important in the early years than getting every jot and tittle exactly correct. One of the things that I like about WriteShop Primary is that children are just encouraged to write. There isn’t a heavy emphasis on getting everything absolutely perfect.

If parents just focus on modeling enthusiasm and respect for the importance of writing, they will go a long way in helping their child to be successful academically. If a child enjoys writing and understands the general process, he or she will have a much greater chance of success in the future since almost every academic subject has a writing component.

So if the parent focuses on making writing enjoyable and developing a love for it, as the child gets older and needs more specific academic help in the area of writing, more often than not the parent will also have grown alongside the child. 

Kim: Lest we forget, you’re a writer too! Tell us about some of your own published pieces.

Sallie: When I started writing, I wrote primarily for magazines. I’ve been published in Christian Home and School, ParentLife, The Standard, The Grand Rapids Press and Student Leadership Journal.  In recent years, I’ve focused most of my time on writing for clients.

I was an active blogger for three years at A Gracious Home, but decided to take my blog down this past March because I felt it was taking too much time away from other responsibilities such as my husband, my daughter and our business.

I am still writing online at Suite101.com.  I write about a wide variety of topics related to education, parenting, homemaking, college, and travel. I am also the Feature Writer for Northeast U.S. Travel. I thoroughly enjoy writing for Suite since it gives me the opportunity to write about anything I want. If people want to peek at a list of my articles online, they are here.

On WriteShop Primary (and Homeschooling Little Ones)

Kim: As our editor, you’ve had the pleasure of spending hours poring over WriteShop Primary! But as a former teacher and future homeschooler, what aspects of WriteShop Primary most appeal to you?

Sallie: I like the simplicity of it. I like the fact that WriteShop Primary is low-key and not excessively academic. As an educator, I think we push toddlers and little children too much too early in terms of academics. My own homeschooling philosophy is probably closest to some combination of Charlotte Mason and the classical view and I think WriteShop Primary fits pretty well with those approaches. And I like the design (and not just because my husband designed it!). I think it is a fun product to use.

On Life with a Toddler

Kim: In addition to the demands of editing and writing, you have an active toddler and a heart for home-keeping. What does a typical day look like for you?

Sallie: There is no typical day in our home!  LOL!  For a long time I felt guilty about this, but I don’t anymore. Our way of working and living has changed regularly since Caroline was born. She is nineteen months old and I think we’ve probably adapted our way of doing thing about a dozen times since she’s been born. Every time we find something that works, she changes and hits another developmental phase and we have to rethink how we “do” life around here.

Our days vary so much in terms of what we do. David and I both work at home so the three of us are here together 24/7. David and I try to work before Caroline gets up and we always work during her afternoon naps. We’re very blessed that she naps for two or three hours every afternoon or I don’t know how this would ever work!

The rest of the day we switch off working and watching Caroline based on who has the more pressing deadlines. Sometimes it has been challenging when we both have a lot to do, but we’ve always found a way to make it work and meet our deadlines.

Kim: I completely empathize, Sallie. I don’t get much done around here when my two-year-old granddaughter is visiting. It’s hard to be productive when your toddler wants to play with the phone and punch your computer keys!

Sallie: We do eat our meals at the same time each day and Caroline generally does get up/nap/go to bed around the same time. But beyond that, every day is different. The days are impacted by deadlines, appointments with clients, health needs, etc. And, truthfully, that is one of the things that I love about having our own business at home. If the weather is nice, we get outside and enjoy it and work in the evening after Caroline goes to bed.  If we want to go to the mall during the day when things are quieter there, we get up earlier and get a few hours of work done before Caroline wakes up.

We did make the decision a couple of months ago to hire a babysitter to come into our home a few mornings a week to watch Caroline while we work. This has made a great difference for us and we’re thankful God has provided a wonderful babysitter that Caroline really enjoys.

