My son shredded the seat of our dining chair with his fingers in those first few weeks of virtual 4th grade. Ragged threads hung to the floor. My son, Sweetboy, is 10 years old and autistic. Reliving 4th grade via virtual school wasn’t how I had planned to spend my year, but he needed help.... Continue Reading →
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Character Ideas, and Remember Magic Eye Illusions?
Do you remember the Magic Eye pictures? Those colorful, grainy optical illusions were everywhere in the mid-1990s. I was in 11th grade, and the art teacher had a Magic Eye book in the art room, propped up on a table. (This was the same art teacher who told me I was “too left-brained to do... Continue Reading →
Writers’ Inspiration in a Graveyard
The sunny weather lured my son and me out for a long afternoon walk. We walked three miles and ended up on a main road. We caught a public transit bus home. The interesting bit is that we discovered this tiny cemetery along our route. I’ve driven past it tons of times but never noticed... Continue Reading →
What does an IEP have to do with NaNoWriMo?
Today is Day 1 of NaNoWriMo 2019. Over the past couple weeks, I went back and forth in my mind. Should I participate or not? I tried it last year. It was - for various reasons, some out of my control - a big disaster. So, this year I decided I would not participate. Then... Continue Reading →
Instagram, Children’s Books, and Third Grade
What’s new in my life? The title sums it up. Instagram I started an Instagram account a month ago @sarahmcinneswrites. It focuses on what I’m reading and writing with a few lovely landscapes and gardens mixed in. I like that Instagram invites bite-size pieces of writing. Unedited, I tend towards verbosity, but Instagram forces me... Continue Reading →
Becoming Leo: Creating Fictional Characters
My Sweetboy pauses outside the café’s door and points to a young child toddling alongside her parent. Sweetboy stops the girl’s mother. What's her name? This is June. And what's your name? Leo. Hi Leo. It's nice to meet you. Sweetboy, whose name is not Leo, grins with satisfaction. I nudge him to respond with... Continue Reading →
Gaining Words and Losing Pounds
There must be a corner of hell that is all burpees, all the time. That’s how awful burpees are. They belong to the realm of torture. Yet twice a week you can find me sweating through combos of running, jumping, planks, squats, crunches, lifting weights, and yes – even those hellish burpees. Some time ago,... Continue Reading →
All is Not Merriment Beneath the Twinkling Lights
Be a fly on the wall during our Christmas morning and what would you see? A picturesque 4 ½ foot Christmas tree perched on a low table covered with a white tree skirt. The twinkling colored lights reflected in the glass doors to the back porch. Full stockings hang from the mantel above the fireplace.... Continue Reading →
What Does a 1983 Oldsmobile Have in Common With my Writing?
“That’s too much car for such a little girl.” The condescending words came from a middle-aged man standing in the small crowd gathering around my 1983 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency. It was the summer of 1998, and this behemoth was my beloved, first car. It was navy blue, with air-conditioning, automatic everything, and was a whopping... Continue Reading →