Jo Hamlet's short stories and articles have appeared in newspapers, national/international/literary magazines, e-zines and have been broadcast on radio. She also contributes regularly to web sites and newsletters. She also runs creative writing workshops. Visit her web site for more information.

WRITING ON THE GO
By Doris Schuchard

If you think your child can only turn out that literary masterpiece in the
quiet solitude of her room, you may be missing some wonderful 5-minute
writing opportunities. The next time you and your youngster are driving in
the car, standing in the check-out lane, sitting in a restaurant, or
watching big brother's soccer practice, try some of these writing
activities. They don't require a lot of time or special tools, and best of
all, may just spark that love of writing in your child!

1. Make a List. What are your child's interests and areas of expertise?
Rock-collecting, ballet, sports trivia, Greek mythology? Have her make a
list--it may come in handy for future story starters.

2. Guess the Word. Keep a small dictionary in your purse or car. Your
child chooses a word and tries to stump you by reading the definitions of
four different words--one of which is the correct one. As you try to guess
the real meaning, your child is also increasing her vocabulary.

3. Three Object Story. Give your child the names of three objects--perhaps
three tools in the dentist's office or three animals you see outside the car
window. He makes up a short story, using all three items in his narrative.

4. Pass It On. One person starts a story with a sentence. The next person
continues the story, adding to the setting, characters, and action. Keep
the tale going as long as you like, with each person contributing ideas.

5. How Does It End? Share a childhood remembrance with your child--the time
you tried out for the baseball team or the bear encounter on your family's
camping trip. Stop the story before the conclusion and ask, "What happened
next?" Or tell the whole story and have your child come up with a new
ending.

6. Talk It Up. Assign your child the task of ordering the restaurant meal
or asking a store clerk where the video games are located. As she expands
her conversation, "What game would your recommend?" or "How does the chef
make those blueberry pancakes?" your child is honing her interview skills.

7. Puzzle Poems. Write lots of interesting words and phrases on small
pieces of paper and attach to magnet strips. Take your bagful of words and
a cookie sheet along on trips. Your child can compose poetry by arranging
the magnet words on the cookie sheet. (Or just laminate the words and use a
piece of cardboard as a background.)

8. Sell It to Me. Pick out a highway billboard, radio commercial, or store
product advertisement. Can your child create a new jingle or slogan for the
same product?

9. Read On. Good writers do a lot of reading! Keep story cassettes,
magazines, and books in the car. Then as you're travelling or waiting in
the doctor's office your child can use the time to read or listen to a
story.

10. Picture This. Compile a folder of photos, magazine pictures, and comic
strips of people and animals. Your child can pull one out and tell or write
dialogue for the characters.

11. Rhyme Time. Go back and forth, making up one line of a poem, while your
child continues with the next line, ending it in a rhyming word. "There
once was a cat." "Who was very fat." "He ate more and more." "And got
stuck in the door."

12. Purse Dump. Let your child examine the contents of your purse. He
selects an item and gives you detailed clues, "It's a shiny, brown, hard
circle," as you try to guess what he's describing.

13. What's Wrong? Tell your child a familiar fairy tale, but change some of
the facts, "Little Red Riding Hood met a platypus in the woods." Or give her
a sentence with incorrect grammar, "I goes to band practice every Tuesday."
Can she discover what's wrong and correct it?

14. Character Traits. The next time you're clothes shopping have your child
try on a unique looking hat, shoes, or shirt. Ask, "What kind of story
character might wear this? What does he look like? What is his occupation,
favorite hobbies? What might this person say if you met him? What makes
him upset, worried, happy?"

15. Synonym Snack. Give your child a snack. Ask him to come up with a new
synonym as he eats each piece. For the word "eat" he might say, "I'm
devouring, gobbling, munching, etc. my grapes." Or for "small": "This is a
tiny, little, miniature cracker."

16. Convince Me. Allow your child to choose a snack, book, or small toy in
the store. If she can give you five reasons (supported by facts!) why you
should purchase it, reward her powers of persuasion!

17. Toss the Dice. Have your child describe words using the five senses.
He throws a dice. If it lands on a 1, he selects a word that can be
described by sight, 2: sound, 3: smell, 4: taste, 5: touch, and 6: all five senses!
For example, if he rolls a 4, he could pick the word lemon and say it tastes sour.

