Today during my visit to the fourth grade classroom where I volunteer, I'll be surveying the class. Ill be asking the kids what they worry about, at school, at home, and out in the world. This will be the latest version of the survey that I've done over the years. It'll be fun to see if there are trends. Do kids tend to be concerned about the same types of things over time? How do worries change?

The results will be of interest to me, however they come out. I may use insights for writing. I'm thinking of a not-so-super hero story or series that would address some of the common problems kids have and worry about. Why not-so-super? I think it would add a bit more realism and humor, and I think kids could better relate to a more vulnerable character. Still not sure; lots of thoughts twirling and tumbling. And that's half the fun!

Furniture, clothes, books, files. I’m looking over them all, making decisions to carry or cut. None of it is easy, but the hardest is deciding which files to take.

I’ve got thirty years worth of work here (yes, I brought some with me from the last place I lived). I have copies of all my works, and although I have been lucky to have had more than twenty books published, I have many more that are not published. Do I keep them and keep trying? Or, dump them and move on?

In 1986 I wrote a picture book called Who Stinks? It’s about a bear who wakes up in the spring and smells something bad. Very bad. Readers follow the bear as he moves out of his cave and into the forest, blaming every creature he comes across for emitting that noxious smell. In the end, the bear discovers who it is, much to his chagrin.

I sent that story to about fifty publishers, and all rejected it. My agent sent it out to numerous others, and the result was the same. I left the manuscript alone for several years, and then started sending it out again. Last year, I finally found a home for the book: Bushbaby Press.

Along the road to publication, I kept all the rejection letters and postcards as well as the few personal responses I received. I wanted to rejoice in them when (not if!) the book got published. Well, I’ve done that now so I guess I can recycle that file.

But it’s not quite so easy. And neither is dumping so much of the other files I’ve built over the years. Here’s the way I’m looking at it, though. I can either hang onto all the stuff from the past, or I can make space – in my head as well as the file drawers – for future projects.

Now, it’s not going to be so hard after all…

Kids will have a chance to frame their own questions. Hopefully, they will be questions that are burning in their minds. Hopefully, the kids will not be so "schoolwise" that they'll choose questions with answers they already know, or questions that will be simple to answer. We want questions that are meaningful and that may take some real effort to answer. We want questions that reflect wonder rather than good grades.

Finding answers to questions that matter is a journey - a quest - that involves thinking and rethinking, sorting through mounds of information, analyzing, and making conclusions. The process can be both exhilarating and frustrating. I love it!

Fortunately my son Tyler was visiting from his home in San Diego and we could relive his younger years when a snowy day really meant something. Well guess what - it still does!

I wish you all the best of luck as you proceed in writing your stories. Remember to think in terms of audience (who is the story for) and try to include elements to engage your readers such as alliteration, onomatopoeia, repetition, 3s, etc.

Have fun!

The class starts March 8. For more information, and to register, go to http://center.uoregon.edu/courses/course_desc.php?CourseKey=634395.

For those of you who don't have a copy of the The Magic of A.C. Gilbert you're welcome to download the Readers' Theater script I wrote, based on the book. It is located under the Workshops tab on the home page of this website. I'll be taking it down soon, so don't wait if you'd like it. Of course, books are still available, too. Print copies can be purchased on this site (see Books tab) and e-copes can be purchased online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble sites.

What approach do you like for primary grades? I love the Kid Writing concept for kindergarten (see Kid Writing by Felgus and Cardonick) and Interactive Writing for first grade (see Interactive Writing by McCarrier, Pinnell, and Fountas; and Interactive Writing Strategies by Calabrese). I also like the Great Source materials (traits related), and Vicki Spandel's book: Creating Young Writers.

Where can I get copies of The Magic of A.C. Gilbert? Print copies are available on this website under the Books tab. An electronic version is available at Amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.

Will you come to our school to work with our staff? Absolutely! I do professional development presentations for staff and author visits (free class set of A.C. included) for students. See the Real Writing flyer in the handouts for more information.

If you have comments and/or questions, please use the comment tab here, or e-mail me directly at realwriting@comcast.net.