How to Encourage a Love of Reading by Nurturing an Interest in Storytelling.

A fantastic way to show your child the virtue of reading is by developing their love for a good story. Not only does an interest in storytelling encourage curiosity for what's between the pages of a book but nurturing that interest will also give kids some creative problem solving ideas as well.

Creativity is a skill. Use it often and it will grow, multiply and become stronger until creative approaches to challenges become almost instinctual. Ignored, this skill withers and becomes wrought with second guesses, dead end walls and the feeling of not knowing where to begin.

To me, beginning is the hardest part. Once I get rolling a story often takes on a life of it's own. So in helping your kids to come up with a story where do you begin? You begin with DreamStarters.

The DreamStarter Book: by Jennifer Karin Sidford is a collection of 50 story beginnings.

Here is what Jennifer has to say about her book:

In truth, DreamStarters began out of desperation and an inability to pull a creative thought from my brain at the end of a busy day. The day had come when my kids (three boys, ages seven to fifteen) had mastered reading, and they no longer needed me to read them chapters from their favorite books. Instead, they asked me to tell them a story. At bedtime I would begin the story, then (struggling to come up with something compelling and worthy of serious Harry Potter fans) I would ask my kids to tell me what happened next. What began as a solution to my creative drought turned into a favorite family tradition.

Soon DreamStarters made its way to the dinner table, as we found it was a great way to keep our kids engaged at the table a few precious minutes more. Even my teenager stayed to present his own plot twists!

Here's one of the DreamStarters from the book. This one is called "Ice Wind"

Justin and Nicole were hiking toward the top of their favorite mountain when the wind
began to blow. At first, the wind was light and warm, but it soon became fierce and bitter
cold. Even though it was summer, the wind turned everything around them to ice.
“There’s a cave,” Justin yelled to Nicole over the high-pitched scream of the wind.
They leaned into each other as they walked, bracing their weight against the powerful
gusts. The cave’s entrance was covered with icy vines that refused to move. Justin pulled out
his Swiss Army Knife and cut through the vines. From deep within the cave came a blast of
warm air. Justin pushed Nicole into the cave and followed next. It was very dark, and the
warm air smelled damp and…

Is this not a great idea? Engage with your kids. Spend time on something together. Encourage siblings to work towards a conclusion. Show them that daydreaming and being creative is something to indulge in. How could they not enjoy this activity and how could it not develop an interest in story and the written word?

Want a copy of the book? I have one to giveaway! And yes, it's signed :) To be eligible to win, visit the DreamStarters Website and read through this reader submitted DreamStarter. Come back here and tell us in comments what you see happening next. Make sure to leave your email address so we can contact you if you're the winner.

Bloggers, get an extra entry by posting about DreamStarters on your blog. Leave a separate comment with your url for it to be counted.

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The Must Have Mom Manual via Twitter

Image via CrunchBaseI have had so much fun on Twitter lately. It's a great way to meet other bloggers and keep up to date on what's going on around the net. Recently I received a follow request from @saraellington and I though "Hey! I know that name...why on earth do I know that name??" so I clicked through to her profile and discovered that she was one of the authors of The Mommy Chronicles.

I'd read the book during my pregnancy - it was a gift from my dear sister. The beauty of the book is that it's comprised of email correspondence between two pregnant women. They discuss their pregnancies, how their lives are changing, how they're feeling and journal their experiences all through an email exchange. This means that the book is written in bite size snippets - perfect reading for times when you're too tired to digest long paragraphs.

Anyway, I replied to @saraellington and told her how I'd loved her book. She responded with thanks and told me they have a new book coming out! Before I know it she's also telling me that she's sending me a galley copy for review! Yay!

So keep your eyes open for the review and I'll be following this mommy writer's endeavors to keep you up to date on when the new book is available for sale. And if you want to check out the Mommy Chronicles you can find it on Amazon - just click the image below.