 

TAX TIME, By Susan Miles

Setting: The offices of the Accounting firm "Ellis, Neil, Roberts, O'Malley and Nickleby."

'Ms Miles, thank you for coming in today.'

'Not a problem. Oh by the way, like the new sign out front. I always think full names look more impressive than just an acronym.'

'Yes, well, under the circumstances... Anyway, the reason I asked you  to come in was to clarify a few of the claims on your tax return this year.'

'O.K.'

'I see you have listed your occupation as "Freelance writer".'

'Yes.'

'You see, Ms Miles, to claim any expense as a deduction, we need to show the IRS that it is directly related to the generation of taxable income.'

'Sounds reasonable.'

'Yes, we in the accounting profession have always thought it a sound principle. However, I am unsure about the reasonableness of some of your deductions. For example, this expense you have listed as "Compensation, co-writer".'

'Yes, that was payment for an article that I developed in partnership with a fellow writer.'

'But the receipt you have provided as proof for this claim is for $12-95?'

'That's right.'

'From ToysRUs?'

'Yes?'

'For one Barbie doll outfit?'

'Yes, you see, this particular article was from an idea my 7-year-old niece gave me. Cash or checks don't interest her, she prefers to be compensated in Barbie merchandise.'

'Really!'

'Yes, it's either Barbie clothes or a byline, but what am I, crazy?'

'Lets leave that point for the time being and move onto the next item, "Office space," cost $1,076-75.'

'Well of course. As a writer it's imperative that I have a space to work.'

'I don't dispute that. But to support your claim you have attached 365 receipts for "tall non-fat cappuccinos" from Starbucks.'

'It's actually very economical. For the cost of a coffee I get a comfortable and quiet corner to write, I just have to remember to sip slowly.'

'Umm, lets move on shall we. You have two regular meetings that you have claimed expenditure for. One you have listed as a daily "Planning meeting", the other, a weekly "Think tank session".'

'Unfortunately even we writers can't escape meetings in our working life.'

'No, I quite appreciate this. But again, it's the actual receipts for these that I am having trouble with. For the "Planning meetings", you have claimed the cost of 3 pairs of New Balance running shoes.'

'I can explain. I plan my articles and essays in my head while I'm running. On a good run, sorry "Planning session", I can write an entire article in my head.'

'That's very impressive. It also helps explain the other meeting you have listed. I am assuming that your "Think tank sessions", are to come up with new ideas for your writing.'

'Absolutely.'

'So the fact that you have claimed under this category 20% of your gas and water bills, a range of products from "The Body Shop", and one duck, description; rubber, yellow, I am guessing these "sessions", take place in the bath!'

'I can't help it. It's where I get my best ideas.'

'Let's move onto a more serious item. You have listed an expense of "Danger money-South Korea".'

'I'm afraid it was an unavoidable expense in getting my story on the DMZ.'

'I'm intrigued. What was it? Bribes? Kickbacks? Protection money?'

'Not exactly, it was for international phone calls to my parents.'

'How does this equate to danger money Ms Miles?'

'Simple, without those daily calls I was in serious danger of being disowned by my parents. I was in Korea over the holiday period, so I missed my parent 's annual New Years day BBQ.'

'A BBQ!'

'Ha, we're Australians, we take our BBQ's very seriously!!'

'Let's look at your last claim. You haven't noted an amount or attached a receipt.'

'It was hard to put a price on it.'

'I doubt whether the IRS has a formula either to value "One broken heart".'

'But this is the most legitimate claim I have! Didn't you say yourself that for any expense to be an allowable deduction it must be directly related to your taxable income?'

'Yes, but I don't see how..?'

'But this of all things has inspired some of my best and most profitable writing.'

'Well, when you put it like that. But you'll need to estimate a value.'

'$1.50?'

'Done. One last question Ms Miles. What exactly do you write?'

'Non-fiction, essays, travel, that sort of thing.'

'I'm surprised, from your tax return I had you pegged as a fantasy writer.'


