Some Wonderful Words
Last Saturday, Gina Catanzarite, with the help of Luminari, put on the Teen Writer! Workshop. I attended the workshop and helped Gina with a few things. It was truly a great time. There were some great conversations flowing and some wonderful words being written. Students were able to help one another with different types of writing. Gina focused mostly on reviews and blogging, and I think the students really enjoyed the experience.
The next Teen Writer! Camp is July 9-July 11. This one will focus on creative writing. To sign up, go to Luminari’s website!
Cheers,
Abby
Ira Glass has some great advice about creativity. Absolutely applicable to journalism and especially relevant after our Teen Writer! workshop on Saturday….
“Nobody tells people who are beginners, and I really wish somebody had told this to me, is that all of us who do creative work… that there’s a gap. That for the first couple years that you’re making stuff, what you’re making isn’t so good? OK? It’s trying to be good. It has ambition to be good, but it’s not quite that good. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, your taste is still killer.” — Ira Glass, host, This American Life
Writing Relaxation
In honor of our Teen Writer! workshop coming up on Saturday, I wanted to blog about, none other than — writing!
Because I am a journalism major, I write A LOT. Aside from this blog, I write for three other sites. I have learned so much about writing through all of my blogging experience. Being a good blogger is an important aspect of becoming a better writer. From all of my blogs, I have been able to see what people like to read, what they like to see, and some things that don’t interest them quite as much. I can use all of these things I’ve learned from blogging when I write articles for classes and newspapers.
If any of you are writers, you know how overwhelming life can be sometimes. When I have three articles, four blogs and a press release due all on the same week, my life gets a little scary. But I’ve noticed as I get older, and as I become a better writer, deadlines and work overload weeks get easier.
One of the biggest things I would stress to aspiring writers is to never stop writing for fun. While I love writing articles, and I love writing my professional blogs, I still need a place to ramble and write what I feel. This is why I have my own personal blog, and I also keep a journal. These two outlets keep me sane!
Thanks for reading! See you at the Teen Writer! workshop on Saturday!
Check out my other blogs:
my-rambling-words.posterous.com
collegelivingchaos.posterous.com
www.pointparkblogs.com/abbymathieu
Cheers,
Abby
William Safire’s Rules for Writers
- Remember to never split an infinitive.
- The passive voice should never be used.
- Do not put statements in the negative form.
- Verbs have to agree with their subjects.
- Proofread carefully to see if you words out.
- If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be by rereading and editing.
- A writer must not shift your point of view.
- And don’t start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)
- Don’t overuse exclamation marks!!
- Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
- Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
- If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
- Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
- Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
- Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
- Always pick on the correct idiom.
- The adverb always follows the verb.
- Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternatives.
Teen Writer! Blog, Reviews, Essays, and Commentaries — For Teen Writers with Attitude
Larry Berger of The Saturday Light Brigade interviews Teen Writer! Program Director, Gina Catanzarite, for an exclusive preview of the February 25th workshop. Have a listen!
Dear Friends,
We need your help. We’re looking for teens with attitude—ones who have strong opinions and aren’t afraid to share them! Check out this exciting one-day workshop, Feb. 25, created especially for young writers:
Teen Writer! Blogs, Reviews, Essays and Commentaries!
If you know a teen (grades 8 - 12) who would be interested in sharing his or her opinions, please pass this message along with your encouragement to sign up here or call us at 412.877.1888 today. Scholarship opportunities are still available (click here for an application).
Discover how to turn attitude and observation into exceptional writing—and then learn how to get that work published. Spread the word—because we love teens who have attitude!
Sincerely,
The Luminari Team
Lumos! Illuminating Pittsburgh... January 2012
What’s Inside:
- Beyond the Box: Special Edition with Virginia Montanez
- President’s Message: Happy Chinese New Year!
- Announcement: New Year Contest
- $20 Off February’s Teen Writer! Workshop
- Reminder: Diplomacy Week Contest
- Upcoming Events
- Popular on the Blog
- What’s Next
Learning to Drive at Night:
Writing is like driving at night. You can only see as far as the headlights but you can make the whole trip
that way.
It motivated me to keep moving forward on that road, no matter how hard it got, so I could fulfill my dream of becoming a professional writer.
My mission now is to help today’s teens take positive and productive steps to turn their own dreams into reality. TeenWriter! is designed especially for young writers and I want them to leave these workshops feeling inspired and prepared to share their perspectives, their creativity, and their art with the world.
Read more on Teen Writer! →
Matthew’s Essay:
by Matthew Rudoy, High School Senior, Teen Writer! 2011
Bored with a homework assignment in eighth grade, I began writing a nonsensical story about two men,
Eddie and George. George was trying to convince Eddie to join a mysterious campaign that Eddie abhorred. Eddie refused. A fight to the death ensued.
What began as an entertaining diversion from homework laid the foundation for Corruption, the novel I self-published as a junior in high school.
The story of Eddie and George fascinated me. Its nonsense was as intriguing as it was frustrating. For more than a year, I constantly mulled over the idea, determined to have the story further develop and make sense. Once I had a rough sketch of the story and characters in my mind, I began to write.
Writing the first draft was like creating and watching a movie at the same time. I watched as Eddie and George disappeared from the story entirely. They were replaced by an unconfident, apathetic teenage boy, Jack Clark, and a wise, yet deceptive old man, Grassemer.
My characters, particularly Jack and Grassemer, consumed my life, their dilemmas and personas constantly hovering at the forefront of my mind. I was proud of my creations and wanted to show them off to the world, which was my primary inspiration to self-publish the novel.
My characters were greater than I could ever be. It would be cruel and selfish to keep them chained when they were mature enough to venture into the world unknown. Now, they have been unleashed into the public, where the story and characters continue to grow in the many minds joined in the life of the Corruption universe.
Read more on Corruption →
To purchase Corruption, visit amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or authorhouse.com
Matthew Rudoy was a participant in one of Luminari’s 2011 Teen Writer! workshops. Learn more about upcoming Teen Writer! workshops for 2012 so you can expand your creative skills and start publishing your work!
Lumos! Illuminating Pittsburgh... |November 2011|
What’s Inside:
- Director’s Message: Learning to Drive at Night
- Matthew’s Essay
- President’s Message
- Reminder: Diplomacy Week
- What’s Next: Luminari Award
Teen Writers! Publish your writing …
Team Luminari seeks writers with an interest in a variety of topics for a new Lumos! segment dedicated to emerging authors. As we launch our 2012 Teen Writer! series, we invite young people ages 12 - 18 to submit their short stories, poetry or essays (word max: 1,500). This is your opportunity to share wisdom, humor and voice with a new audience.
Submissions for the January edition of our Newsletter: Lumos! should be sent to Team Luminari by January 9, 2012 at luminari.inspire@gmail.com or directly to our submission page.
Our first entry comes from Matthew Rudoy, who took part in 2011’s inaugural Teen Writer! workshops where he learned tools and techniques used by professional writers to foster creativity, strengthen writing and nurture love of the written word.
More information on Teen Writer! →
What can we say? We have recipes on the mind!
LUMOS! Illuminating Pittsburgh....
{March 2011}
