Writers often feel as if they exist on the periphery of life.

Perhaps this is obvious to you, but it’s a revelation to me. 

Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, in Pen On Fire: A Busy Woman’s Guide to Igniting the Writer Within, describes how writers often feel like they don’t quite blend in, like they are an “other” - an outsider looking on.  Writers are misfits trying to make sense of their world. 

I won’t lie.  I’ve always felt like I don’t quite fit in, but then, I just thought that I was an oddball.

As a little girl in Argentina, my brother and I were the only niños rubios in a world of brunettes.  Meme, my abuela, held us up so strangers could pat our golden blonde heads, just like toy poodles. ¡Que Lindos!

When we moved to the US, I didn’t speak a word of English in an American public school.  I didn’t speak the language, and I didn’t understand the culture.

As an Argentinean, I expected to greet friends with a kiss on each cheek.  But, my 7-year-old friend explained, Americans don’t kiss.

A lifetime later, I’m never quite sure whether to kiss, or not, and is it one kiss, or two?  This confusion leads to embarrassing accidents, where you make a wrong turn and nervously kiss someone on the neck, or worse.

By the end of the school year, I spoke American fluently, and I knew not to kiss friends, but we kept on moving from school to school in the Washington D.C. border states, before relocating to Puerto Rico.

Entering 6th Grade in San Juan, I barely spoke Spanish, and an Argentinean Spanish at that.  Over the year, I learned about guaguas, churros and chicharrones.  I discovered new friends and unprecedented freedom, but we weren’t there long enough to be anything other than outsiders.

In June of 1977, we moved to another Caribbean island - St. Thomas, USVI.  My parents still have this house, and it is where I put down my deepest roots.  Thirty years later, this is the place that I call home.

And there I was, entering Junior High School, a white Argentinean-American-Puerto Rican girl in the stew pot that is the US Virgin Islands.  Yeah, you could say that I felt like an “other.”

So, what do you think?  Which comes first: the writer or the otherness?

Pen On Fire Journey

In January, I made a Resolve To Write and gave myself permission to Steal Time for my dream because it’s never too late to be A Writing Late Bloomer.

I flexed my writing muscles on vacation in Travel Learning: The Art of Observation and then took shameless advantage of my children to describe the beauty of a Winter Wonder: Through a Child’s Eyes.

Preparing for more ambitious projects, I gathered my online tools and made a list Regarding Research.    And then, I was stuck on an endless replay while Teaching My Pen To Listen. 

Fortunately, I joined the Home Educator Writers Group, and now I’m back to cranking out the stories.

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Did you think I’d given up on my quest to “ignite the writer within” through the Pen On Fire writing assignments?

Well, I haven’t.  I’ve just been stuck on one particular section - teaching my pen to listen.  This is one of those Arabian Nights situations, where there are stories within stories, and distractions leading the unsuspecting on multiple tangents.

For example, one challenge asked, “What played when your child was born?”  Simple enough, except that I ended up writing a series of posts describing each of my daughter’s birthday parties.

Now, I’m ready to move on, so I’m just going to plough through this one, with just minimal You Tube interruptions.

What is your earliest musical memory?

Early musical memories are hazy, at best.  I moved between Washington, DC and Buenos Aires, Argentina a couple of times, finally settling in Buenos Aires until age seven.

Most of my early years, I was primarily a Spanish-speaker.  I dimly remember singing Arróz con leche with my Tia Nelly.  We sang that a lot.

Now, I cringe to read the song’s lyrics. 

They are all about how a young man wants to marry a young lady who will sew and embroider, and in return, he will give her brown socks.  Children are being indoctrinated into the notion that girls will take on domestic chores, and the guys will provide material goods.   

Well, you can see how this could lead to a series of articles and a research project, right?  Ploughing on.

During the Argentine period of my life, my brother and I also liked to practice being “American.”  We jumped on our beds, singing (screaming), “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, No, No, No” over and over again.  We were heavily influenced by the Beatles, as seen on a tiny black and white TV. The multimedia experience was a little different way back when in the late 1960s.

Is there a song that stands out from when you were sixteen? Who were you with?  What were you doing?