Biography:

Susan Miles, is a freelance writer from Australia, currently located in Chiba Japan. Her article on the DMZ appeared recently in the St Petersburg Times (Florida), and her "co-authored" piece with her niece Louise, appears in the April edition of www.tripsandjourneys.com

SEPARATION EQUALS SUCCESS: HOW TO KEEP YOUR HOME--AND WRITING OFFICE--FROM OVERLAPPING, by Carolyn Campbell

The idea of running a home-based writing business is enticing. There’s the 30-second commute to your desk, a casual dress code, and freedom to choose your break time. Yet there’s also the challenge of "being in two places at once." Experts and home entrepreneurs suggest that separating the two environments can help you avoid a constant tug between and home and office. The following ideas may help improve efficiency and reduce stress in both your home and home office.

1. Physically separate your home and office.

Lionel Fisher, corporate communicator and author of On Your Own: A Guide To Working Happily, Productively and Successfully From Home." and others agree that the most important element in working at home productively is to create a workplace that is solely that. He says, "When you walk into your writing office, it signifies that you are at work, when you leave, you are no longer working."

Fisher and Ellen Parlapiano, a home entrepreneur and co-author of the book, "Mompreneurs: A Mother’s Practical Step-By-Step Guide To Work-At- Home Success both feel that a separate room with a door offers the most easily distinguished separation. Says Parlapiano, "You can close the door at the end of work hours to remind yourself you are stopping work to devote time to your family."

While a separate room may be ideal, consider secluding a smaller space with a row of plants, a room divider, or by positioning a bookcase. Fisher adds that if a workplace is a dining room table or arm chair during certain hours of the day, you can maximize success by "mental commuting." He says, "Draw an imaginary line around that space and drum into your consciousness that when you’re there, you’re there to work. Nothing else! It’s as important to cut yourself off from allurements of home as it is to wall off distractions of the outside world."

Along with office space, dividing home and business phone calls contributes to professionalism. Many home offices have two telephone lines or identify office calls with a double ring. Parlapiano’s business line rings only in her office--so that neither she nor her children worry about answering during off hours when an answering machine takes over. On the rare occasion when she expects an important business call during non-business hours, she takes a cordless phone with her when she leaves the office.

Steve Osborne, a home office author of books and magazine articles, recommends buying a phone with a "mute" button. These buttons, which block any sound on your end from being heard by business callers, can preserve your professional image. Says Osborne, "No matter how well you train your family to tiptoe past your office and speak in whispers, it’s inevitable that something potentially embarrassing will happen. Mute buttons are worth their weight in gold." He explains that while a mute button also blocks your voice and may not always be expedient during a detailed conversation, it’s very helpful in preserving your "office" image if you need to excuse yourself briefly--to chat quickly with an anxious child, or speak with someone at the door, for example.

2. Prioritize working hours and family time.

For a conscientious homebased writer, a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. office schedule can wind up being 7 to 11 with Saturdays thrown in. Setting office hours is one way to keep work and family time from colliding, says Parlapiano.

When Diane DiResta, an executive communications coach and president of home-based DiResta Communications, first opened her home office, she worked from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. When her husband arrived home at 5, he would walk in the door and call out, "Hi, I’m home," until DiResta responded. "It was stressful to have to answer him if I was on a business call. When I couldn’t reply immediately, he became annoyed as well."

She believes that while budding home entrepreneurs may be inclined to work "all the time" and take calls around the clock, they later discover that setting office hours helps them spend quality time at both work and home. Today, Di Resta’s husband reads or watches television until she finishes working at 6. If a call rings on her business line at 7 p.m., DiResta calmly lets her machine answer and calls back the next day.

Says Parlapiano, "Be a self-starter--and a self stopper. Harness the discipline you utilized to get your business going to keep that same business from running your life." She suggests resisting the temptation to open business mail or network on-line on weekends. She says, "Think about leaving your laptop and cellular phone home from your child’s soccer game."

Other experts agree that it’s critical for working parents to assure their children that they’re more important than their work. Dr. Bill Womack, co-director of the stress management clinic at Seattle’s Children’s Hospital says, "Kids are responsive to structure. If they know that spending time with them is a regular thing, they will allow their parents to do other things."

3. Set boundaries and establish expectations.

One simple method that Sherry Lewis, author of four novels, sets "office: boundaries" is to simply not go to the door or answer her personal phone line while working. As a home business owner for twenty years, the author of this article wears a hat while working. If her children or husband see her wearing her hat, they understand that she is requesting not to be interrupted. Another mother Parlapiano and Cobe interviewed for their book holds up her hand if her children enter the office when she isn’t free to talk. "Once they see that hand, they know I’m at work," she says.

