Promoting Deeper Education

List of Upper Elementary Geography Books

2012-01-19T01:00:00.000-07:00

Fifth Grade Classical Reading List

2012-01-18T01:00:00.000-07:00

List of Elementary Books on Dogs

2012-01-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

Reading about dogs can be fun. Want to get your kids reading? Do they like dogs? Here are a few books on dogs that any kid in the elementary ages will love. Try these out and see if your child will start to love reading.

A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog (Boy, Dog, Frog)
A Dog Needs A Bone
Are You Blue Dog's Friend?
Bad Dog, Marley!
Big Dog...Little Dog (Beginner Books(R))
Buster: The Very Shy Dog
Cam Jansen & The Mystery of the Television Dog (Cam Jansen)
City Dog, Country Frog
Clifford Goes To Dog School (Clifford 8x8)
Clifford The Big Red Dog (Clifford 8x8)
Clifford The Firehouse Dog (Clifford 8x8)
Clifford's Christmas (Clifford, the Big Red Dog)
Cool Dog, School Dog
Dog and Bear (Neal Porter Books) (Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winner-Best Picture Book) (Awards))
Dog and Bear: Three to Get Ready
Dog and Bear: Two's Company
Dog Breath
Dog Heaven
Dog Loves Books
Doggone Dogs
Dogs
Dogs (Usborne Beginners: Information for Young Readers: Level 1)
Dogs Don't Brush Their Teeth!
Dogs Don't Do Ballet
Dogs Don't Wear Sneakers
Dr. Dog
First Dog
Foxie, The Singing Dog
Frog on His Own (Boy, Dog, Frog)
George Washington and the General's Dog (Step-Into-Reading, Step 3)
Go Away, Dog (My First I Can Read)
Go, Dog. Go! (I Can Read It All By Myself Beginner Books)
Good Dog, Carl
Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog
Harry the Dirty Dog
Henry the Dog with No Tail (Paula Wiseman Books)
Herbert: The True Story of a Brave Sea Dog
Hot Dog (Step-Into-Reading, Step 1)
How Do Dinosaurs Love Their Dogs?
How to Be a Good Dog
How to Talk to Your Dog
I, Trixie, Who is Dog
Jules The Lighthouse Dog
Lewis and Clark: A Prairie Dog for the President (Step into Reading, Step 3)
Lyle, Lyle Crocodile: Lyle Walks the Dogs
Madlenka's Dog
Martha Speaks: Shelter Dog Blues (Chapter Book)
Martha Walks the Dog
Mr. Putter & Tabby Walk the Dog
My Dog is As Smelly As Dirty Socks: And Other Funny Family Portraits
No Girls Allowed (Dogs Okay) (Secrets of a Lab Rat)
Not Afraid of Dogs
One-Dog Canoe
One Frog Too Many (Boy, Dog, Frog)
Orville: A Dog Story (Bccb Blue Ribbon Fiction Books (Awards))
Sleepy Dog (Step into Reading, Step 1)
Some Dog!
Some Dogs Do
Stickeen: John Muir and the Brave Little Dog
Tarra & Bella: The Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends
Ten Dogs in the Window
That Magnetic Dog (Picture bluegum)
The Adventures of Taxi Dog (Picture Puffin Books)
The Blue House Dog
The Bookshop Dog (Scholastic Press)
The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto (Step-Into-Reading)
The Complete Adventures of Big Dog and Little Dog
The Digging-Est Dog (Beginner Books(R))
The Dog That Pitched a No-Hitter (Matt Christopher Sports Readers)
The Dog That Stole Football Plays (Matt Christopher Sports Readers)
The Dog Who Belonged to No One
The Dog Who Cried Wolf
The Dog Who Sang at the Opera
The First Dog
The Forever Dog
The Great Gracie Chase: Stop that Dog!
The Outside Dog (I Can Read Book 3)
The Sailor Dog (A Little Golden Book)
The Shelter Dog
"The Trouble with Dogs..." Said Dad
Too Many Dogs (Step-Into-Reading, Step 1)
Wet Dog!
Why Is Blue Dog Blue?

Bookplates

2012-01-16T01:00:00.000-07:00

If you love to read, it is inevitable that you will discover books that you thoroughly love. You'll never want to give them to a secondhand store, donate them to a library, or take them far away from your bookshelves. Loaning them out to people is scary and sometimes even horrifying. What if they do not give them back to you? What if they forget who they belong to? There is a way to help alleviate some of these fears through bookplates.

The purpose of the bookplate is to literally put your name on the book. The plate is placed on the inside cover of your favorite book where you can write your personal name on it. This way there is no doubt whose book it belongs to. Do you have your favorite copy of Aesop's Fables? How about a hard copy of The Lord of the Rings? You do not want to lose these. With a bookplate on the inside cover of the book, it will not get as easily lost and you can quickly reclaim your precious literary work.

Bookplates years ago were extremely personalized. Since books weren't as common in every single household, the need for a versatile bookplate was not there. If you wanted to put your name in a book, you had it personally created for you with your initials. As in the picture above, this bookplate tells us that the book is owned by someone whose initials are "AK”. No one else would've had this exact same bookplate.

Today you can find bookplates in a wide variety of styles and colors that matches your personality. You can choose a style that is more classic, contemporary, or just plain. If you like tulips, you can find a bookplate decked out in tulips. Discover bookplates with birds of different feathers on them. There is no end to the kind of bookplate you can find to personalize your favorite pieces of literature. Check them out at your local bookstore or, as with any book or literary product, you can purchase it and Amazon.com. Keep Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn safe and sound with bookplates signifying to the world that you are the one who loves and cherishes these books.

Middle School and High School List of Books on China

2012-01-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

Upper Elementary List of Books on China

2012-01-14T01:00:00.000-07:00

Learning about other cultures is fun especially when you have the right books for the right age group. They can learn the language, the food, the culture, the history, and the geography. Check out these books for upper elementary ages. Keep in mind that this is just a start to the books you can use. There are so many out there for your enjoyment.

ANC China (Journey Into Civilization)
Ancient China (Cultural Atlas for Young People)
Ancient China (DK Eyewitness Books)
Ancient China (Find Out About...(Southwater))
Ancient China (History in Art)
Ancient China (Nature Company Discoveries Libraries)
Ancient China (Technology in Times Past)
Ancient China (True Books: Ancient Civilizations)

Building the Great Wall of China: An Isabel Soto History Adventure (Graphic Library: Graphic Expeditions)
China (A World of Food)
China (Ancient Civilizations (Chelsea House))
China (Countries & Cultures)
China (DK Eyewitness Books)
China (First Reports - Countries series)
China (Kaleidoscope Kids Books (Williamson Publishing))China (Modern World Nations)
China (True Books: Countries)
China: A History to 1949 (Enchantment of the World)
China: A MyReportLinks.com Book (Top Ten Countries of Recent Immigrants)
China (Ask about Asia)
China (Blue Earth Books: Many Cultures, One World)
China: The Land (Lands, Peoples, & Cultures)
China: The People (Lands, Peoples, & Cultures)
China (World of Recipes)

China's Bravest Girl: The Legend of Hua Mu Lan
CIXI: Evil Empress of China? (Wicked History)
Deng Xiaoping: Leader in a Changing China (Lerner Biography)
Distinguished Doctors and Miraculous Remedies: True Stories from Ancient China
Engineers and Architects: True Stories from Ancient China
Exploring the Life, Myth, and Art of Ancient China (Civilizations of the World)
Famous People Of China (History and Culture of China)
Fantastic Inventions and Inventors: True Stories from Ancient China
Feathered Dinosaurs of China
Find Out About China: Learn Chinese Words and Phrases and About Life in China
GLOBE REGIONAL STUDIES CHINA SE 1993C

Great Ancient China Projects You Can Build Yourself (Build It Yourself series)
Great Structures in History - The Great Wall of China
Growing Up In Ancient China (Growing Up In series)
Hudson Taylor An Adventure Begins (Trail Blazers)
Hudson Taylor: Deep in the Heart of China (Christian Heroes: Then & Now)
If I Were a Kid in Ancient China: Children of the Ancient World
Jonathan Goforth: An Open Door in China (Christian Heroes: Then & Now)
Journey Through China (Journey Through series)
Kids Like Me in China
Life in Ancient China (Peoples of the Ancient World)
Look at China (Our World)
Lottie Moon: Giving Her All for China (Christian Heroes: Then & Now)
Made in China: Ideas and Inventions from Ancient China
Marco Polo: A Journey Through China (Expedition)
Marco Polo: Amazing Adventures in China (Great Explorers of the World)
Marco Polo: Explorer of China (Explorers!)
Marco Polo for Kids: His Marvelous Journey to China, 21 Activities (For Kids series)
Marco Polo's Journey to China (Pivotal Moments in History)
Marco Polo: Overland to China (In the Footsteps of Explorers)
Mei Ling in China City
National Geographic Countries of the World: China
National Geographic Investigates: Ancient China: Archaeology Unlocks the Secrets of China's Past
Recipe and Craft Guide to China (World Crafts and Recipes)
Shanghaied to China: Hudson Taylor (Trailblazer Books #9)
Science and Scientists: True Stories from Ancient China
Science in Ancient China (Science of the Past)
Spotlight on China (Spotlight on My Country)
Sweet and Sour: Tales from China
Tales of a Chinese Grandmother: 30 Traditional Tales from China
The Big Book of China: A Guided Tour Through 5,000 Years of History and Culture
The Children of China: An Artist's Journey
The Economy Of China: The History and Culture of China
The Government Of China (History and Culture of China)
The Great Empire of China and Marco Polo in World History
The Great Wall Of China (Aladdin Picture Books)
The Great Wall of China (Great Building Feats)
The Journey of Yung Lee: From China to America (Immigrant's Chronicles #4)
The Monkey King: A Superhero Tale of China, Retold from The Journey to the West (Ancient Fantasy)
The Mystery on the Great Wall of China: Beijing, China (Around the World in 80 Mysteries)
The Technology of Ancient China (The Technology of the Ancient World)
The Yangtze: China's Majestic River (Rivers Around the World)
You Wouldn't Want to Work on the Great Wall of China!: Defenses You'd Rather Not Build
When You Were Born in China: A Memory Book for Children Adopted from China

Reading Beyond Books

2012-01-14T00:05:00.003-07:00

Typically when you think about reading, your first thoughts go to a book. You imagine rows and rows of hardcover and softcover books. You might even think of the library. What you might not realize is that reading goes far beyond books.

