Writing in Digital Environments Project

My Plan B

Ah, the irony of reading my last post a year later! I've taken my writing offline while working on finishing a fictional manuscript.  I've also been busy working a my two part-time jobs in education.  Still using digital tools, but posting on a non-public blog that I'm using with my students.  My book list is now showing books that are part of my work in one of my school programs.  I have to figure out how to run different lists for my different blogs.  On my Audible player I'm enjoying Annie Lamott's Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith.  A wonderful, funny, and nourishing read from one of my favorite authors.

From Book To Play

Adapted from Avi's book, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, the new play at Seattle Children's Theatre offers young readers a chance to see a book's characters come alive and in a theatrical genre that may not be familiar. Reviewer Misha Berson says

It's a straight-up, well-performed melodrama about a sheltered girl of 13 who undertakes a trans-Atlantic voyage on her own.

Berson points out that Charlotte's defiant behavior is not the behavior of a proper 19th-century young lady and therein lies a bit of irony in SCT's choice of the melodramatic style for this production. Characters in early melodramas were usually stereotypes. The development of Charlotte's seafaring abilities and her recognition of her true strengths makes her an unconventional young lady. Perhaps the choice was made to leave out the scene where Charlotte cuts her hair to keep her looks more in line with a character from a melodrama of that period. Though Charlotte breaks out of the stereotype in the midst of this production and gives us a courageous 19th-century heroine, the beautiful set and excellent acting makes the play work. It also provides an opportunity to talk with students about theatrical and book genres.

This type of heroine is important for girls and boys. Being able to discover and use strengths despite the roadblocks erected by family, society, and sometimes, even friends, is the kind of triumphant story that needs to be told again and again.

Book Connections

One of the best ways to get students excited about reading and writing is to connect them with an author. If the author happens to write a wide range of interesting, exciting stories across genres, I think more students will respond. Today I had the pleasure of watching and listening to Avi, this year's Newbery Award winner talk with students at Seattle Girl's School. Avi shared his book list that he kept in a journal during high school. He told the girls that,

"Writing is reading."

His explanation of the steps he takes to revise his work and the importance of reading aloud during that process was powerful. I'm looking forward to experimenting with audioblogging during our work with student writers.