Osborne is only half-kidding when he advises homebased writers to remain aloof with family members and others who tend to interrupt your work " unless they’re bleeding or on fire...or unless your house is on fire and they can’t put it out themselves." He explains, "To survive and prosper as a home-based business owner, you must be brutally disciplined with yourself and expect your family to be disciplined in the way they treat you when you’re working." He suggest that home business owners set rules, inform family members what the rules are, and insist that they abide by them, explaining that a home business is not a game, but a serious issue of financial survival.

4. Use rituals to help you make the transition.

Fisher recalls the story of a home business owner who prepares her first cup of coffee while she lets her dog out each morning. She finishes the coffee and when she lets the dog back in, that is her signal to begin working. Another home entrepreneur "leaves for the office" when he hears his next door neighbor pull out of his driveway to go to work. Some people who work at home get up every morning and prepare themselves as if leaving for work. Others have an absolute rule, such as "get up, shower and get dressed by 9 a.m." Fisher advises. "Starting seems to take a lot longer at 10 a.m. than it does at 8 a.m. Try using a simple ritual to make the transition to work as easy as possible."

5. Plan ahead for back-up help and extra hands in case of emergencies. .

When a child wakes up and says, "Mommy, I’m sick," even the most effective home office organization is threatened instantly. Says Fisher, "As a home business becomes successful, the owner realizes that there are times when he can’t do it all. Ask for help immediately when you need it, temporarily in emergencies and possibly permanently for lesser chores." .

Parlapiano suggests that work-at home entrepreneurs build an extra two or more days into deadlines."If a project is due on the tenth, plan to finish it by the eighth--just so that you have two days as a cushion against emergencies," she says. She further suggests locating back-up child care arrangements in advance for days when a regular babysitter cancels or additional child care is needed because of a temporarily heavy workload. Home entrepreneurs might also consider hiring a temporary office assistant on peak occasions to complete routine tasks.

If it’s your home life that’s falling behind deadlines, rather than taking office time to complete home chores, you may want to hire a one-time only or even a once-a-week house cleaner, gardener or other household help..

6. Give yourself a break from both environments.

Richard Shaw, owner of Cineclean Publishing, a company that provides literature for building maintenance organizations, operates his business in a series of blocks of time--integrating his work schedule with home-schooling his son. Shaw works hard until noon--then takes an hour away from both his home and office by running errands or eating lunch at a restaurant. "The physical activity spurs new ideas--so when I return to my office, and my house, I’m like a new person starting a new day," he says.

Fisher’s term for such breaks is "strategic withdrawals." He says, "It’s smart to get away from your place of business once in a while. Leave the office so it doesn’t get to feel all-confining. Promise yourself that when you finish three more pages, you can do something really interesting, like jog or take the dog for a walk. If you don’t have a reason for going out, invent one." When planning your week, be sure to plan for time away from work. Remember that there are actually three vital components to balance--office, home and family, and personal time.

Carolyn Campbell is the author of three books, most recently "Reunited: True Stories Of Long Lost Siblings Reunited At Last" (Penguin Putnam). She has also published 600 magazine articles.

FISH BOWL POETRY, by Lynne Remick

Like fish, poetry comes in all shapes and sizes. There are big poems, little poems, red poems, blue poems, old poems, new poems. Catching a poem can be as challenging as netting a fish. As in fishing, the more you try, the better your chances of hooking a big one.

Just as there are many ways to catch a fish, there's more than one way to catch a poem. Here's a few ways to get you started:

FIRST TIME FISHERMAN: Think of your favorite words. Write them down, one each to a slip of paper. Fold the papers in half and place them in an empty fish bowl. Fish out a slip and write the word down at the top of the page. That word will be the title of your new poem. Use whatever words you can to write a poem that relates back to the title word. Your poem can be rhymed or un-rhymed (freeverse).

BEGINNER FISHERMAN: Think of your favorite words. Write them down, one each to a slip of paper. Fold the papers in half and place them in an empty fish bowl. Fish out a slip and write the word down at the end of a separate line on a clean sheet of paper.

1.__________________________________ NIGHT.
2.__________________________________ (Word Must Rhyme with NIGHT).