This picture was taken when I first started going out dancing with the girls - on a European vacation at the end of 9th Grade.  I was just fifteen, dancing to The Spanish Hustle and Abba’s Dancing Queen (still a shared mother/daughter favorite.)  Yes, that is Diana - just not Diana Ross.  Uncanny resemblance, isn’t it?

By the time I turned sixteen, I was totally into the Disco scene.  Many weekends, I danced the night away at Studio 54 (in St. Thomas, USVI) with my BFF Kim and assorted cast members.

A lot of time and energy went into selecting our outfits - purple knickers shot with gold thread, jungle prints, high heels, matching make up, nothing subtle.  We thought we were so sophisticated.

The songs that stand out from those days are Kool and the Gang’s Celebration and the Sugar Hill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight.  Oh, yes.  I was cool.

Too cool to bother walking around the corner to Emancipation Garden Park to hear a free Bob Marley concert, one of his last.  That’s my teen regret.

What about when you were twenty-one?

At twenty-one, I was on the scenic college track - taking many long years to finish a BA at Columbia University.  I worked hard to earn my degree, but I also enjoyed every minute of this experience.

I even joined a co-ed fraternity, Iota Epsilon Pi.  We might have been a tad nerdy, maybe, but we knew how to party.  Some of our roof top parties were legendary.  At least that’s how I remember those times.

One night, in particular, is so very vivid.  Some of my frat friends followed me home to St. Thomas for Spring Break.  Lots of beach fun and sun (too much for some.)  But it wasn’t enough. 

It might have been 10 PM when we decided that we had to have a beach party.  So, we carted the boom box and a pitcher of frozen daiquiris to Brewers Bay. 

Under the glittering light of a heavy-set moon, we danced to UB40’s Red Red Wine while running through the foamy water’s edge.  Unforgettable.

Thirty-three?

Music? What music?  This is just a blur of early mommyhood.

Forty?

My fortieth birthday was awesome.  My sisters came to visit with all their kids.  It was loud, too loud for music.

What played at your wedding?

Some of our songs: A Kiss To Build A Dream On; You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby; Stardust; Chicken Dance; Electric Slide. 

I went a little overboard planning a traditional wedding, complete with ivory lace dress and a morning coat for Dave.  So it would’ve been silly to just have a DJ.  No, we hired the Manhattan Sound Big Band with Robert Derke on Saxophone.

It was so beautiful, so elegant, even though we totally failed the Arthur Murray dance lessons.  Dave only stepped on my toes a few times.

Actually, I couldn’t remember our songs at all.  Fortunately, I still have our wedding binder that I’ll use to someday create a wedding album - any day now.

I do remember one memorable song.  Barry, one of Dave’s resident buddies, sang a duet with Dave of his favorite song, Moon River.  Dave has wisely decided not to pursue a singing career.

More Musical Writing Assignments

That’s it.  I’m done.  Now that I’m in my mid-forties, after a life-time of loud music, I can’t write while under the influence of songs.  I need Sweet, Golden Silence.  ahhh …

More Pen On Fire Writing Assignments:

Resolve To Write

A Writing Late Bloomer?

Stealing Time

Travel Learning: The Art of Observation

Winter Wonder: Through a Child’s Eyes

Regarding Research

Would you like to join me on this Pen On Fire Quest?  Do you write and homeschool? Join our home educator’s writer’s group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HEWG.

Book Resource:

“Be true to your work, your word, and your friend.” ~~ Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862) 

If you would like to join our learning journey, sign up to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by Email.  (Click this link.  Fill out the form.  Don’t forget to click on your verification Email.  Look for this in your mailbox.)  You can also click here to receive updates on a RSS Feed Reader.

My Friday Find feature is supposed to be a super-fast article with a link to a web site that will inspire you (I hope!) to explore the wired world with your kids. 

When I ran across Waterstone’s. What’s your story?, I figured that I had the perfect candidate.

Waterstone’s is sponsoring a postcard story competition, ending June 19th,  where all you have to do is upload a creative postcard, preferably with your story. 

Or, you can decorate a card, any way you like, using their card generator.