Reading can be found in practically any place in this world. There does not have to be a bookshelf, or library, or classroom nearby. We read every hour of every day. It is just that we have been too narrow-minded when it comes to reading and only think of books. If you really want to explore the world of reading and even encourage reading in your children, you have got to think outside of the box.

You're sitting in the doctor's office. Take a look around. Where do you see the opportunity to read? There are probably signs on the wall giving instructions to the patients or quoting a proverb. On the tables in the waiting room will be magazines. Inside the doctors examining room you can find posters with diagrams and words.

You're at the grocery store. There are signs over each aisle to tell you what items you can find there. There are labels on each and every product that explain to you the name of the item, what is in the food, and other nutritional values.

Taking a trip, whether it is across state lines or just across town, you will discover words. You have to read a street sign. Billboards catch your eye as you pass by. You cannot help but notice the business signs down the road.

Reading can be found everywhere. Even while watching a movie words are read either on signs, the titles, or the introductory scroll to explain the history of what you are about to see. As you are cooking, you encounter reading. Putting together a bicycle requires reading. Every part of our life involves words.

Now that you know that reading can be found outside of the library, consider how you try to encourage your child to read. Are you always pushing a book into their hands? Are you expecting them to jump right in and love to read pictureless books? Are you confused why Oliver Twist does not grab their attention? Have you tried to think of reading outside of the book?

Show your child that reading can be fun using a magazine that is full of the subject that interests them. Get them reading billboard signs. Create a game while traveling where everyone has to read road signs, business signs, and billboards to come up with the answers. Reading is everywhere, and it does not have to be boring. Make reading fun, and make it come alive.

Lower Elementary List of Books On China

2012-01-13T01:00:00.000-07:00

Studying about other cultures can be such fun. China always seems so exotic to us. Here are a few books that you can read with your child about the wonderful world of China. They are perfect for your child that is in the lower elementary grades. They can learn about the people, the geography, the history, and the food.

Keep in mind that this is a much shorter list than what is really out there for you.

A Primary Source Guide to China
Adventures of the Treasure Fleet: China Discovers the World
Ancient China (Time Travel Guides)
Arts and Crafts of Ancient China (Arts & Crafts of the Ancient World)
Beyond the Great Mountains: A Visual Poem about China
C Is for China (World Alphabets)
China (A to Z) Good Morning China
China (Countries)
China (Countries of the World (Capstone))
China (Country Explorers)
China in Colors (A+ Books: World of Colors)
China (Usborne Beginners: Information for Young Readers Level 2)
Chinese Children's Favorite Stories
Colors of China (Colors of the World)
D is for Dancing Dragon: A China Alphabet (Alphabet-Country)
Favorite Children's Stories from China & Tibet
Food in China (Food Around the World (Powerkids))
Great Wall of China (Places of Old)
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
Look at China (Our World)

Look What Came From China!
Look What I See! Where Can I Be?: Visiting China
Looking at China (Looking at Countries)
Made in China
Mei Ling in China City
Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes
Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China (From the Creator of the Magic School Bus) (Magic School Bus, The)
My First Look At: China (My First Look at Countries)

Qin Shi Huangdi: First Emperor of China (Historical Biographies)
Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggled the Secret of Silk Out of China
Stranger on the Silk Road: A Story of Ancient China (Read-It! Chapter Books: Historical Tales)
The Emperor's New Clothes: A Tale Set in China

The Emperors Painting: A Story of Ancient China (Read-It! Chapter Books: Historical Tales) The Jade Dragon: A Story of Ancient China (Read-It! Chapter Books: Historical Tales)
The Legend of the Kite: A Story of China - a Make Friends Around the World Storybook (Multi-National)
The Magic Brocade: A Tale of China
The Terracotta Girl: A Story of Ancient China (Read-It! Chapter Books: Historical Tales)
Welcome to China (DK READERS)
Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China
Yi-Min and the Elephants: A Story of Ancient China China (Visit to...)
You Are in Ancient China (You Are There! (Raintree))
Xiaosaurus and Other Dinosaurs of the Dashanpu Digs in China (Dinosaur Find)

Family Book Night

2012-01-12T01:00:00.001-07:00

Reading is an enjoyable activity. It can be even more fun when it becomes afamily activity. The family gets qualitytime together as they experience the wonder of books. It also helps those that are struggling withreading when they see the whole family involved.

Pick a night of the week that is family book night. This should be a night that has the leastconflict. Be realistic going intothis. There will be weeks when a familymember here and there misses a gathering. Keep the night going. Don’tpostpone it. Once it gets postponed, itis hard to get it started again.

After the day has been set, choose a book. You don’t want one that will be overeveryone’s heads except for the adults. Take into account the ages of your family. If you have children ages 8, 12, and 14, youcould easily read Treasure Island or The Hobbit. Got a younger child? The Hobbit could still work. Any of the Little House Series are great,too. Really young children will do willwith Dr. Seuss books (in fact, many adults really love them).

If you want to guide your children into the wonders ofclassics, there are several to choose from: Alice in Wonderland, CaddieWoodlawn, Incredible Journey, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Secret Garden, Talesof Troy and Greece, Tom Sawyer, Anne of Green Gables, Three Musketeers, EdgarAllen Poe’s stories. There are so manychoices out there for you.

Make sure that there are no distractions. Turn the TV off. No video games. No MP3 players. Everyone should be focusing on the story.

The room should be conducive to a family reading night. Maybe in front of a warm fire or sitting outon the porch with a summer breeze is the best location. If you are on a vacation, read around thecamp fire or sitting under the shadow of Mt. Rushmore.

Before you begin, lay out the rules. Will everyone take turns reading or will onlyone person be the narrator? Can childrenask questions after each chapter? Thereshould be a time for them to ask questions as some things you are reading aboutwill be new and mysterious to them.

Will you be reading a chapter each time or read until bedtime? All of this needs to be decided onso that on the first family reading night, you can focus on the story and notbe arguing over the rules.

Family reading night will become a time that everyone looksforward to. They will enjoy being witheach other and hearing of adventures. Infact, if there were not interested in reading before, they might after a fewfamily nights.

Book Etiquette

2012-01-11T01:00:00.000-07:00

Most people do not know proper book etiquette. Yes, there is a proper way to handle abook. By treating a book just right, youare ensuring that the book lasts and give enjoyment to you and to others foryears to come. Wouldn’t it be great tohand down a collection of Beatrix Potter stories to your children’s childrenand see it still in good condition to last a few more generations?

There are books in existence today that are hundreds ofyears old because someone took real good care of them. So, how can you treat your book well and giveit long life? Follow these suggestions:

Clean Hands –Always open a book and handle it with clean hands. You would be amazed at what all ends up onyour hands throughout the day and transfers to the things you touch. It could be food, makeup, or even dirt. If you do not have clean hands, you transferthat grease and grime to the pages of the beloved book. Before long, the book will look older than itis and even some words could become illegible.

No Food or Drink– When you eat and drink while reading, you are more than likely going to sharesome of the food with your book. Youmight think that children are the only ones who do that. Yes, children will always share with the booktheir lunch or snack. So, for them thatis a great idea not to eat and read at the same time. But adults are guilty of it, too. We don’t mean to do it, but in our habit ofeating while deeply engrossed in our books we tend to share. It is very easy to be eating that chocolatechip muffin and drinking the latte while reading a classic. Just as the door mysteriously opens for theheroine, our chocolate fingers turn the page. Oops! It is hard for adults tonot read and eat at the same time as we do it on our lunch breaks. Try to keep a napkin handy and be veryconscience in not sharing your food.

Books are notCoasters – Too many times people use their books as coasters. This damages the cover of the book and makesit less attractive. It can even totallywarp the pretty cover. Use a realcoaster and keep the book clean.

Keep on the Shelf– It is important that when a book is not being read that it stays on theshelf. This keeps the book protectedfrom spills, children, and other potential damage. The bookshelf is the books home where itshould remain safe and sound.

Use Bookmarks –It is so easy to just bend the corner of a page to mark where you lastread. This is damaging to the book asover time that part of the page weakens and eventually tears off. Keep your pages safe by always using abookmark. You do not have to purchase afancy bookmark. A scrap of paper willdo. But you can have fun making your ownbookmarks.

Kind to the Spine– You are in the middle of reading your latest book. The phone rings. What do you do? Lay the book down completely open to the pageyou were reading. Yes, it is easy topick it up and begin reading again, but you are now putting undue stress on thespine of your book. This weakens thespine which later can lead to the book falling apart. Always use a bookmark and close your bookcompletely.