Make a two line-rhyme:

1.__________________________________ I heard a loud bump in the NIGHT.
2.__________________________________ It gave me an aw-w-ful fright.

Then go fishing for another word:

3.__________________________________ ALARM.
4.__________________________________ (Word must Rhyme with ALARM).

Make another two-line rhyme:

3. Don't sound the ALARM,
4. I came to no harm!

And so on. You can make the poem as short or as long as you wish. The poem can make no sense or complete sense,
depending on your mood.

INTERMEDIATE FISHERMAN: Think of your favorite poetry forms. Write them down, one each to a slip of paper. Fold the papers in half and place them in an empty fishbowl. Fish out a slip and write a poem using the chosen form. Some forms you can choose from: Acrostic, Ballad, Blank Verse, Blessing, Cinquain, Clerihew, Concrete (Shape) Poem, Counting Rhyme, Couplet, Definition Poem, Diamante, Dramatic Monologue, Elegy, Englyn Circh, Epistle, Freeverse, Ghazal, Haiku, Limerick, Lorenga, Lullaby, Me Poem, Mother Goose Poem, Ode, Pantoum, Prayer, Rant Poem, Rondel, Quatrain, Sestina, Sonnet, Tanka, Tercet, Terza Rima, Tongue Twister, Triad, Triolet or Villanelle, to name a few. If you haven't any ideas or aren't familiar with these poems, check out these website:

Forms of Poetry for Children
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/poeform.htm

POETRY FORMS AND TERMINOLOGY
http://thewordshop.tripod.com/forms.html

Whatever poetry form you fish out is the form you must use for your poem.

ADVANCED FISHERMAN: Draw one poetry form from your INTERMEDIATE Fishbowl and four words from your BEGINNER fishbowl. Use the four words and the poetry form in your new poem.

Have fun fishing!

Lynne Remick resides in New York with her beloved son Kevin, a darling Schipperke named Dante and Sahara-a feral cat, along with a spoiled Hedgehog named Willow and her three babies, Winken, Blinken and Nod. In the midst of this zoo, Lynne studies children's literature, reviews children's books and writes stories and poems for children.

PLEASURE AND PAIN, Jo Hamlet

Why do some writers neglect to edit their work? When I worked as an editor for a national writers' magazine, I received many manuscripts that were obviously sent without even a cursory second glance - perhaps submitted before the writer had second thoughts. Some were great stories but there was far too much editing to be done so they were placed in the
'REJECT' basket and other work that needed no editing, or very little, was accepted.

'But I can't afford to have my work edited' is a common cry.

You don't have to. Admittedly editing is not so much fun as the actual writing of your story. It often takes longer than it did to write the piece in the first place and can be hard work. But it is all part of a writer's job not the editor's, unless he/she is getting paid for it.
Fear of spoiling a masterpiece is not a good enough excuse for not editing. To an editor an unedited manuscript means the writer is sloppy and lazy. You must clean up your manuscript before it leaves your hands

When you've finished writing, the best thing to do is put your work away for a few days, or a week or two, then read it through. It's surprising how many mistakes you will find. Then read it aloud or better still get someone to read it out loud to you. Does it flow or sound stilted? If it's the latter re-write and keep re-writing until it sounds right.

Have you used the same word too many times? If the answer is yes use your thesaurus to find another perhaps better word that means the same thing. Delete all useless and unnecessary words and phrases such as actually, in point of fact. If you can say the same thing in less words then do so.

Cut down on excessive attribution. Nobody likes to read he said, she said all the time. Make sure your characters have not said the same thing twice - don't let them waffle on. And learn how to punctuate dialogue. Never ever use clichés unless they are part of a character's speech. As a writer you should know better. Use your imagination and think of something original. Don't bore your reader, especially the editor who is assessing your work. Let him/her think how clever/funny you are to come up with such a good description. This also means cutting down on adverbs and adjectives, they can be too vague. Paint pictures with your words and you will have an appreciative reader.

Spelling errors are inexcusable. Every writer should possess a dictionary plus a thesaurus, and a good book on grammar and usage. Don't rely on the spell checker or you could end up with a very different word and meaning to what you really want.

If you find writing is a pleasure but editing a pain, remember they go 'hand-in- hand' if you want to gain an editor's approval and put your work in a much better position - the 'ACCEPT' basket.

© Jo Hamlet 2002