Posts by Sara
Fantasy a No Go with This Years Students
Back in January, you may have seen my post about using novels instead of textbooks for my ENG101 and RWR090 classes. Two of the novels worked out okay, but one was a disaster. Feed by M. T. Anderson This semester’s 101 students weren’t as enthusiastic about Feed as last semesters, but after a rocky start,…
Read MoreWriter Beware: Your Work Is Valuable; Don’t Get Scammed
Most of us start writing because we enjoy it or because we have something we are desperate to share. While some writers hoard their work, afraid to let the public see it, many want or even need their work to be read. Those of us who want to publish aren’t always content to just throw…
Read MoreHow an editor made my day.
This year, I had high hopes for #DVpit. I’d just finished polishing a new manuscript. My query was in good shape. I’d struggled with my pitches, but thought I finally had them down. I scheduled them, went to work, and tried to not to sneak peeks at twitter between each student I tutored. My try…
Read More2nd edition of Teach. Write. is here — Hey, Mrs. Winkler!
The Spring 2018 edition of Teach. Write. is now available. Read for free online or buy a print copy here. Submissions will open for the Fall/Winter 2018 edition on May 1 and close on August 1. Please see the submission guidelines for more information. via 2nd edition of Teach. Write. is here — Hey, Mrs. Winkler!
Read MoreConcussive Puppy Trouble
This is the longest I have gone without making a new post since I started this blog, and it might be a while before I get back to my regular posts, so I figured I’d hop on for a few minutes and let you all know what is going on. Late January was the start…
Read MoreReplacing Textbooks With novels in First Year Writing
For the past five years, I’ve taught first year writing at community college and state universities. I assigned textbooks and/or trade books based on what other teachers used or what seemed like the kind of book college students should read. It didn’t work out so well. Now, I’m using books I get excited about. The…
Read MoreAnother Book Review: Shadowshaper
Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older My rating: 5 of 5 stars Daniel José Older’s Shadowshaper series has been in my TBR list for a while. I bought it a few weeks ago, but had to work through the ARC’s I had to review before I got to it. I don’t know why I waited so…
Read MoreBook Review: Seven-Sided Spy
Seven-Sided Spy by Hannah Carmack My rating: 5 of 5 stars I received a copy of Seven-Sided Spy from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review and was pleasantly surprised to find it’s science fiction element was a more prominent part of the story than I initially expected. When I read the…
Read MoreBook Review: Smoke City
Smoke City by Keith Rosson My rating: 5 of 5 stars I got a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. And I’ll admit, after the first couple chapters, I didn’t think I’d be giving it five stars, but I read on, and was won over the…
Read MoreBeta Readers & Remembering my Characters are NOT me.
Good beta readers and critique partners are essential for writers, not just because they make individual manuscripts stronger, but also because they can make writers aware of problematic patterns. My beta readers often comment that my characters don’t react or show emotion to big things – like finding out demons exits, losing a loved one,…
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