Limit Accessibilityto Children/Pets – Yes, we want our children to enjoy books, but there aretimes when we need to limit how easy it is to get a book. It is sickening to open up a book that youlove and find where little Jane or John decided that the book was boringwithout pictures and decided to help you. Until children are taught proper book etiquette, it might be wise tokeep books out of the reach of children. Even their own books can become victim of the “crayon monster”. In addition to children, keep books out ofthe reach of pets. Dogs love to chew andnothing is too good for them. Protectyour books.

If you follow these tips and take good care of your books,they will last for years. This does nottake into account the quality of the pages or the binding. There are some books poorly put together andhave the pages falling out as soon as they are opening. But if you have good quality books, you canenjoy them for decades. Enjoy your booksand pass them on to others.

Books and Movies

2012-01-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

If a book has been published, there's a very good chancethat a movie has been made based on. It could be as an animated film or a lifeversion. There might even be a documentary that was made to go with the book.If the book you are reading happens to have this form of media that accompaniesit, take advantage of it and incorporate into your child's reading program.

It almost sounds counterproductive to bring a movie into areading program. Truthfully, when done properly this can ignite interest inreading and also help reinforce what the child has read. Reading about OldYeller and then watching the movie helps the child understand what theyhave read. They will be more open to discussing the topic. The movie evenchallenges them to think back on the book and point out the differences.

Many times, a child forgets things as they read ormisunderstand what the author intended. When you incorporate a movie after thechild has read a book, you give them the chance to really dwell on what theauthor wrote. Questions that they might have had in the back of their mind asthey were reading are more likely to come out into the open and be talked aboutif they watch a movie on it.

Bringing movies into the reading program also helpsstimulate the child's visual learning and can drive them back to the book tolook up certain scenes verifying the actions or the dialogue. If the book isreally interesting to the child, any discrepancies between the movie and thebook could become a very deep conversation as to why they can occur. This isalso a great opportunity to show a child that though a movie can be wonderful,entertaining, and expand our knowledge of the book, it is very limited to what itcan display and present to the audience. A book has almost an unlimitedcapacity to make the story come alive.

This is not only true for children's books. Adults get thesame thing. Many novels are turned in to movies. The majority of people like toread the book first and then watch them file. Hours of discussion can follow asthey pick through it and explain how disappointed they were that certain sceneswere missed or changed. They can also discuss how they were impressed with theway the filmmakers brought scenes to life or gave the characters such depth.All ages can enhance their reading with the addition of movies.

If your child is reading TheChronicles of Narnia, this is a golden opportunity to be able to see amodern-day version of the story. After they have read the first two books ofthe series, set down with them and watch TheLion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. As many aspects of the first book were referencedvisually or through a few phrases in this movie, it is a great time to talkabout how they were presented in the movie and why. The children get to seeLucy's amazement of Narnia. You get to talk with your child about how it feltto have read about Edmonds betrayal and then to watch it on the screen. Discusswith your child how they envisioned events and people as they read the book andthen how it compared to what they saw in the film. Reading comprehension isenhanced. The ability to take the written word to form images within the mindis built upon.

Do not let movies replace books. Use them to enhance thereading, reinforce the reading, and help open discussion about the story. Usemovies as tools in your child's reading program. You might be amazed at how itinfluences your child to pick up more books and explore new worlds.

Books to Prepare You for College

2012-01-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

Going to college can be intimidating. Too often, someonefinds themselves in classes where books are being discussed and the student hasno idea what it all means. Many books, characters, and story lines are used inother works. Having read them and understanding what is being said helps makecollege a successful adventure. Here area few books that will help you in that endeavor.

A Death in the Family (Penguin Classics)

A Farewell To Arms

Alas, Babylon

All Quiet on the Western Front Publisher: Ballantine Books

Anna Karenina

Crime and Punishment (Dover Thrift Editions)

David Copperfield

Death of a Salesman (Penguin Plays)

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

My Antonia

Pride and Prejudice (Dover Thrift Editions)

Profiles in Courage (P.S.)

Robinson Crusoe

The Aeneid of Virgil: 35th Anniversary Edition

The Canterbury Tales (Oxford World's Classics)

The Good Earth (Enriched Classics (Pocket))

The Grapes of Wrath

The Last of the Mohicans (Signet Classics)

The Oedipus Trilogy

The Old Man And The Sea

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Wuthering Heights (Signet Classics)

A List of Audio Books

2012-01-08T01:00:00.000-07:00

Audio books should not be dismissed especially if you are in a homeschooling environment. They can be very beneficial. Do you travel quite a bit? Then you can use these books to listen to as your drive around. Do you work around the house with your children? Audio books can be listened to as you fold laundry.

Here are a list of audio books for any age that you could be homeschooling. Great classics can be found as well as darling children's stories.

A Christmas Carol

Abigail Adams: A Revolutionary Woman (The Library of American Lives and Times Series)

Adventures in Odyssey: Daring Deeds, Sinister Schemes (Gold Audio Series #5)

Amelia Bedelia CD Audio Collection

Beowulf: The Complete Story: A Drama (an audio book)

Black Beauty, with eBook (Tantor Unabridged Classics)

Classic American Poetry

Classic Fairy Stories (Classic Literature With Classical Music. Junior Classics)

Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection

Frankenstein (Classic Books on CD Collection ) [UNABRIDGED]

Frog and Toad CD Audio Collection

Galileo and the Stargazers: Including Archimedes and the Golden Crown (Galileo and the Stargazers)

Geronimo Stilton: Books 1-3: #1: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye; #2: The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid; #3: Cat and Mouse in a Haunted House

Great American Stories: Ten Unabridged Classics

Great Inventors & Inventions (Junior Classics)

Great Scientists and Their Discoveries (Junior Classics)

Great Speeches in History: Socrates, Cicero, Martin Luther, Elizabeth I, Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, Abraham Lincoln, Emmeline Pankhurst, and Man (Classic Non Fiction)

Green Eggs and Ham and Other Servings of Dr. Seuss

Junie B. Jones Audio Collection, Books 1-8

King Lear (Naxos AudioBooks)

Little House On The Prairie

Little Women, with eBook

Magic Tree House Collection: Books 1-8

Magic Tree House CD Collection Books 9-16

Magic Tree House CD Edition Books 17-24

Mark Twain Audio CD Collection

My Fellow Americans: The Most Important Speeches of America's Presidents, from George Washington to George W. Bush (Book & CD)

Poirot Investigates: Eleven Complete Mysteries

Pride and Prejudice (Unabridged Classics in Audio)

Ramona the Pest/ Ramona Forever

Robin Hood

Shakespeare for Children, with eBook (Tantor Unabridged Classics)

The Call of the Wild, with eBook (Tantor Unabridged Classics)

The Cat in the Hat and Other Dr. Seuss Favorites

The Count of Monte Cristo: Blackstone Audio Classic Collection

The Hiding Place

The Iliad

The Jungle Book (Classic Books on CD Collection) [UNABRIDGED] (Classics on CD)
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Gift Set

The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body - Audio

The Odyssey

The Olivia Audio Collection

The Roald Dahl Audio CD Collection

The Scarlet Letter (Classic Collection (Brilliance Audio))

To Kill a Mockingbird

Treasure Island (Junior Classics)

A List of ABC Books

2012-01-07T01:00:00.000-07:00

Reading is a wonderful adventure, but it is will impossible to embark upon without the necessary tools. Knowing the alphabet is one of the most important tools a child needs before they can begin to enjoy Treasure Island or The Hobbit. Begin a child’s reading adventure with books teaching them the ABC tool.Here is a list of some ABC books that can you and your child might enjoy.

A to Z by Sandra Boynton
ABC: A Child's First Alphabet Book by Alison Jay
ABC, Baby Me! by Susan B. Katz
ABC Letters in the Library by Bonnie Farmer
ABC Nature Riddles by Susan Joyce
Animal ABC (Big Little Golden Book) by Garth Williams
Animal ABCs (San Diego Zoo Series) by Joseph R. Ritchie
Appalachian ABCs by Francie Hall
B Is for Bulldozer: A Construction ABC by June Sobel
Baby Einstein: My First Book of Letters (Baby Einstein) by Julie Aigner-clark
Baby Einstein: The ABC's of Art by Julie Aigner-Clark
Big Board Books Colors, ABC, Numbers (Bright Baby) by Roger Priddy
Black and White Rabbit's ABC by Alan Baker
Curious George's ABCs by H. A. Rey
Disney's Winnie the Pooh: ABC (Learn & Grow) by RH Disney
Dr. Seuss's ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! by Theodor Geisel - Dr. Seuss
Easter ABCs by Isabel Anders
Elmo's ABC Book (Sesame Street) (Big Bird's Favorites Board Books) by Deborah November
Flora McDonnell's ABC by Flora McDonnell
Gator Alphabet ABC by Marisol Novak
Happy Baby ABC (Soft-to-Touch) by Roger Priddy
Learn with Me ABC by Ivan Bulloch
Letter Birds: ABC bird book *GOLD Mom's Choice award for Distinguished Illustration* by Pam Spremulli
Maisy's ABC: A Maisy Lift-the-Flap Classic by Lucy Cousins
Miss Spider's ABC (Board Book) by David Kirk
My First ABC Board Book (My 1st Board Books) by DK Publishing
My First ABC by The (NY) Metropolitan Museum of Art
My First Golden Book of ABC's by Golden Books
My Little ABC Book by Bob Staake
My Very First ABC Disney Word Book: Big Book by Ellen Weiss
Now I Eat My ABC's by Pam Abrams
Penguins ABC by Kevin Schafer
Search & Find ABC (Kids Play) by DK Publishing
Shiver Me Letters: A Pirate ABC by June Sobel
The ABCs of Animals (ABCs of the Natural World) by Bobbie Kalman
The ABCs of Cookies by P. J. Shaw
The Animal ABC by Leslie A. Baker
The Little Animal ABC Coloring Book (Dover Little Activity Books) by Nina Barbaresi
The Toddler's ABC Bible Storybook by Carolyn Larsen
Touch and Feel: ABC by DK Publishing

List of Lower Elementary Biography Books

2012-01-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

List of Biographies for Middle School and High School

2012-01-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

List of Upper Elementary Biography Books

2012-01-04T01:00:00.000-07:00

Learning about real people can be exciting. When a childreads about someone they admire, they want to read more. They want to read. Arethey interested in science? They can read about Albert Einstein or Marie Curie.Do they like baseball? They can read about Ken Griffey Jr. Does the work ofRachel Carson get their attention? Look to biographies to get your childinterested in reading. Here is a list of biographies geared toward upperelementary students. Keep in mind that these are just a few of the many biographiesavailable for you.