Winners receive book vouchers and/or a writing course.  You may also get to have your story printed with such illustrious company as Margaret Atwood or JK Rowling.

Well, I have a story project in the works, so why not upload it? 

Several hours later,  I figured out a way to fit my story into the card template and upload it into the gallery.

After all that effort, I finally looked at all the cards in the gallery.   Mine didn’t look as pretty as the others, but that’s OK, I managed to fit in all the words.

Next, I read the judging criteria.  Nearly at the end of the list, I found:

Does the story ‘fit’ the page, or did it appear to be a longer story
cut down to fit the space available?

Obviously, I should’ve read the judging criteria before embarking on this project.  Still, at least I got to “publish” my story somewhere.  I was proud of my story.  It even has a great ending. 

It was so good, I just had to read it again, squinting to make out the tiny, cramped type.  That’s when I noticed that the end was cut off.

Ahhck!  I definitely won’t win any prizes.

Tomorrow, I’ll let the kids give the story card generator a whirl.  Maybe they’ll be better at this.  Hey, they could hardly be worse.

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Alex had to write a simple paragraph on any topic that he chose.  Just one measly, little paragraph. 

Well, the smart-aleck decided that he would keep it as easy as possible.  He wrote the following:

I Collect Stuff

I collect stuffed Pokémon.  I collect Pokémon cards.  I collect plastic Pokémon.  I collect a lot of stuff.

If this had been the first time that he turned in a list instead of a paragraph, I might have let him slide.  It wasn’t , but I was determined that it would be the last.

I tried to explain the difference between a list and a paragraph, but he didn’t want to get it.

Alex argued that he had a main idea, three detail sentences, and a conclusion.  He thought that was a fine paragraph.

Instead of arguing, I decided to whip up my own paragraph:

Collecting Books

I love to collect books. I started collecting books when I was just 8 years old. My first book was a Clifford book that I picked up for 25 cents at a school book fair. Now, my house is full of books. I have so many books I can’t keep track of them, and sometimes I end up buying duplicates. The reason that I collect books is that I like having all those stories around me. Sometimes, I sort of remember a story but I can’t remember the details. With my book collection, I can always look for that book and remember the story. Someday, I hope my kids love books as much as I do and that they have a special book collection.

After just a bit of argument, with threats of FunKey denial and promises of a Battle of the Paragraph Blog Post, Alex rewrote his paragraph:

Collecting Pokémon

I like collecting Pokémon stuff.  I like collecting things such as cards, plush and plastic Pokémon.  Collecting cards is fun because I like to trade and battle with them against my friends.  I like collecting plush Pokémon because it’s fun to play with them like I’m a human vending machine.   If I have enough plastic Pokémon, I put them into two teams and have war with them.  That’s a fun game.  Playing with all my Pokémon items is always spontaneous fun.

Wow! What a difference!  His last paragraph is so much more interesting. 

We are cross-posting this on both of our blogs: On Living By Learning and Alex and Leperdy’s Learning Adventures.

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Drum rolls, please!  Announcing the new On Living By Learning Mission Statement:

To boldly go where no man has gone … nope … wrong one.

The On Living By Learning Mission Statement:

Inspiring creative life-long learners who want to make the world a better place - Learn, Grow, Explore, and Change the World!

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Mission Statement

To take advantage of the unbelievers with a hammer the size of an elephant.

What’s Your Mission?

All the blogging pros tell you that the first step in creating a successful blog is to create a mission statement.

Heck, all the business experts tell you the same thing.  You can’t start an organization without knowing what you’re all about or the scope of your intentions.

So, OK, a mission statement is the important first step, but it’s kind of hard to formulate when you’re still figuring out what your blog is all about.

I started On Living By Learning nine months ago with no idea of where I was going with this newfangled blogging thing.  Really, I barely knew what a blog was - or could be- but I could see that there was a whole new world to explore.

Well, I wouldn’t say that I now know what blogging is all about.  In fact, every day I’m learning that this is an incredibly versatile technology that is only limited by the extent of the creator’s imagination.