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A Literary Treat - Poems by Jayne Jaudon Ferrer

When I first became a Mother, the love and hormone crazy emotions I felt were overwhelming. I did many things to try and capture those times. I took a gazillion photos, I started a scrapbook, I sewed tiny little bits of (pathetic) clothing and I wrote. I wrote a few poems, one of which is here in case you care to have a read.

Then I received a *signed!* copy of Dancing with My Daughter by Jayne Jaudon Ferrer in the mail. Her poems struck a familiar chord, especially this one, which happens to be the first in the book:

Heirloom
by Jayne Jaudon Ferrer

I remember this dress!
It was my favorite.
I loved it because it was buttercup yellow,
because the fabric was softer than skin,
because the sunflower buttons made me smile,
because Mother made it
just for me.
Look at you wearing it now!
Wouldn't your grandmother be proud?
And shouldn't I be ashamed
that such superlative sewing skills
seem to have skipped a generation?
I can make you a cake, my darling.
I can make you a nursery rhyme.
But I cannot make you a
soft yellow dress with sunflower buttons.
And that is my loss,
much more than yours.

If you like her work and you subscribe to this blog via email you could win your very own signed copy....did I mention it's signed? Yeah, she totally wrote on it! And don't fret if you don't have a daughter. She also has two other books: A Mother of Sons: Poems of Love, Wisdom, & Dreams
and A New Mother's Prayers: Poems of Love, Wisdom & Dreams

By the way, if you want to be in the running to win a copy, you need to subscribe before Dec 15th.

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1 Great Project - 3 Reasons to Do It

I've recently corresponded with Creative Mom Jenna McCarthy, Author of The Parent Trip
She was telling me about how as a writer, she walks around with a notebook to capture all the funny things her kids say. She says her children are "pure fodder" for her writing endeavors. She then told me how she takes those notebooks and turns them into a special project that allows her to do three important things:

1) Use and encourage her creative mind.
2) Include her children in that creative process and
3) Encourage her children to read and enjoy stories.

Here's what to do:

As your kids say funny things write them down. I know that many of you are bloggers and chose to journal these silly snippets in a digital format - that works too and in fact, might be a nice way to keep everything all in one place for later use.

Once you have a nice collection of quotes, start transferring them into a small journal or scrapbook. Here is where you can include your kids. Ask them to doodle on the pages or decorate with stickers. You can also have them choose photographs of themselves to be included in the book. Don't forget to add a title that includes their name.

When it's done, you'll have a storybook that your kids will want you to read over and over again. What child doesn't like being the main character in a story?! Especially a main character who is funny, silly and smart too! You'll have loads of fun reliving memories and your child will feel special and loved in a whole new way. Plus, they will be learning without even knowing it. These books will help them to recognize their name in print, as well as the names of any siblings or other 'characters' in the book such as pets. Older kids will learn to see why you thought what they said was humorous and laugh at themselves too. What could be better?


Here are a few gems from Jenna's collection -

At the park:
Sophie (4 years): Mom, why is there a hole in this bench?
Me: Well, what is the bench made from?
Sophie: Wood!
Me: That’s right! And where do we get wood?
Sophie: Home Depot!

In bed at night, singing songs:
Sophie: “This old man, he played seven, he played seven up in heaven…” Mom, what’s heaven again?
Me: That’s where grandpa lives, with God and all of the other people who have died.

Sophie: God DIED?

I know you have a funny quote from your own little one in your mind right now don't you? Go on now, start their book you can always come back later.

About Jenna McCarthy's book:

The Parent Trip: From High Heels and Parties to Highchairs and Potties is a must-read for expecting and new moms. Packed with wit and wisdom, The Parent Trip is "smart, hilarious, incredibly useful and so honest it almost hurts,” says Peg Moline, Editor-in-Chief of Fit Pregnancy magazine, adding “Every pregnant woman should read this book."

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One for the Writer Moms - Paying Market - ApronStrings Mag

If you are looking for somewhere to submit your writings on motherhood check out ApronStrings Magazine. It's new and although the website looks a bit rough, the premise behind the mag is great.