50 American Heroes Every Kid Should Meet by Dennis Denenberg

A Place To Hide: True Stories Of Holocaust Rescues (Scholastic Biography) by Jayne Pettit

A Recipe for Success: Lizzie Kander and Her Cookbook (Badger Biographies Series) by Bob Kann

DK Biography: Abraham Lincoln by Tanya Lee Stone

Albert Einstein (DK Biography) by Frieda Wishinsky

DK Publishing: Amelia Earhart (DK Biography) by Tanya Lee Stone

At the Plate with...Ken Griffey Jr. (Matt Christopher Sports Bio Bookshelf) by Matt Christopher

Breaking Through By Grace: The Bono Story (ZonderKidz Biography) by Kim Washburn

Curly Lambeau: Building the Green Bay Packers (Badger Biographies Series) by Stuart Stotts

Dare To Dream!: 25 Extraordinary Lives by Sandra McLeod Humphrey

Dolores Huerta: Voice for the Working Poor (Crabtree Groundbreaker Biographies) by Alex Van Tol

Dr. Kate: Angel on Snowshoes (Badger Biographies Series) by Rebecca Hogue Wojahn

DK Biography: Eleanor Roosevelt by Kem Knapp Sawyer

Ernest Shackleton: Gripped by the Antarctic (Trailblazer Biographies) by Rebecca L. Johnson

Frank Lloyd Wright and His New American Architecture (Badger Biographies Series) by Bob Kann

DK Biography: Gandhi by Amy Pastan

George Washington: An Illustrated Biography by David A. Adler

DK Biography: George Washington by Lenny Hort

Gifted Hands, Kids Edition: The Ben Carson Story (ZonderKidz Biography) by Gregg Lewis

DK Biography: Harry Houdini by Vicki Cobb

Helen Keller: A photographic story of a life (DK Biography)by Leslie Garrett

Helen Keller (Scholastic Biography) by Margaret Davidson

I Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King (Scholastic Biography) by Margaret Davidson

Jeff Corwin: A Wild Life: The Authorized Biography by Jeff Corwin

DK Biography: John F. Kennedy by Howard S. Kaplan

Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Biography (Little House) by William T. Anderson

DK Biography: Marie Curie by Vicki Cobb

DK Biography: Martin Luther King, Jr. by Amy Pastan

Mia Hamm: On the Field with... (Matt Christopher Sports Bio Bookshelf) by Matt Christopher

Michael Jordan: On the Court with (Matt Christopher Sports Bio Bookshelf) by Matt Christopher

DK Biography: Mother Teresa by Maya Gold

DK Biography: Nelson Mandelaby Laaren Brown

Ordinary Genius: The Story of Albert Einstein (Trailblazer Biographies) by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson

DK Biography: Pele by James Buckley

Queen Elizabeth I (Biography (Lerner Hardcover)) by Kate Havelin

Rachel Carson: Voice for the Earth (Lerner Biographies) by Ginger Wadsworth

Richard Bong: World War II Flying Ace (Badger Biographies Series) by Pete Barnes

Sacajawea : Wilderness Guide (Native American Biographies) by Kate Jassem

Shaun White: Snow and Skateboard Champion (Hot Celebrity Biographies) by Marty Gitlin

Stealing Home: The Story Of Jackie Robinson (Scholastic Biography) by Barry Denenberg

Surfer of the Century: The Life of Duke Kahanamoku by Ellie Crowe

Tents, Tigers and the Ringling Brothers (Badger Biographies Series) by Jerold W. Apps

The First Woman Doctor (Scholastic Biography) by Rachel Baker

The Man Behind the Gun: Samuel Colt and His Revolver (Genius at Work! Great Inventor Biographies) by Edwin Brit Wyckoff

The Story of Benjamin Franklin: Amazing American (Dell Yearling Biography) by Margaret Davidson

The Story Of George Washington Carver (Scholastic Biography) by Eva Moore

Thurgood Marshall (Childhood of Famous Americans) by Montrew Dunham

Wayne Gretzky: Greatness on Ice (Crabtree Groundbreaker Biographies) by Jessica Morrison

World History Biographies: Elizabeth I: The Outcast Who Became England's Queen (National Geographic World History Biographies) by Simon Adams

World History Biographies: Galileo: The Genius Who Faced the Inquisition (National Geographic World History Biographies) by Philip Steele

World History Biographies: Gandhi: The Young Protester Who Founded a Nation (National Geographic World History Biographies) by Philip Wilkinson

World History Biographies: Hatshepsut: The Princess Who Became King (National Geographic World History Biographies) by Ellen Galford

World History Biographies: Joan of Arc: The Teenager Who Saved Her Nation (National Geographic World History Biographies) by Philip Wilkinson

World History Biographies: Leonardo da Vinci: The Genius Who Defined the Renaissance (National Geographic World History Biographies) by John Phillips

Mandela: The Rebel Who Led His Nation to Freedom (National Geographic World History Biographies) by Ann Kramer

World History Biographies: Marco Polo: The Boy Who Traveled the Medieval World (National Geographic World History Biographies) by Nick McCarty

World History Biographies: Marie Curie: The Woman Who Changed the Course of Science (National Geographic World History Biographies) by Philip Steele

To Homeschool or Not to Homeschool - That is the Question

2012-01-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

by Beth ArmstrongI wonder how many times over the past five years I asked myself that question before I made my final decision. It wasn’t easy and to this day I still question whether they are getting the best possible teaching from me. If you decide to do it you will question yourself many times too. However, your answer will always be given you in the form of your child suddenly getting this excited look on his/her face when they finally understand a concept. Homeschooling is never an easy decision. You weigh the pros and cons many times over before you make your final decision.There are two main reasons parents decide to homeschool their children. One, they don’t like that GOD has been taken out of everything, nor do they like what their children are forced to learn. The second reason, their children are having major difficulty learning in the school setting where they have to compete to learn with about twenty to thirty more children and many times those that just can’t get it, fall through the cracks—sad but very true! Some are a mixture of both. I pulled my children out because they needed more one-on-one teaching than their teachers were able to give during the day. I taught public school for three years—exceptional education—and I loved each and every minute of it. I am also the mother of two children who were in exceptional education. My son has a learning disability and my daughter is dyslexic. That is when I decided, if I ever wanted my children to see and reach their true potential, and realize they are better than their “label”, I would have to show them. The teachers simply did not have the time for my children, well I did and do. I had more time to teach them the way the needed to be taught and I could take one-on-one time with them as much as they needed.I knew what my children were capable of and I was tired of them coming home and telling me how stupid they were, because they couldn’t get it in class. I wanted my son and my daughter to have a chance. I prayed and meditated on it and was shown the way. I took them home. Although my patience is tried more often than not, I would not give this up for the world. They are closer to each other than they ever have been and our relationship has become stronger because I am no longer getting onto them for what their teacher couldn’t do. They have excelled incredibly. They learn quickly and they learn easily and they learn happily. I know I have done the right thing when my children have that EUREKA moment, the moment they finally understand the concept. What an about-face from last year. They claim they love it and I really can see it and now they are excited about learning. What more could I ask for?Homeschooling is not for everyone. It takes a lot of patience and perseverance and self-discipline, but if you believe you can do it, trust me, your children will be better off for it. If you are not sure about it, then it is not the time to take on homeschooling your children. If you are supposed to homeschool your children, I promise, you will be shown the way. You are your child’s or children’s first teacher. It took me five years to decide what to do and honestly I wish I had started from the beginning. It has been a blessing for me! If anyone wishes to contact me and discuss homeschooling I will be more than happy to. My e-mail is arms6749@bellsouth.net, best wishes!

Bogyphobia and Other Fears

2012-01-02T02:00:00.000-07:00

by Lisa Binion

For each of the following phobias, develop a story line and write a story. Or you may use the story line that I suggest, then write a story. The important thing is to have fun as you develop your writing skills.

Bogyphobia is fear of the bogeyman. This phobia, probably shared by many children, sometimes follows a person on into adulthood causing them to even fear going down into basements alone. Those who have a phobia of the bogeyman hiding under his bed, down the hall, or in the basement oftentimes also fear demons, goblins, or spirits.

As a child, your character was one of few that did not have bogyphobia. Now that she has reached adulthood, for some reason she has developed this phobia. Has she developed it because of a traumatic experience? Or has she developed it because of a scary book she has read or a scary movie that she has seen? Write a story about how she develops this phobia.