For some it’s still just an online journal or a fancy bookmark of favorite sites.  Others use it to share photos, videos, or audio podcasts.  It can be private, or a popular community site.  It can be a freely shared resource, or a major moneymaker.

While I would be hard-pressed to tell you all that a blog can be, I think that - with nine months of blogging experience - I’m now ready to revise my first mission statement:

I’m on a long road, full of adventure, full of discovery - I’m a mom, homeschool educator, Girl Scout leader, Cub Scout helper, child advocate, all-around volunteer, activist, and writer.

On Living By Learning, I hope to share my passion for learning and for inspiring life-long learners who want to make our world a better place.

Join me on this journey so that we can learn together!

It’s going to take some effort to give this my best shot.  In the meantime, here are some Mission Statement Resources:

Strategic Blogging Mission - Advice from one of the top blogging experts.

Man on a Mission - A blog dedicated to Mission Statements.

MissionStatements.com - A collection of mission statements sorted by type of organization.

Mission Statements - A resource from the Center for Business Planning.

Writing a Meaningful Mission Statement - This article provides valuable insights.

Evil Genius Mission Generator 2.0 - Create a graphic like the one above.

Mission Statement Generator - Waste time, create a cliche.

Mission Statement Generator - Brought to you by the Dilbert Comic Strip.

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Pen on Fire: A Busy Woman’s Guide to Igniting the Writer Within: Barbara DeMarco-Barrett: Books ISBN: 0156029782 ISBN-13: 9780156029780

It’s March, a time when most of the New Year’s resolutions have fallen by the wayside.  But, not this time!

My plan to Resolve To Write is still strong, and I’m about to complete the entire “Getting Started” section as soon as I write this week’s assignment, “Regarding Research.”

The assignment is to pick a topic that you love but know little about, and

Do a little research and see where it leads.  Surf the Internet, follow threads, and see where you end up.

Well, in tackling this project, I realized that the topic that I really needed to research is online research.

Beyond Google

The Google or Yahoo search boxes, which are easily accessed on my Internet browser tool bar, are my first  - and usually only - research destination.

For example, when Alex decided that he wanted to study his gecko’s shed skin and write a blog entry on this, I googled “reptile skin” and pulled up several useful articles.

This is fine for a quick, casual question; however, it’s not the best way to gather information when you undertake a research project.

Online Search Engines

You can improve your search on these popular search engines by using a cheat sheet to fine-tune your search request.

Or, you can use Clusty, a  search engine that sorts all the results into folders.  A search for reptile skin yields: 20 articles on “shed”; 20 articles on “leather”; 12 articles on “amphibian”; etc.  Right away, you can view all the relevant articles.

Is Clusty the best search engine for your research?  It all depends on what you’re looking for.  Visit Search Engine Showdown or Search Engine Watch for tips and comparison charts.

Where To Start Your Search

A good place to start any search is on Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need which lists search engines according to subject, timeliness, type of researcher (ex. kid or Internet newbie), and much more.

If you’re interested in academic research, go to Research and Documentation Online by Diana Hacker where you’ll find academic sources for topics in the Humanities, Social Sciences, History, Sciences.  It includes citation guidelines.

For a comprehensive list of research links, and advice on advanced online research techniques and evaluating web sites, take a look at Blogging Resources and Sources to Help You Blog. Particularly worthwhile are the links for movie information, online books, biographical information, and an assortment of special interest databases.

To explore online library resources visit: Librarians’ Internet Index, The Internet Public Library, The Awesome Library, or the Library of Congress Online Reference Resource.

Finally, you can use the following search engines for kid-friendly research: ithaki, Yahoo Kids, Kids Click!, and Ask for Kids.

Books on Research

If you want to develop strong research skills, you will have to go beyond what is available online.  Students who are just beginning to learn how to do research, may want to pick up one of the following books:

Extraordinary Research Projects (F. W. Prep): Tamra Orr: Books ISBN: 0531139077 ISBN-13: 9780531139073

I recommend this book for students in Grades 6-10 who are tackling their first research projects.

Painless Research Projects (Barron’s Painless Series): Rebecca S. Elliott Ph.D.,James Elliott M.A.: Books ISBN: 0764102974 ISBN-13: 9780764102974

This “painless” book is helpful for teaching middle school students basic research techniques.