From their Mission Statement:

ApronStrings is a magazine for mothers with a mission to portray the rich and varied experiences of women as they adjust to motherhood. We want to make this very different to other parenting magazines which are filled with the usual product pushing and often patronizing, advice-filled columns.

There is more so check out the writer's guidelines. Payment will be agreed with the author prior to publication. At present they are looking at approx €60 - €100 per essay, depending on length.
ApronStrings Magazine is based in Ireland but is accepting submissions from international writers. All the best to those who submit!


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Trends - What do you love? What do you hate?

I'll confess: I'm a writer at heart, and a lover of words. Lately, I have noticed 'chat speak' sneaking into everyday language. I'm guilty myself of sneaking in an OMG or WTF (a personal favorite) here and there in informal correspondence like emails or plurks.

But

It's going a little far now people. Hearing Rachel Ray call extra virgin olive oil - EVOO makes me want to pop her between the eyes. Same goes for when people use BFF in conversation. Keep it to the medium it was intended for - electronic means, like text messaging and instant messages.

Am I the only one who cringes over this? Why let it slip into speech? Are we really that lazy or is it trying to be a part of a trend? Maybe this is the proof that I am getting old (my 30th is coming up fast!).

Think about your own creative medium. Do you see any trends cheapening or threatening the integrity of what you do? Are you embracing them or do you scoff and maintain the 'old' ways.

What one finds the norm, another likely will find cheap - I wonder what old time journalists think of blogging? I'm sure it makes their skin crawl. Take a trip through the comment section and let me know what you think. TTYL! (Yes, that was intended as sarcasm.)

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Update - Personal and Bloggy

Well, it's been a little while since I updated with 'crap that's happening in my life' and boy, let me tell you, there's a LOT of crap!

First off, the editors behind a large anthology book series have been reading up on me here at Maternal Spark. I don't want to say who because nothing is happening yet but.... I did receive an email from them saying that my story would be a good fit for their anthology and would I consider submitting? Would I consider? - Hell Yes! The email said I would need to respond with my interest as soon as I could. So I did. And I got an error message back that my email couldn't be received. So I called, and got a machine. Well, it was like an episode of Seinfeld and I couldn't think of what to say and I'm sure I came off like a blundering idiot. I think I said something like "This is Heather, you emailed me, I'm interested. You can call me!" who knows. I haven't had a response back for my efforts at contacting them so ladies, if you're reading now - I'm interested!! I guess I'll try and call again, maybe I should write a script first.

Then, after the high came a low. My childcare arrangement fell into the crapper and I'm left with nobody to watch little H starting August first. It might as well be tomorrow because I'm working full time and hubby has a load of overtime to work through. This means that even if we had months to find something - when are we going to be able to go visit these places and interview people and do background checks? I just came back to work and don't have any holidays to pull. I'll have to take time off without pay - if they let me. Nice return to work for me; it's great looking like an unstable mommy who can't get her shit together right?

What else, I'm sure there's more. Oh, hubby's sunglasses are still in the toilet so we only have one working set of facilities - it's fun explaining to company why they can't use the downstairs loo. In addition to that, he's boiled a pot of eggs until all the water was gone and they exploded. That was a nice smell to come home to - smelled like burning farts. And he broke his baby toe while attempting to vacuum.

Think I could find a daycare for my one year old as well as my 30 year old? Geez.

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Join me in the club

I've just discovered a great social network for mom bloggers. Talk about all things bloggy from traffic to monetizing. Or just browse some great blogs. Join me at the Mom Bloggers Club!

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Tricia Dower - the not so Silent Girl

When I was little I used to love crawling into bed, grabbing my pink teddy bear (eloquently named 'Pinky') and hearing my Daddy read me bedtime stories from a vast library of Dr. Seuss, and other kids tales.

Now that I'm an adult I still like it when someone tells me a story but now it's called a 'reading'. Calling it a 'reading' makes it a posh night time affair which does not include a bed, a teddy bear or blankies but it can (and did) include a glass of wine (ok two).