Catoptrophobia is a fear of mirrors, but not a fear of seeing your own reflection. An individual may fear that breaking a mirror will bring bad luck. He may fear that there is someone inside the mirror watching him, ready to reach out and grab him. If this individual glances at a mirror, he is afraid he will see something he doesn’t expect.

What caused your character to have this fear? He doesn’t remember ever having a bad experience with a mirror, but something happened in his childhood that he has blocked out. Write a story about what happened to him. How has this fear of mirrors affected his life?

Chaetophobia is the fear of hair, whether it be human or animal. The mild form of this phobia may just be fear of the loose hair that randomly falls out, say when you are brushing your hair or combing it. In the more severe form of this phobia,

Life would definitely be interesting (as if it isn’t already interesting enough) if I happened to have chaetophobia. My hair is extremely thick and tends to fall out – a lot. So much of my hair has fallen out that I am surprised I have any left. I seriously think that I grow twice the amount that falls out. Anyway, what if I had a fear of hair and decided to have my hair cut really short so I didn’t have to deal with it anymore. Going to a place to have my hair cut is bad enough, but then for some reason - earthquake, robbery, tornado – I end up being trapped inside for an extended period of time. How would I deal with my unwanted confinement in a place overflowing with what I fear?

Chionophobia is one of the weather phobias. It is a fear of snow. Some with chionophobia even hate snow. The fear could come from the possibility of probably of being snowbound and cut off from ‘civilization’.

Snow brings to mind the abominable snowman. Let’s say that Andrea and her husband are taking a road trip through the Rocky Mountains. It is winter, but so far the winter has been warm and this week is predicted to be unseasonably warm, so the threat of snow is minimal. But a cold front unexpectedly runs through the area and brings with it a massive snowfall. Andrea and her husband have no clue the storm was coming; they are camping out in a tent. The temperature drops during the night and their tent collapses on them from the weight of the snow. Andrea immediately has a panic attack, which only intensifies when she sees this huge creature approaching them. What happens? Take it from there.

Dromophobia is a fear of crossing the road. I imagine that this fear would tend to develop during childhood. Could this fear develop from a nightmare? Or could it develop by accidentally running into a parked car? How would an adult who lived in a huge, busy city deal with this fear?

Ronald grew up in the country where there were no busy roads and everyone drove so slowly that there was about no chance of being hit or being in a car accident. His job transfers him to a big city that has more cars than he ever imagined existed. In order to get to work, there are several majorly busy streets that he must cross. Going to work on the first day, he finds that he is unable to do so, but he can’t miss work. What happens?

Anablephobia and Other Fears

2012-01-01T02:00:00.000-07:00

by Lisa Binion

Even though some phobias may appear unreasonable or silly to those who don’t have any, they are no laughing matter. When someone encounters something he has an excessive fear of, he experiences the following: rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling, anxiety, panic, terror, and/or dread.

Phobias are a like a mine full of treasure for writers. These fears add both depth and uniqueness to our characters. Use the following phobias and come up with at least a story or story line for each one of them. Once you have a story line, or choose to use the one that I suggest, try writing a story.

Anablephobia is the fear of looking up. It could be a fear of looking up at the sky, or it could be a fear of looking up at the ceiling. It could be a fear of looking upwards at all.

How would one develop such a fear as this? Maybe your character saw a loved one killed by a huge hailstone falling out of the sky. Maybe your character saw a ceiling fan fly to pieces and seriously injure someone close to them. Pick one of the previous situations, or a situation you dream up, and develop a story line for it.

Anemophobia is fear of the wind. Your character could fear just gentle springtime breezes or it could only be a fear of really strong, almost tornado strength winds. Or it could be a fear of any kind of wind movement at all, even if it comes from just a ceiling fan.

Your character has experienced a severe trauma and there was a gentle breeze blowing at the time. That is one thing that seems to stand out in her mind – the breeze. Now, anytime she feels even just a gentle breeze she has a panic attack because all of the memories of her traumatic time revisit her. Develop a story about how this fear developed and how she manages to overcome it before she becomes housebound.

Auroraphobia is the fear of the Northern Lights, either the Aurora Borealis or the Aurora Australialis. The only reason I can think of for having of fear the Northern Lights would be if something extremely traumatic happened while they could be seen.

I think that I would have my character witness a murder taking place in the light of the Aurora Borealis. When the murderer turns and looks at the character, she recognizes the murderer and he recognizes her. She stands there, frozen with fear, when someone yells her name and breaks her trance. She shakes herself out of it, turns and runs away. She doesn’t remember anything she saw, but for some reason now she is scared to death of the Nothern Lights.

Write a story where she confronts her fears to find out the reason why. Along the way, she also puts a murderer, someone she thought to be a close friend, behind bars.

Barophobia is the fear of gravity or the fear that gravity will fail. Maybe your character fell from a trampoline and was seriously injured because of it. Maybe your character has read a very detailed science fiction novel or watched a movie about a planet where the gravity just disappears for no reason. The consequences shown are horrible. Or maybe your character simply does not understand exactly what gravity is.

Your character’s fear of gravity is so strong that it begins to make this character fear for his or her own well-being, so he seeks help. Develop a story or story line that details how he developed this phobia, how he finds help, and whether or not he is cured.

Blennophobia is a fear of slime. Slime is disgusting and there probably aren’t many of us who actually look forward to touching anything, no matter what it is, that is slimy. There are people that slimy objects cause serious problems.

What if you were a lady whose job it was to clean houses? Not just any houses, but houses that were holiday rentals. Not all travelers are slobs, but let’s face it, a good portion of them can be. Her job is to go in and make the houses spotless once again. Half-filled glasses of breakfast orange juice that look like science experiments make it hard for her to breathe. Wet towels that have been left lying in the bathroom floor for weeks and weeks not only smell, they have begun turning color and cause her heart to race. She has to have this job, there are no others available and she has many bills to pay and a young child to support. Does she find relief from this phobia or not? Write a story telling how or how not.

Weather Phobias

2011-12-31T02:00:00.000-07:00

by Lisa Binion

Lately, the news has been filled with accounts of capricious acts of weather. Powerful weather phenomena are fascinating to watch, yet terrifying because of the destruction they leave behind. The fierceness of tornadoes and hurricanes leave one speechless and amazed. The beauty of lightning fills one with admiration for the hand that guides this streak of electricity to its destination. Each accompanying boom of thunder reminds us of the One in control of it all.

Then there are the calming weather phenomena. The gentle rains that water the earth, the snow that blankets the ground, the cooling breezes, and the clouds that form pictures for those with an imagination.

Phobias exist for all types of weather phenomena. In this article, I will share information about six of them.

Anemophobia is the fear of air, wind, or air drafts. Those with this phobia fear that wind has the ability to blow away their personal identity and belongings.

Chionophobia is the fear of snow. Some people with this phobia simply hate snow of any kind and amount. Others fear being snowbound. I don’t like being snowbound, but those with chionopohobia fear it and won’t venture out in the snow at all for fear of being stranded. Even just a forecast of a terrible winter storm can cause panic and feelings of helplessness.

Lilapsophobia is the fear of tornadoes and/or hurricanes. Some fear of these fierce storms is perfectly natural when you consider the damage and destruction that they bring. Those afflicted with this phobia could possibly have lived through an extremely fierce hurricane or tornado. Think about the survivors of the damaging tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri. How have they been affected by this terrible weather phenomenon? For those who have survived such a catastrophe, even just a forecast of such an event occurring can bring on severe anxiety attacks.

Nephophobia is the fear of clouds. Hard to believe that a person could be afraid of the white, fluffy things in the sky, but remember, they aren’t always so innocent looking. When filled with rain, they grow dark and sinister looking. Just pictures of clouds have the ability to send into distress those afflicted with nephophobia.

Ombrophobia is defined as a persistent, irrational fear of rain. Has anyone ever told you that “you will catch your death” if you go out in the rain? Maybe you were told that going out in the rain would make you sick. Some people take these words to heart and become really depressed when it rains The majority of people don’t like being rained on, unless maybe they are coming out of a long, dry drought. But not liking being rained on and having a phobia of being rained on are two completely different things.

Astraphobia is the fear of thunder and lightning. My indoor dog has astraphobia. Anytime she hears thunder, she heads straight for the bathroom and climbs in the tub. One of my outdoor dogs definitely does not have this phobia; he tries to leap up and attack the flashes of light and the loud booms. People who have this phobia may hide in the basement during a thunderstorm or seek shelter in an inside room, such as the bathroom. Attempts to block out the noise may be attempted by turning up the volume of the television or stereo. Closing the curtains or blinds may be done in an attempt to block out the brilliant flashes of light. Since a person with this fear would not want to get caught out in a thunderstorm, an astraphobiac may also be obsessed with checking the weather forecast.

Shannon has been afraid of fierce storms since she was a little girl. On vacation with her parents, she became separated from them while hiking up to the bridge at Natural Bridge. Before she was reunited with her parents, the sky grew dark and a fierce storm developed. Caught out in the open, she watched the fierce lightning strike the trees around her and cause them to fall as the thunder boomed. Her only comfort was the stuffed animal she kept with her at all times. Now an adult, she has made plans to go camping with her friends. She has been assured by the forecasts that absolutely no storms are possible. But the weather forecasters get it wrong sometimes. The first night out is clear and beautiful. The second evening, though, is not so calm. As the winds pick up and the rain begins to come down gently, Shannon is ready to run for home, but something prevents her from leaving. What prevents her from going and how does she handle being stuck out once again in a fierce storm?