For a while I felt guilty admitting that I wanted help. It is easy to buy into the superwoman mentality and think I should be able to do it all myself. But I can’t. It isn’t how God made me. So we are thankful to have the help and I’m a lot happier having some uninterrupted time to work each day while knowing that Caroline is still here with us. Getting a break also gives me more energy to do all of the other things around the house that make a house a home so there is the added benefit of that as well.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to share a little bit about our lives!

Sallie, who’s married to David (our graphic designer), finds herself continually evaluating and adjusting her busy schedule as she learns to make time for each of these personal passions. So come share a cup of tea with Sallie and me as we talk about the many hats she wears. As a bonus, you just might learn a tip or two about editing yourself!

On Teaching

Kim: Sallie, we’re so grateful that you’re serving our WriteShop Primary team as editor. First, would you share a bit of your background with us?

Sallie: My BA is in Elementary Education. After graduating from Michigan State University, I spent the next eleven years working in a variety of education settings and completing part of a Masters in teaching. I’ve taught first through fifth grade. I’ve taught in a private academy, a small Christian school, a classical Christian school, and a new charter school. After being in three different schools in three years I was burned out as a teacher. I also realized that although I love teaching, love children, and love learning, I did not enjoy school and all of the other stuff that goes with it.

On Writing

Kim: Wow, I can see why you’ve decided to homeschool Caroline when she’s older!

So in addition to teaching, what else would you say has helped prepare you for editing a children’s writing program?

Sallie: David and I made the decision that I would leave teaching and pursue my lifelong desire – writing. It was a huge step of faith financially, but God was preparing the way.  The vice president of education for the charter school management company knew me from a previous job. When he heard I was leaving teaching to write, he asked if I would be interested in writing for the education department from home.

This opened up the door for a long-term opportunity that provided extensive experience in writing for all aspects of the educational world. One of my responsibilities was editing curriculum handbooks, so working on a project such as WriteShop Primary is a natural fit given my background in teaching lower elementary and working with curriculum.

On Editing

Kim: I’d love to hear how you go about editing a manuscript like WriteShop Primary. What’s involved?

Sallie: The process can vary slightly from project to project.

• First I skim everything electronically so I get an idea of the key ideas, important terminology, flow, etc. Getting a grasp of the “big picture” is key.
• Then I jump in and start editing. The first part is always the slowest because I need to make sure I’m being consistent and setting appropriate standards.
• There are usually several emails with the author/publisher to make sure we’re on the same page. Once we are in agreement about a general direction, I move ahead much more quickly.

The process also depends on the state of the manuscript and how much help it needs. Sometimes manuscripts are in such great shape that my job is very easy. Other manuscripts need a lot of help. The process will also be impacted by how involved the author and/or publisher are in the project. Some are very hands off and others want to know every detail of what I do.

• I prefer to edit first electronically and fix all the easy-to-identify problems.
• Then I print hard copies and mark errors, look for style issues, and just generally edit. I know some editors will do everything on screen, but I think it is very challenging to edit thoroughly without having a hard copy in my hands. It is too easy to miss things on the screen.
• Lastly, I go through the entire book once it is put into book form prior to printing. Again, there is something about seeing the manuscript in book format that makes you see things you missed the previous times.

Kim: What do you most enjoy about editing others’ writing projects?

Sallie: I absolutely love making something good even better.  I honestly think it is my favorite part of writing.  It’s fun to write something myself and see it published, but I get much more satisfaction out of looking at the draft I received at the beginning and seeing what it has become at the end. 

Editing isn’t really all that glamorous because people don’t necessarily see what I do, unlike when you write a book or an article and your name appears as the author.  But ***I*** see the difference in the end with the before and after products and find it very satisfying.

. . . . .

Kim: I love peeking into people’s lives and learning more about them! Sallie will be back for Part 2 tomorrow to share some tips for parents who struggle with editing. You’ll also get a glimpse into a “typical” day at Sallie’s house!

You will LOVE meeting Molly Fox! This young entrepreneur created a fantastic website, HomeschoolWriters.com, featuring a one-stop shop for dozens of writing contests for homeschool students.