Recently I attended Tricia Dower's reading from her short story collection - Silent Girl. The stories were incredible. While their themes were often dark, the women in them glowed with hope. Her characters were bright, humorous, and intelligent - as Tricia is herself. Not only is she a fantastic writer, but listening to her was such a treat. You see, when I was a kid, it was always best when Daddy 'did the voices'. It made me laugh to hear my Daddy sound so different and it made the stories come to life. So I was pleasantly suprised to hear an accomplished, studious author with stories based on Shakespearian plays 'doing the voices'.

I won't tell you much more, I don't want to ruin anything for anyone. Just go get her book and enjoy the stories. You can even read them at bedtime if you wish. If you want to know more, you can visit her website www.triciadower.com

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I broke down and went to a meeting

Image via WikipediaI've been writing for awhile now. I've done the online critique group thing (which I loved and I wish I could pour more hours into it) I've done the how to book thing. I've read numerous magazines on the craft. I finally feel like I've found my groove, my voice - my mojo. Don't get me wrong, I'm by no means an expert and I know I have lots more to learn but I don't feel like a newbie anymore.

So, I've been looking for something new to encourage me in my writing endeavors.

I joined a group.

I'm so NOT a group person. I hated group projects at school. I always got stuck with idiots who had no idea what to do, and that one guy who never washed his socks. So joining a group was a big deal for me.

The online listing read:

The Guest Speaker will be Children's Author: Kim Parachoniak... who will be discussing How To Write For Children and Youth! You will love this event. This is the time to gather information EVEN if this isn't your usual 'genre'! Catch you there!

It sounded nice and easy going. The speaker was a grade school teacher and she offered some great tips on word counts, difficulty levels, subject matter etc.

Then the weirdness started. It seems the 'leader' of the group is affiliated with some sort of self publishing company. She does seem to have a great deal of knowledge about writing books but I got a strong used car salesman vibe from her. It also seemed like a lot of the members had ingested the wacky kool aid she was serving up. I have NO interest in self pubbing whatsoever and I have even less interest in something when it sounds cheesy and cheap.

Anyhow, I guess I don't have to be best friends with anyone. I'll attend one more meeting and see if the info about writing is worth being subjected to the self pub propaganda. My hopes are not high.

What about you guys? Do any of you participate in groups? How do you stay inspired? Let me know what's up in comments.

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Featured Mom - Heather Cook the Writing Mother

Heather Cook is this weeks Featured Mom. She is a fellow Canadian, a fellow Calgarian, a fellow writer and a fellow Heather. Read her post below. It's fantastic.

There are many days that I don’t see myself as a creative person. In fact, if I didn’t hate math so much, I’d probably look and sound more like a mathematician.

Calculating the minutes I can stay in bed until I absolutely have to get up or I’ll be late for work. Counting minutes down until I can go for lunch. Crunching sales numbers at a Real Life Job that pays the bills in an insanely expensive city. Measuring the time between home time and bed time for the kids and my own bed time and cross referencing the number of words I need to get written to stay on track with the articles and the books.

I’m a writer. Despite that regular job and no formal training, I’m a writer. A writing mother. In fact, I run a site just for writing mothers called (wait for it…) TheWritingMother.com.

But I don’t juggle being a mom and an employee and a freelance writer. There’s no juggling. There’s planning and executing because that’s how I am. Somewhere between God counting all the hairs on my head and getting to know me in utero, he hardwired me to be what my husband calls A Planner.

(My team at work calls me The General. Gee, I don’t know why.)

But being a planner (or a General) works for me because I am at peace and calm when I know where everyone is, what everyone is doing, what we have and want to do and how much time we have to do it in.

And when I’m at peace and calm, I am able to be creative.

I have a six-year old boy, and a 19-month old girl. Their schedules are what set my own schedule in motion. For the longest time, I just assumed that it was ‘being with’ my kids to just be in the same room as they were. Boy was I wrong. My second Chicken Soup essay (Chicken Soup for the Working Mother’s Soul) was all about the learning experience I had – my kids didn’t want a writing mother, they wanted a mother. I was spending so much time saying “just a sec, honey” or “I’ll be right there, honey” while I tried to peck out a few paragraphs that I wasn’t able to be a fully present mom in the few hours that I have with my kids each day.