Reference Books on Research

Even experienced researchers will be able to pick up valuable advice from the following books:

A Journalist’s Guide to the Internet: Christopher Callahan,Leslie-Jean Thornton: Books ISBN: 0205565956 ISBN-13: 9780205565955

The Oxford Guide to Library Research: Thomas Mann: Books ISBN: 0195189981 ISBN-13: 9780195189988

Both of these books are essential items in my reference library.  

The Journalist’s Guide to the Internet is an exhaustive list of online resources that also describes how to obtain the best information from those sources.

Keep in mind that, although the Internet seems to have an overwhelming amount of available information, there is so much more that has not been digitalized. When you really want to dig in to a topic, use The Oxford Guide to Library Research to develop a search that can uncover the information that you won’t find online.

Do you have any favorite online research sites?  Can you share a tip for efficient research?  Please comment and share your suggestions!

More Pen On Fire Writing Assignments:

Resolve To Write

A Writing Late Bloomer?

Stealing Time

Travel Learning: The Art of Observation 

Winter Wonder: Through a Child’s Eyes 

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Yesterday, my yard was so achingly beautiful that strangers stopped to shoot photos.  Even the gas man couldn’t resist taking a photo with his cell phone to show his wife.

The previous night a fierce storm blanketed our area with snow and ice.  In the daylight, our land looked like a magical realm of glistening snow and ice.

It was an ideal subject for the next Pen on Fire writing assignment: through a child’s eyes and ears. 

The task is to write a story that evokes a child’s point of view.  The writer is encouraged to turn to a child for coaching.

So, heck, I’ve got a kid, why not ask my son for guidance?

I’ll tell you why not. 

This kid doesn’t want to talk about magical realms.  He wants to say that the reason that the icicles sparkle like diamonds is that they are composed of ice atoms that are shaped like crystals. (Don’t ask me what that means!)

I asked him again to consider the fairy tale world around us, and to imagine fantastical creatures.

Pushed a bit, he was willing to concede that the snow drenched evergreens looked like space aliens.  And, yes, the snow on the ground looks like a cloud and maybe the falling snowflakes did remind him of magic falling from the clouds.  Then, he told me that this was confidential information, way too embarrassing to share.

I’m back to finding the child within. 

You see, I look around and I can’t help but imagine a fairly tale ball in a magical ice kingdom.  Dripping, sparkling icicles suggest a window into another realm where ladies adorned with silver lace, crystal beads, and glass slippers spin in ever widening circles.  I hear the tinkling bells, and tittering laughter, as bright red petticoats peak out from below the billowing white organza skirts.

It’s a world where the creatures of the earth come out to play, and snow tracks lead to hidden lairs where the mouse and the hare sit down to bask in the warmth of a pot of tea in front of a roaring fire.

Okay, before I get too carried away, here are a few of my favorite illustrated snowy tales:

Owl Moon.  By Jane Yolen, Illustrated by John Schoenherr.

Stranger in the Woods: A Photographic Fantasy. By Carl R. Sams and Jean Stoick.

The Ice Dragon, or Do as You Are Told from The Book of Dragons by E. Nesbit, Illustrations by H. R. Millar.

Stopping by Woods on a Snow Evening a poem by Robert Frost, Illustrated by Susan Jeffers.

Each is these books is a shining example of artists who see through a child’s eyes, ears, and heart.  What’s your favorite snowy tale?

More Pen On Fire Writing Assignments:

Resolve To Write

A Writing Late Bloomer?

Stealing Time

Travel Learning: The Art of Observation

If you would like to receive free articles from On Living By Learning by email, click this link.

Vacations are a wonderful opportunity to immerse yourself in a new world, where you can soak in all that is strange and new.  When travelling with children, even the familiar places reveal strange new dimensions.

I grew up in St. Thomas, USVI, and return frequently to visit family and friends.  My childhood home is a familiar place; and yet, exploring the island with my children opens new worlds.

In the past, we’ve investigated a wide variety of Caribbean subjects.  This time our objective was to practice the art of observation.

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