I’m so glad you joined me today for this very special interview with Molly (pictured right). And once you’ve seen her thoughtful and articulate answers and visited her website, you’ll find it hard to believe she’s just eleven years old!

So pull up a comfy chair, grab a cup of cocoa, and come along with me to meet this extraordinary young lady! 

Kim: Welcome, Molly! I’m looking forward to our interview today. First, I’d love to hear how you decided to launch a website centered on writing contests.

Molly: Thinking that it would be a great learning experience for me to enter some writing contests, my mom started searching for them online. Quickly enough, she found that it was all like a disassembled puzzle: you had to go to each site and look it over before finding whether or not it worked for you (age limits, deadlines, et cetera). That’s what gave us the spark for my site—a chart listing these writing contests so it’s easier for us and others to find contests which were the best fit.

I originally thought that I could make my own contest on this site, but then I abandoned that idea and decided to focus just on other people’s contests. Perhaps I will reconsider that idea, now that my site is underway. Not only has this site been a great business opportunity, but it’s been an incredible learning experience! My mom was right when she thought these few contests would be constructive—they’ve opened up a whole new world!

Kim: This is such a great idea. What makes your contest chart so unique?

Molly: I’d have to say the organization. There are other lists of contests, but I think having it in a chart format is easier to use, because it gives the user preview information. While some lists offer contest details, they tend to mesh it together into a descriptive paragraph which often is long and rather disorganized, not to mention that it’s harder to read.

I’ve also tried to keep my chart up to date and to exclude fee-based writing contests and those permitting adults to enter. There are only a few contests on my chart with a fee, but the fees are quite minimal. Other lists tend to have old info and contests for adults or those with fees.

My chart lists only writing contests, while other lists usually have all types of contests. My brother has just started a math site similar to mine, so you can find math contests there. However, for homeschool writers who aren’t as interested in other contests, my chart will most likely be much easier to use than other lists. With over forty writing contests listed, we believe we have the most complete and easiest to use collection of free youth writing contests on the web.

Kim: What other features does your website offer homeschoolers?

Molly: Gradually, I have been working on adding more and more homeschool resources, foremost among these being the Curriculum Reviews page. We have several writing reviews up, which my mom has been working on for me, including a review of WriteShop. She has also written one grammar review for Rod and Staff’s English program. In addition to the Curriculum Reviews page, I have been finishing up a new Favorite Literature page, with our family’s personal favorite books.

I also have a free e-mail deadline reminder (sent about twice a month), where you can sign up for a reminder e-mail to be notified of expiring contests. Like I said, I keep adding things!

Kim: How did you learn website development?

Molly: I started out learning HTML from a library book, Sams Teach Yourself HTML and XHTML in 24 Hours by Dick Oliver and Michael Morrison, which a family we know recommended. After getting about halfway through the book, I had created a basic and simple site. Homeschool Writers was a small HTML file on the computer, and I had made a little chart with around a dozen contests. It was then that we decided that it was time to post it on the web.

We signed up for OfficeLive’s free web-hosting service. Having done this, I began to re-do my site with the design tools they provided. It was no small feat but finally I had my new site—this time much more professional than my own HTML, thanks to the design tools! My HTML learning from that book wasn’t in vain, though, because through it I’ve gone from word processors to the web, and I’ve made my website.

Kim: Wow, Molly! You’ve accomplished a lot for an 11-year-old! Would you share a little about yourself?

Molly: I am the oldest of four, and I have two sisters and one brother. We have always been homeschooled. In my free time, I enjoy knitting, crocheting, sewing, folding origami, drawing, writing stories, reading (sometimes), and working on my website. Additionally, I enjoy participating in a weekly Greek class taught by my mom. Because  I love swimming too, I am looking forward to summer coming soon!

Kim: What subjects do you especially like to write about?