You can use the above story line and adapt it to just about any weather phobia mentioned in this article. Or you can make up one of your own. The most important thing is for you to have fun with it and practice your writing.

Animal Phobias

2011-12-30T02:00:00.000-07:00

by Lisa Binion

I am surrounded by animals. They make my life so enjoyable that I cannot imagine living without them. There are people, though, who live their life as far away as they can from certain animals. For some reason, animal phobias tend to be more common in females than in males.

Those suffering from cynophobia have an irrational fear of dogs. This is not a phobia that normally comes from something fearful during childhood occurring with a dog, such as being chased, attacked, or bitten. To the person who has this phobia, it isn’t irrational. This person may avoid visiting friends and family members who have dogs, may barricade herself in yards, or cross the street to avoid coming in contact with a dog.

Say your character has cynophobia as a result of being attacked by a dog when she was just a little girl. She has done everything possible to avoid contact with them since. Then she comes home from work to find a puppy in a basket on her porch. Obviously it is a present from someone. How does she react? Does she keep the puppy or call to have it taken away? If she keeps the puppy, does it help her to overcome her fear of dogs?

Ailurophobia is an irrational fear of cats. Why would someone fear a cat? Most of them are cute and cuddly. The person could fear cats in general or fear being scratched or bitten by a feline. Black cats (my favorite color of cats) have a reputation of being evil and associated with witches, so their evil reputation could be feared.

There are many Halloween stories written where black cats get a bad rap. Edgar Allen Poe wrote “The Black Cat”. Stories like this where cats are not depicted as loving may be the root of ailurophobia for some.

Try writing something different about Halloween. Write a story about a lady with ailurophobia. This phobia developed in her a child because she read so many stories about how wicked and evil cats, especially black ones, are. It is Halloween and she is taking the trash out when she sees a black cat running down her road as fast as it can go. The cat is being chased by a gang of kids. She can tell that their intentions for this cat are not good. Though she is deathly afraid of this cat, she has a good heart and cannot bear the thought of these kids harming the animal. What does she do?

Someone who has murophobia, a fear of mice and rats, would probably want to have some cats around to keep their residence free from what they fear. This person also has something in common with elephants. Did you know that elephants have murophobia? How could something so big be afraid of something so small? It isn’t actually the mouse they fear, it is the noise the mouse makes before he can be seen, for elephants have a natural fear of nearby noises when they cannot tell what is making them. This phobia in people may stem from the fact that mice and rats carry disease.

How about writing a story where a cat has murophobia? How is he treated by the other cats? What caused him to have this irrational fear? Allow the cat to be cured of this phobia. How is he cured? Do the other cats somehow talk him into catching and eating mice? Or is he befriended by a mouse?

If you suffer from ornithophobia, a fear of birds, you might not want to watch The Birds, an Alfred Hitchcock movie. People with this phobia may just fear birds of prey, or it could be so severe that they fear even parakeets. This phobia usually stems from an unpleasant encounter with a bird or group of birds. Maybe one stole some food from your hands, or maybe it gained entrance to your house through an open window and tore up everything as it flew frantically around looking for a way of escape.

Cats love to catch mice; they are also known for catching birds. Why not write another story with a cat? This time, when the story opens the cat is not afraid of birds. In fact, he catches more birds than any of the other cats. Then one day something happens to cause him to be afraid of what he once hunted and caught so easily. What happened?

Strange Phobias

2011-12-29T02:00:00.000-07:00

by Lisa Binion

Unless you are afflicted with one of the following phobias, you will probably find them kind of humorous. It is hard for me to believe that some people really have fears about things that are so much a part of our everyday life, things that are so vital to our way of living. They do make characters interesting, though.

Remember, when someone encounters something they have an excessive fear of the experiences rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, trembling, anxiety, panic, terror, and/or dread.

Ablutophobia is the fear of washing or bathing. This phobia ranges from just a fear of showering (possibly from watching Psycho) to a fear of any type of washing or bathing. Obviously, there are social complications that arise from this. These range from being avoided and called names to loneliness and disease.

Your character doesn’t have ablutophobia, but meets someone who does. Where and how does he or she meet this individual? How old is this individual? What caused them to suffer from ablutophobia? Have your character feel compassion for this individual and find a way for him to overcome his fear of bathing.

Basophobia is the fear of walking or standing erect. Hmmm. How does a person who has basophobia get around? Jump? Crawl? Wheelchair? What would cause someone to have a phobia such as this? Maybe a bad fall.

Write a story where your character takes all kinds of risks. Then one day he or she takes a bad fall, one where he is injured pretty bad. When he recovers, he is afraid to walk or stand erect again. Is he able to overcome this fear? If so, how does he do it? How understanding are his friends and family members?

Cathisophobia, on the other hand, is the irrational fear of sitting down. Maybe a person who suffers from this phobia sat down on something that hurt really, really bad at one time in his life. Or maybe someone kept pulling the chair out from under him every time this person went to sit down. Anyway, I wonder, is it possible for a person to have both cathisophobia and basophobia? Write a story in which you have a character that suffers from both phobias. How does this person get from one place to another? What happened to cause this person to suffer from both phobias?

Cibophobia is a phobia that I definitely am nowhere close to suffering from. It is a fear of food. Yes, you did read that right, a fear of food. This phobia can worsen over time and get to the point where the person suffering from it endangers his own life.

Sometimes it is confused with anorexia, but there is a pretty major difference. Those suffering from anorexia fear the effects that food will have on their body image, while those with cibophobia fear the food itself. A person might appear to have some of the symptoms, but just want to eat healthy. If the symptoms get continually worse over time, then there could be a problem.

There are a lot of variations with this one. Know someone who is fanatical about expiration dates? What about someone who is overly concerned about making sure his food is well done, even to the point of burning it? Or maybe you know someone who refuses to keep leftovers for more than a day. Possibly a person suffering from this phobia would have very strict rules to govern his eating habits. This phobia has the potential to keep growing worse and worse to the point where an individual suffering from it would rather go hungry than to eat things that he thinks are questionable.

The character and story possibilities seem endless with this phobia. A young lady’s anorexia morphs into cibophobia. Her family is happy because she is eating again. They don’t think anything is wrong. What happens to clue them into that one danger has given way to another danger? Who tries to help her? Is she finally cured?

Weird Phobias

2011-12-28T02:00:00.000-07:00

by Lisa Binion

There are so many phobias. Each and every one of them is fascinating. I think there is a phobia for just about everything in existence. A lot of phobias are considered common, others are considered to be weird or strange. Below are some of the ones considered to be weird.

The majority of people like beautiful things. The normal reaction to things that are not so nice looking is just to look away. Cacophobia is the fear of ugliness - whether it be ugly characters, ugly people, or ugly objects. What do you consider to be ugly? Opinions differ on this. A person could be beautiful on the outside, but ugly on the inside. Would someone with cacophobia be scared of them? If a child has physical deformities, would his mother with cacophobia think him ugly and be afraid of him? Could it just be a fear of oneself being ugly?

Your character with cacophobia has so far in life managed to go the opposite direction when anything ugly comes around. While jogging down the road, he is almost run down by an out-of-control vehicle. The music coming through his walkman prevents him from hearing its approach. He is saved only because he is shoved out of the way by this woman, the ugliest woman he has ever seen. How does he react when his eyes open and he sees who saved him?

Trees are beautiful and provide much needed shade on hot, sunny days. Someone who suffers from dendrophobia, the fear of trees, would not be able to enjoy the shade. Nor would this person go anywhere there are an abundance of trees. This means hiking trails and parks would be out of the question, as would be camping out and building campfires. Someone with dendrophobia would not be able to truly enjoy nature.

Your character is a young child with dendrophobia. Her parents are overbearing and think that she is just being a baby about not wanting to go camping, so they force her to go. She is terrified the entire time at the campsite and refuses to come out of her tent. That night there is a violent storm that rips her tent out of the ground and leaves her without shelter. Her parents try and keep her calm as they run for shelter, but it doesn’t work. Lightning hits a tree and knocks it over, causing it to fall on her parents; it pins them to the ground. Now she is their only hope of being saved. Is she able to make it back to civilization to get help for her parents? What does she experience along the way?

Arithmophobia is an irrational fear of numbers. Yes, some people are actually afraid of numbers. People suffering from this avoid learning anything about financial issues, prices, or any other things related to numbers. This must be a hard phobia to deal with if you are a student. How would a character with arithmophobia deal with filing his taxes each year? How would he keep his checkbook balanced? What would he do if his child needed help with math homework?

Telephonophobia is the fear of telephones. Since telephones are one of the most prominent ways of communication today, it would definitely be out of the ordinary to avoid using them. Imagine your character experiences life without a telephone, landline or cellular. How would he communicate with other people? What would happen if he were put in a situation where his only chance of communication was to use a telephone? Would he use it? Or would he rather suffer?

Fear of the sun is heliophobia. People suffering from this fear don't lay out in the sun and they keep their skin covered when they must be exposed to the sunlight. Since the sun is our main source of Vitamin D and is crucial to our health, this phobia could be detrimental to a person‘s health. This phobia would be common among vampires. Or someone with this phobia may believe he is a vampire. His skin would be deathly pale and he would wear sunglasses anytime he had to go out during daylight hours, though he would do everything in his power to avoid going out during the day.

If your character suffers from heliophobia, he would most likely have a night job, one that would allow him to be out and about during the night and sleep during the day. Very little light would be allowed to come into his house, his excuse being that he needs total darkness to sleep when he gets home from work. In his eyes, his life is perfect. Something happens that brings total chaos into his perfectly balanced life. What is it?