Because I work full time and I write whenever I can, my kids are in school and day care. I get off work at about 3:30 pm and then I pick up my children on the way home from work. From 4 pm until bed time, I spend my time making supper and hanging out with my kids. Tonight it was a game of hide and seek all over the three levels of our townhouse. Both kids got into it, my daughter screeching every time she found her big brother. She’s not learned the fine art of pretending not to notice that foot sticking out from behind the door.

But once bedtime arrives, once the stories are read and the baby rocked and the prayers flung upwards… then I can sit and release my creativity. I’ve heard a lot of writing mothers bemoan not being ‘inspired’ to write at the end of the day. But it’s not about inspiration. Writing is about perspiration. It’s about showing up at the keyboard at the same time each day (for me, it’s after the kids are in bed) and writing. It’s about being present at the keyboard so when the muse shows up, you are there to greet her. Because let me tell you, she doesn’t wait around at the keyboard for you!

Heather Cook is a freelance writer from Calgary, Alberta. She has over 250 articles and columns to her credit and two books due out in 2008 and 2009. You can find her online at www.heather-cook.com or www.thewritingmother.com

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Feature Mom - Cindy Watson

My name is Cindy. I’m a mother and a writer.

It took me a long time to be able to admit to the latter without feeling like I was pulling the wool over someone’s eyes – to say it and truly mean it. Telling people you’re a writer can be a scary thing, especially if you’re unpublished. It’s like you’re admitting a dirty little secret. Until you have a book on your name with it, it can feel as though you aren’t truly a writer. I was a journalist for a number of years and continue to write some freelance, so I’ve had articles in print. But having a book published would mean so much more.

I’ve been writing stories for as long as I can remember. When I was in the fourth grade, I attended a Young Author’s Conference with my bound, laminated and fully illustrated tale of love and betrayal in hand. (My mom was my publisher.) While other kids were outside playing, I was curled up on my bed with either a book or a binder of loose leaf paper, writing away. When my grandparents wanted to get rid of their ancient typewriter, I volunteered to take it. I used it to type out manuscripts and I still do to this day.

As I got older it became harder to find the time to write. I never seemed to follow the sacred rule of writers: ABC. Apply Butt to Chair. I would think about writing, but never get down to it. Or I would start something and then get busy and forget about it. If I’m being honest, most of the time I just wasn’t motivated.

Then in May 2007, my daughter was born. With that, my passion was reignited.

I’ll admit I still don’t write as often as I’d like or should, but it really hit me that this was the one thing I truly loved to do. I want my daughter to follow her dreams and do whatever makes her happy, but she needs to see it to live it herself. So, every day during her nap time, I sit in front of the computer and get some writing done. Some days it’s five pages, some days it’s only a few paragraphs, but the point is I’m doing it. I know the ideas in my head are not going to write themselves, so I can’t look for time to do it – I need to make the time to do it.

Documenting my daughter’s life is another thing I’m passionate about. I began to create albums with photos, journaling my thoughts and ideas. This has now become a business venture, as I recently signed on to be an Independent Consultant for Creative Memories. Now I can help other people tell their stories, and watch that passion spread. (Visit my page at https://www.mycmsite.com/sites/cwatson to find out more.)

My daughter’s birth triggered something else – an introduction to children’s books. I read to my daughter a lot, and I began to make up my own stories and rhymes for her. So far I’ve completed two picture/board book manuscripts that are looking for a home.

The other thing my daughter has taught me: to accept what life dishes out and know it will all work out in the end. Even if my stories never get published, I know I created them and that my beautiful little girl was the inspiration.

For more about me, or to contact me, please visit my blog at http://www.cindywatson.blogspot.com/

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Thanks Cindy! I'm so happy to have your insight here. I was also reluctant to label myself as a writer. Sometimes it still feels like I'm just pretending to be one. I can't wait to see what the ABC rule produces for you - If it's anything like what I've seen so far, I'm sure you'll know success.

H