Molly: I generally prefer writing poetry to essays, and creative writing such as stories and novels to reports. Most of my stories are fictionalized. I have written a few animal stories, but, as in my reading choices, I prefer to do people stories. It simply seems more real and natural.

Kim: We developed WriteShop for our own reluctant sons. As a young student yourself, can you offer a word of encouragement for the child who doesn’t like to write?

Molly: First of all, contests are great motivation. Among the forty plus contests on my chart, there are many that make writing more exciting, such as the SillyBooks contests which takes the winning story and turns it into an animated movie online.

Because writing things out by hand was so detestable for my brother, he had pretty much decided writing was not his favorite subject. Suddenly, he learned to type and started typing his papers, and now he enjoys it much more. The physical way in which you write makes a difference as well as entering contests.

Kim: Of the contests you’ve entered, which did you most enjoy? Have you won any awards?

Molly: Probably, out of the nine writing contests I have entered, the DAR American History Essay Contest and the SillyBooks contest have been my favorites. I have not won any awards yet, but I just found out this morning that I was chosen as a semi-finalist in the Letters About Literature contest!

Kim: Congratulations are in definitely in order. That’s exciting news!

Molly, writing and reading often go hand-in-hand. Would you share your ten all-time favorite books?

Molly: Well, that would be a hard decision. We’ve read and enjoyed so many books! I’m probably missing some, but here’s a list of ones my family (and I) have enjoyed immensely.

• The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
• The Narnia Chronicles by C.S. Lewis
• Winnie-The-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne
• In Grandma’s Attic by Arleta Richardson
• The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom (My mom read this one aloud so she could skip some of the more gruesome parts.)
• Men of Iron by Howard Pyle
• The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and those by Melissa Wiley (about Laura’s grandmother and great-grandmother) – the unabridged ones!
• Magic for Marigold by L.M. Montgomery

I have a more extensive list, including most of these books, on my website’s Favorite Literature links.

- – - – - – - – - -

Thanks for stopping by to meet Molly Fox! To find out more about Molly’s writing resources, including her contest chart and her mom’s curriculum reviews, visit her website: www.homeschoolwriters.com.

You and I are so used to zipping down to the store (any store) and buying just about anything ready-made, from food products to clothing to books, yet we rarely think about how those items got there! So I thought it might be fun for you to become a fly on David’s wall and learn how a book actually comes into being.

Kim: I love your company’s slogan, David. What does it say about who you are and what you do?

David: Our slogan is He Draws. She Writes. It’s a simple and clever message that shows how the Lord providentially brought Sallie and me together, not only as husband and wife, but complementary business partners. And Sallie gets the credit for the slogan. I’d say that 95% of the time, people chuckle when they read it. And they remember it.

Kim: In addition to WriteShop Primary, what other sorts of projects are currently on your plate?

David: Let’s see, on my tickler list is:

• a bi-monthly Christian women’s magazine,
• a foundation fundraising promotion for a Christian school,
• promotional materials for a private school marketing company,
• a web site for a commercial janitorial firm,
• packaging and flyers for a turf supply company, and
• assorted items for a hospital in Florida.

So I have a good variety of projects and they’re all over the country, too!

Kim: You and Sallie have a unique partnership. What’s it like to work together on a project like WriteShop Primary?

David: While some preliminary design work can happen, the project really moves after Sallie checks the content. Then I start working on layouts, with occasional discussions with Sallie, who uses her keen eye for what looks good. I appreciate that because I get too familiar with a design and lose that “first impression” that the average person sees. She pushes me to do better all the time, and I think it shows in our final product.

Kim: WriteShop Primary’s layout is just beautiful, so Debbie and I especially appreciate your collaborative efforts! You know, when we pluck a book off the shelf at our local bookstore, most of us never really think about how it got there. What’s actually involved in taking a book from its raw manuscript form to finished, printed book?

David: I’ll take a manuscript and get an idea of how the structure of the book should be set up.