Phobias That Could Thwart Writers

2011-12-27T02:00:00.000-07:00

by Lisa Binion

Halloween is the time when we think about scary things. What is out there that would scare a writer? Since there is a phobia for just about everything, it wasn't hard to find specific phobias that would hinder a writer's success. Some may even keep him from writing at all. If the thought of having one of the following phobias is bad, then just how bad would it be if you actually did have one or more of them? I wonder, would the desire to write be strong enough to overcome your fear?

If you don't have any of the following phobias (and I really hope you don't), then why don't you write a story about a wanna be writer who has one or more of them? Help this character overcome the phobias he or she has, then have your character go on to become a published writer, one whose books are in great demand.

Anthropophobia is the fear of meeting people. This one wouldn't so much hinder one from writing anything, but it could develop into a problem when the writer needs to meet new people like agents, publicists, or fans.

Bibliophobia is the fear of books. Maybe a writer afflicted with this phobia could just write short stories or articles. But a fear of books would make researching any subject difficult. Research could always be done on the internet, but if this writer also has Interophobia, the fear of the Internet, then using the Internet would also be out of the question.

Catagelophobia or Katagelophobia is the fear of being made fun of or ridiculed. I used to fear that people would make fun of the stories and/or articles that I wrote, but since I have been with BellaOnline, this fear has subsided. This fear doesn't so much hinder your writing as it impedes you letting others read your writing. It could also keep you from sending your creations off to publishers.

Glossophobia of is the fear of speaking in public. This phobia may hinder one from joining a writers' group. If an author's writing is a success, then this may slow down his or her career when invitations to appear on televion show or radio shows for interviews are turned down. This phobia would even make one not want to speak to a classroom full of those wanting to learn more about writing.

Ideophobia is the fear of ideas. Where would a writer be without any ideas? New ideas are such a huge part this career. Why would one be afraid of them? There isn't a lot of information on this phobia, but I don't know if someone with this phobia could be a writer.

Logophobia or Verbophobia is the fear of words. Wow. Not only would that hinder writing, it would hinder speaking and listening to others talk. How would one manage to communicate with a fear of words? Sign language? Even this would require having a vocabulary.

Panphobia or Pantophobia is the fear of nothing specific, but the fear of everything. A person with this phobia lives in a state of anxiety all the time.

Peniaphobia is the fear of poverty. Maybe this phobia wouldn't so much thwart writers as much as make them work harder at attempting to write a best seller. It really isn't easy to become rich by writing. There are a few lucky ones whose first novel becomes a smashing success, but that is not the norm.

Scopophobia is the fear of being seen or looked at. I guess one could just become a recluse and never leave the house or be seen by anyone, but writers do need to see other people. How would you know how people act without watching them? Characters on television act the way their writers make them act, not necessarily how they would act if they were real.

Sophophobia is the fear of learning. How can one write without learning anything? What about research?

Tropophobia is the fear of making changes. This would be bad, especially when one had to make changes to the story thought to be absolute perfection. A writer's ego, usually a fragile thing anyway, just might not be able to handle being told that his or her perfect story was not so perfect after all.

If there are any other phobias you believe would thwart a writer's success, please tell me about them in the forum.

Phobias

2011-12-26T02:00:00.000-07:00

by Lisa Binion

Is there anything that you are afraid of? Anything that you try to stay away from? Everyone has their own set of fears. Sometimes there is a reason for those fears, sometimes not. A phobia is a persistent, irrational fear of an object, activity, situation or person that leaves a someone with a compelling desire to avoid it no matter how much reassurance of its safety this given.

What happens if someone encounters the object of their fear? They could feel dread, nausea, or breathlessness. They could sweat excessively or lose the ability to think or speak clearly. They could lose control and become angry. Detachment from reality is a possibility, as is a full-blown anxiety attack.

One of my favorite television shows is Monk. Sadly, the series has ended. If you ever watched any of the episodes, I’m sure you are at least casually acquainted with his many phobias. He was scared to death of several things. Some of these feared objects are common phobias or fears, like his fear of snakes; some of them were not so common, like his fear of milk.

Phobias are an excellent way to make your characters unique. Give him or her a strange phobia to set him apart from all of the rest and show how it affects his daily life and interactions with others. There is a list of phobias longer than you could ever imagine. Over time, I will try and cover them all.

The extreme fear of chickens is called alektorophobia. Those who suffer from this phobia aren’t just afraid of being around chickens. This fear also extends to chicken eggs or feathers. A fear of contamination because chickens eat their food off of the ground is also present. There are a few that fear even cooked chickens, but most of the time this phobia manifests itself around uncooked or live chickens.

Your character has alektorophobia. This doesn’t slow life down much, as it is easy to avoid chickens, dead or alive. Then his uncle dies and leaves him a million dollars. Before he can receive his inheritance, there is one thing the will states that he must do - he must stay at a chicken ranch for one week and take care of the chickens himself. Will he be able to do this?

This next phobia would definitely make life interesting and challenging. Vestiphobia is an overwhelming, irrational fear of clothing. In today’s society, walking around unclothed all the time just isn’t socially or legally acceptable. People who suffer from this fear may insist on wearing loose, over-sized clothing. If they suffer from an extreme case of Vestiphobia, they may withdraw from society completely and live out in the middle of nowhere so they can run around naked all the time.

Your character with Vestiphobia is blessed to live in a society where clothing is optional. Then one day he walks through a time portal and goes back to the time when the Pilgrims had built a colony in the New World. Clothing was definitely not optional, it was a requirement. What happens?

Coulrophobia is fear of clowns. A person who suffers from this phobia would definitely not want to visit a circus. But there are more ways than going to a circus to run across clowns. Filmmakers and authors - for example, Stephen King - have made use of this abnormal, exaggerated fear of clowns. A person who suffers from coulrophobia could also fear covering up one’s facial features with face paint, feeling that someone who hides their face is up to no good.

Your character has coulrophobia. It isn’t hard to avoid clowns, unless your family works with the circus. Your character’s parents just happen to be part of the biggest circus around. And their best friend is the clown. How does your character deal with this? What is the underlying reason for his phobia?

Peladophobia is a fear of bald people. Your character has peladophobia. So all she has to do is avoid relationships with people who have no hair. This is easy to do, until she walks into work one day and finds out her boss has been replaced - by a bald man. Even worse, this is a guy she went to school with who had a crush on her. Could he be the reason she has this phobia? Or will he be the one to help cure her of this fear?

Gift Ideas for the Writer in Your Life

2011-12-25T02:00:00.000-07:00

by Lisa Binion

Do you have a friend or loved one who is a writer? Having problems deciding what to get for his or her birthday or Christmas? You can always buy them writing books, reference books, or books by their favorite author. Or you could give them something that would inspire their writing and put their creative minds to work.

A gift that would be low cost, appreciated and useful for anyone who writes is a journal in a jar. To make a journal in a jar, first you need a large jar with a lid. Next, come up with 365 questions about the person’s life, one for each day of the year. Some suggested questions are at the end of this article.

Write or type out each question on a small piece of paper. When you have a question for each day of the year written out, fold them in half and put them all in the jar. Put the lid on it and tie with a ribbon.

Include some instructions with the journal in a jar - "Take out 1 piece of paper each day and either answer the question about your own life or base a story on the question. At the end of a year, you’ll either have enough material to write your own life story or you’ll have written 365 short stories."

Of course, you can change theme of “journal in a jar” to anything you believe the writer would enjoy. You can ask 365 questions about any subject underneath the sun, or combine questions on several different areas that the individual is interested in.

Examples of questions to ask about someone’s life.
1. Was your name chosen for you because it had some special meaning to your parents?
2. What music groups were popular during your teenage years?
3. How did you meet your first boyfriend or girlfriend?
4. What was the political climate like in the world when you were born?
5. What is the one thing you could not possibly live without?

Tell the name for each of the following fears.
1. A fear of atomic explosions.
2. A fear of belly buttons.
3. A fear of the number eight.
4. A fear of frogs.
5. A fear of writing.

Yes, those are actual phobias. You can do an internet search and find the names for hundreds of these irrational fears.

You could also give them a writing prompt for each day of the year. There are several places on the web where you can find good writing prompts. Or you could always write them out yourself. Instead of putting these in a jar, you could print them out on paper and give the prompts with an attractive notebook and pen.

Examples of writing prompts.
1. After a hard day at work, Mary arrives home and finds something in her house that shouldn’t be there. What is it and how did it get there?
2. The king’s mistress gives birth to twins. Scared that the king will find out, she sends one of them to be raised by a couple in the village. Why doesn’t she want the king to find out she had twins?
3. Clarissa buys a coat during the summer at a yard sale, but doesn’t wear it until winter. When she first puts it on and sticks her hands in the pockets, she finds a small pouch of diamonds. How did they end up in the coat?
4. Barry and Melissa have just moved to a new neighborhood with their family. Their first night in the new house, they are kept awake by strange noises coming from the underneath their beds. What is making the noises?
5. Old Mrs. Murphy loves animals. She has a whole menagerie of animals that she cares for. A curmudgeon has moved into the house next door to Mrs. Murphy and believes that the neighborhood would be better off, at least for him, if the animals were sent away. Can Mrs. Murphy teach her neighbor to love her pets as much as she does or will she have to get rid of them?

Unless you give the writer a notebook and pen to go with the journal in a jar, the gift costs only your time and effort. This is a gift that would be used and appreciated.