• Are there headings to consider? Illustrations or diagrams needed? Will there be editing needed, yet?
• Then I’ll set up a mockup layout using either actual text or fake copy (gibberish words which look like real text) in order to set up a style.
• When approved, layout of chapters proceeds, with illustrations added if necessary, and then files are sent to the client for review.
• Sometimes at this stage, a book is printed “on demand” to give us an “almost real” book in order to see if what we’re doing is working. It’s one thing to see a layout on the screen, another to print pages out of a printer, and  yet another to handle a full mockup.
• Then it’s a matter of reviewing and tweaking the design until we’re satisfied. And of course, any text changes are made along the way. Once we’re finalized, I supply printer-ready files at the printer’s direction, and we’re off to press!
• Another mockup can be made at this time to make sure everything looks as expected and it’s the last chance to change anything. Hopefully, all is correct now and it’s time to print the real books.

And when the real book lands in your hands, it’s a most gratifying situation. You then think, “Wow, we did this!”

Kim: That’s always our reaction whenever we publish something new! David, what are the considerations and challenges in designing an attractive book layout?

David: Most people don’t appreciate or understand how transparent good book design is. The point of a book is its content, not how well it’s designed. If a book’s design distracts you from what it’s telling you, then it’s not a well-designed book. Therefore, I try to come up with a design that complements the subject matter.

And how much embellishment a book needs depends on its topic. So for WriteShop Primary, we have used some fun graphic borders and a font called “Kidprint” for some of the headers to make the page fun. After the prototype was created, we decided to change the text font to keep…the content easier to read. Like I mentioned before, we keep reviewing what we’re doing to make the product its best.

Another challenge is the many changes needed throughout the process, especially when a book is heading toward a printing stage. We need to be flexible, and sometimes we’re changing some things at the last second!

One of my old creative directors often said, “Making changes at the last minute is like changing tires on a moving car.” It’s funny, and usually I’ll pull that line out to add some humor to the situation.

Kim: Yep, you’ve shared that little expression with us on more than one occasion! And speaking of changes, our cover has definitely seen a few! Can you give our readers an idea of the process?

David: Sure. Here are a few covers showing where we came from and where we arrived.

First attempt: I started with basic straight borders and a photo.

Another try: I introduced curves and the oval.

More tweaking with a striped and curved edge, brighter colors, and playful font.

Layout approved! Next I introduced a drawing.

We’re almost there! I added Deborah’s illustration instead and, voila! We finally achieved our goals for the whimsical, eye-catching cover you see below.

I love what’s transpired here. In collaborating our ideas, we eventually saw the need to bring another illustrator on board to get the look that you and Debbie wanted for the animal characters, and I’m very pleased with Deborah Thomson’s whimsical illustrations.

This is going to be a great set of curriculum when it’s finished, and judging by the comments I’ve read here on your blog, it’s getting a very enthusiastic reception!

Kim here: Check back in a week or so when we turn the tables and interview David’s wife Sallie, the copyeditor for WriteShop Primary. You’ll just love meeting her!

Nancy I. Sanders

Q: Nancy, Debbie and I are honored that you chose to write our early elementary curriculum. What first drew you to the idea of WriteShop Primary?

A: When people find out I’m a writer, parents often mention to me that their child struggles with writing. And the next thing they usually ask is, “What can I do to help him?” Parents feel at a loss, especially if they struggled with writing themselves when they were in school. Or they may be anxious about upcoming standardized tests their child must take to test writing ability. When I first heard about WriteShop, I fell in love with the concrete tools and step-by-step directions that prepare the groundwork for older students to become solid writers. I was excited about the possibility of bringing this wonderful and practical program down to the early elementary age to help even pre-writers begin to acquire skills as building blocks that can help them become confident writers throughout their school years.

Q: Who is your target audience?