There are many variations of the gift you could come up with yourself. Have fun with it and adapt it to something the writer in your life would truly enjoy. Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

Show, Don't Tell

2011-12-24T05:59:00.000-07:00

by Lisa Binion

“Show, don’t tell.” What exactly does that mean? How does one show what is happening instead of just telling? What are the benefits of doing so?

Telling is easy.

The room was bare.

Showing takes just a bit of thought, a bit of description, and sometimes a bit of conversation.

The sun peeked through the dirt encrusted windows onto a dusty wooden floor. Huge cobwebs hung low from the ceiling. No couch or chair to relax in after a hard day’s work awaited whoever came home. No shelves full of books to read or television to watch caused Henry to think this would be a great place to hide out.

What are the benefits of showing instead of simply telling? First of all, it will be more memorable. In the above examples, which one would you be more likely to remember? I’m willing to bet that you would be more likely to remember the second one, the one that leaves you wondering just who or what Henry wants to hide from.

What does the above paragraph tell you about the room? The room is bare, yes, but there is also dirt encrusted around the windows and the floor is dusty. There is no furniture, no television, no books in the room. It is pretty obvious that no one has lived there for quite some time. A few well-placed adjectives can keep you from having to write long, boring descriptions that may cause the reader to want to put down the book. Or the reader might have a habit of just skipping over the 'boring' parts.

When you get one of your characters to describe another person or a place, this is called half show-half tell. Instead of saying,

People began to talk about Henry because he stole Mrs. Frobisher’s jewels,

you could half show-half tell. This is done through the conversations of your characters.

Imogene grabbed hold of Mary as she walked by. “Did you hear what Henry did? The police arrested him for stealing Mrs. Frobisher’s jewelry, the stuff her uncle left her in his will. The idiot left his hat behind for the police to find."

When you show instead of tell, another benefit is that the reader becomes more involved in the story. He actually feels as though he is one of the characters. When the character is hurt, the reader feels hurt. When the character cries, the reader sympathizes and may even cry along with the character. When the character feels joy, the reader will smile along with him and be happy. In other words, the reader becomes emotionally involved with the story. Once this happens, he will find it nearly impossible to put the book down.

Showing instead of telling is great, just be careful not to overdo it. You need to pick what you show and what you tell.

A telephone rings. Unless it is pertinent to the story, the telephone just rings.

The dishes are washed. Again, unless there is something about washing the dishes that is vital to the story, the dishes are just washed.

Too much showing and you run the risk of boring your reader, especially if things that are not pertinent to the story are described in too much detail. You obviously use more words when you show.

To practice showing and not telling, try ‘showing’ things around you on paper. Show a dog playing with a Frisbee, an elderly lady with visual problems grocery shopping, a disabled man or woman climbing a steep set of stairs, a frustrated mother with a crying baby, and a husband celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, now deceased. Feel free to post your exercises in the forum.

Planning Your Culture

2011-12-23T02:00:00.000-07:00

by Lisa Binion

Whether you realize it or not, culture is central to your story, even if you write a story that takes place in modern times. Over time the clothes that are worn, the music that is listened to, the way people travel, the hobbies that people have, the way people practice their religion, the way that people look at things - these will all change. If you want your story to survive through the ages and be read time and time again, you need to write your story not just for the time, but for all times. How do you manage to do this?

Cultures are made up of people (or animals, if that is the way your story works) who share a common interest, who share a related outlook on life and who keep certain goals. It may be required that some of the citizens set aside differences. Of each member personal sacrifices of time, effort and resources are required for the good of the community if it is to survive and flourish past the lifetimes of those who are in it now.

Let’s take the Writer Culture as an example. (I chose the Writer Culture for obvious reasons). The common ground of writers is to put words formed into a story or article onto paper, a computer screen, or clay tablets (depending on the time in which they live). Their mutual outlook on life is that they have something they need to share with a few people or a lot of people. If they are lucky, what they write down will actually be read. But that doesn’t matter, a writer's compelling need is to write it down.

Their goals are to finish whatever they are writing, send it out to an editor and hopefully be published. They may have the goal of writing so many words each day, or so many paragraphs, chapters, or scenes. When writers meet with other writers, they generally are able to set aside differences in religion, politics, personal beliefs, and so on and just discuss their true love of writing.

Where does making personal sacrifices come into the writing culture? Well, writers may sacrifice time that most people spend watching television, sleeping, or even going places in order to have time to write. You need to write even when you don’t feel inspired, but inspiration chooses to hit at the most unexpected and inconvenient times. A writer may be in the middle of doing something he really enjoys when the inspiration for a scene that has been eluding him comes. Then the choice must be made whether to leave what he is doing and write the scene while the inspiration is fresh, or pray that later he remembers it.

Writers work together for the good of the entire group by sharing information with each other. If one knows how to write great descriptions, he will share how with the others. They would also make suggestions to each other. One may share with another how he makes notes so that momentary inspiration is brought back to memory later.

When new writers appear on the scene, they are supported so that the writing culture will continue and grow. They should be encouraged to write and send work off to editors. It is impossible to be published if your work never leaves your house.

The same thing also works with musicians, artists, mechanics, and many more. There are also subcultures, where the membership is more restrictive, within each culture.

You need to show the culture at work in the lives of your characters and let your reader know why they act the way they do and speak that way they speak. Your work is more likely to stand the test of time if these things are made clear to the reader. People still enjoy books written by Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and Shakespeare even though the way we live now is far removed from the way life was in their books.

Basically, your planned culture needs to cover the home life, the community, religious beliefs, practices and government. The more that each section relates to your story, the more deeply you need to plan it out.

It is fun to create a culture, one where you decide the rules and the way of life. Just be careful not to get so caught up in creating your culture that you forget about your story, the reason for creating this culture in the first place.

In Create A Culture Clinic, author Holly Lisle goes even deeper into how to successfully create any kind of culture. She provides questions that you need to answer to ensure that every part of your culture is planned out. This is simply a great book, one that I highly recommend you make part of your writer’s library. I have provided a link to if you wish to purchase this book from Holly Lisle.

Create A Culture Clinic, by Holly Lisle

Plot Basics

2011-12-22T02:00:00.000-07:00

by Lisa Binion

There are those who say that there are only 7 basic plots: a person vs. nature, a person vs. a person, a person vs. the environment, a person vs. machines/technology, a person vs. the supernatural, a person vs. self, and a person vs. god/religion.

That is about as basic as you can get. I don’t know about you, but I need more than that to my storyline. The above “plots” lack characters and a story; they are simply conflicts. Conflicts - lots of them - are needed to put together a plot. The events that happen and propel both your characters and your story onward is your plot.

Others propose that there are 20 basic plots: quest, adventure, pursuit, rescue, escape, revenge, the riddle, rivalry, underdog, temptation, metamorphosis, transformation, maturation, love, forbidden love, sacrifice, discovery, wretched excess, ascension, and descension.

This gets even better. Now we find that some propose 36 basic plots:
1) supplication (in which the supplicant must beg something from power in authority)
2) deliverance
3) crime pursued by vengeance
4) vengeance taken for kindred upon kindred
5) pursuit
6) disaster
7) falling prey to cruelty of misfortune
8) revolt
9) daring enterprise
10) abduction
11) the enigma ( temptation or a riddle)
12) obtaining
13) enmity of kinsmen
14) rivalry of kindmen
15) murderous adultery
16) madness
17) fatal imprudence
18) involuntary crimes of love (for example, the discover that one has married a brother or sister, etc.)
19) slaying of a kinsman unrecognized
20) self-sacrificing for an ideal
21) self-sacrifice for kindred
22) all sacrificed for passion
23) necessity of sacrificing loved ones
24) rivalry of superior and inferior
25) adultery
26) crimes of love
27) discovery of the dishonor of a loved one
28) obstacles to love
29) an enemy loved
30) ambition
31) conflict with a god
32) mistaken jealousy
33) erroneous judgement
34) remorse
35) recovery of a lost one
36) loss of loved ones

The things suggested as your 20 basic plots and as your 36 basic plots name out the conflicts that could take place, but you are still lacking characters to go along with those conlicts. These basic plots could be used to give you ideas, but they are not something that I would depend on to try and develop your plot.

A plot consists of every part of the storyline - the people, the conflicts, the world it takes place in. An important thing to remember is that no plot is ever set in stone until the story is published. Bits and pieces or it, or huge chunks of it can be changed as you write the story, not just one time but several times.

Use things that have happened in your own life, or in the lives of others you know, as a starting point for your plot. In October of this year, a spider with lots and lots of legs, somehow managed to crawl back inside my ear. Even though the little creature had only eight legs, it felt like so many more! Anyway, I had no clue what kind of bug had crawled in my ear until it came out. For a former arachnophobiac, that was a terrifying moment. The sensation of the creature moving around in my ear was terrifying enough, but the moment it came out and I saw what had been in my ear was even worse.

What happened to me could be turned in to a plot. It could be a thriller, a mystery, or a romance. Maybe even a heart-warming reunion story or a science fiction/fantasy story. The choice is mine. It all depends on the plot I choose.

My first thought was a thriller. Another author I know immediately said that it would make a fantastic children's story. I haven't figured out how that would work, but that is what she said. I can see it as part of a mystery story. The event that happened could somehow lead to a romantic encounter or a reunion with long lost friends or family members. It could definitely be part of a science fiction/fantasy story.

Once the genre is decided upon, then the main characters need to be developed and a basic storyline formed.

If you would like to learn more about creating a plot, I highly recommend Holly Lisle’s Create A Plot Clinic. The link I’ve provided below is to buy the book from HollyLisle.com.

Create A Plot Clinic, by Holly Lisle