A: WriteShop Primary is geared specifically to children at the kindergarten level up through the second grade. It is a flexible program, however, that can be adapted to start at any point in those years by adopting a faster or slower pace and by including many of the optional, more challenging activities. It was written with the homeschooling family in mind, taking into account the unique needs and dynamics of a homeschool classroom. Even though I did not homeschool our own children, my two sisters homeschooled theirs, as do many of my friends. My husband is a teacher, and I have written numerous books for Scholastic for use in the K-2 classroom. I felt confident of my knowledge of both the homeschool and traditional school environments to create a solid writing curriculum for early elementary homeschooling families.

Q: What is your philosophy about teaching writing to primary-aged children?

A: At this age, many children are considered “pre-writers” because they’re just learning how to write letters, words, and groups of words. Therefore, the experience of “writing” can be more of an exciting time to “communicate” through a visual medium such as an art project or picture. It’s important for both pre-writers and beginning writers to explain the meaning of their picture and be encouraged to write a letter, word, or group of words on the project according to their ability. Most of all, the writing experience for young children should be fun! Motivation, excitement, and a positive learning environment all help primary-age children build confidence in their writing abilities as they acquire the ability to write.

Q: What are some of the engaging WriteShop Primary activities you use to help develop early writing skills?

A: Creating a file box of story ideas, making portable word banks of vocabulary and spelling words, and assembling stories into books are just some of the activities in WriteShop Primary. Other fun elements include:

• Story webs
• A story bucket organizer
• A “can of words”
• An “editing buddy” or stuffed animal to read his story to as the child develops self-editing skills

Designed to be exciting and fun, all these activities also have a purpose—to provide practical tools for a child to use while completing a writing project so he doesn’t just stare at a blank page. WriteShop Primary is chock full of engaging activities that motivate a child’s desire to write while giving him the skills to do so successfully at his own level of ability.

Q: You’ve included a picture book activity as part of every WriteShop Primary lesson. As the author of a number of children’s picture books, how do you feel books such as D is for Drinking Gourd can be used to help little ones learn to write?

A: D is for Drinking Gourd is an alphabet book. This makes it the perfect springboard for children to launch their own writing project based on the letters of the alphabet. It’s also an inspiring book about the many accomplishments and contributions African Americans have made and continue to make in the history of our nation. The information is new and exciting—it opens up a whole new world for children that they might not have been aware of before. That’s one of the reasons reading picture books is a great tool for teaching writing! It sparks the imagination and creativity of children’s minds and gives them ideas to write about as they explore the mysterious wonder of the great big world they live in. And because a picture book is all about pictures, pre-writers and beginning writers alike understand the value of a picture’s ability to communicate a story. This validates the artwork they themselves create as part of their own writing project.

Q: Along that same line, what is the value of reading to children starting at a young age? How does this help to strengthen their writing skills as they get older?

A: Reading to children is one of the best gifts parents can give. At a young age, it’s a way to build a positive relationship—often sitting side by side on the couch or snuggling on your lap in a comfy rocking chair. It’s a safe experience in a nurturing environment. It teaches children that the world of words is a marvelous place, and that communicating a story involves a wonderful sense of love and trust. The more you expose your children to the world of books and the language of the written word, the more successful they’ll become at writing their own stories as they grow older.

• They’ll hear how a story begins and ends—before they know the structure of a story.
• They’ll feel the conflict and the resolution that takes place within a story—before they learn how to add these ingredients into their own stories.
• They’ll discover characterization and plot and point of view—even before they learn how necessary these elements are in writing.

All this comes through exposure to books and having books read to them when they are young. I don’t think any age is too young to start reading to your children. We read board books and novelty books to our sons from the time they were born. I don’t think any age is too old to read to your children, either. We read books aloud to ours long past the time they could read by themselves. Reading to your children is an experience that can last for many, many years. The benefits and rewards are amazing.

Would you like us to notify you when WriteShop Primary is available for pre-sale? Just email us and we’ll contact you within the next few weeks.

In addition to getting a sneak peek into WriteShop Primary, you’ll also learn a fun lesson in using picture books to help your early elementary children learn to write.

See you tomorrow!