2nd EDITION is now available: 978-0985213411. It includes a new chapter on scenes -- Novel Metamorphosis: Uncommon Ways to Revise is an innovative, in-depth workbook which helps writers revise novels and write the book of their dreams. Foreword by Newbery Honor medalist Kirby Larson. Revising has never been easier. Using fun and easy techniques, you'll write a stronger, richer, deeper story, a story that makes readers weep and laugh and turn the next page. Unlike most books on revision, Novel Metamorphosis turns theory into radical new tools which are practical, tangible, concrete. It cuts straight to the heart of your manuscript's problems, develops your writing and editing skills, helps you understand the critical underlying structure of your story, and helps you learn theory as you work. The exercises will spark in-depth discussions in your critique group.

Novel Metamorphosis: Uncommon Ways to Revise Novels with Creative Writing Tips, Tools, and Strategies

Reference

Darcy Pattison

Words, Language & Grammar

Mims House

Winhal Eldras is a Wayfinder, able to Find anything lost: a lost ring, the way home, a blue dress in the marketplace, a lost child. But what happens to a Wayfinder who has lost his own way? Sometimes the only way to get through something is to charge straight ahead. After a tragic accident, Winchal Eldras must forget his personal problems in order to save his country which is suddenly threatened by a deadly plague. Win is given a Finding by the Prince of the Heartland to seek healing from the plague. But the Finding leads straight down into the Rift, a dangerous canyon from which no one has ever returned. His only companion is Lady Kala, a telepathic Tazi hound, who is demanding and stubborn. How will they ever Find their way through the Rift to the other side? Win faces the problems squarely and begins his descent into an emotionally tangled world full of unknown dangers. (Also available as eBook, Kindle, Nook, etc.)

The Wayfinder

11 Ways to Ruin a Photograph: A Military Family StoryWhen her father goes soldiering for a year, a girl decides that without Dad at home, it's not a family photo album. Though her beloved Nanny is in charge of the album that year, the girl makes sure that photographs of her never turn out well. Photos are blurred, wind blows hair in her face. April rains bring umbrellas to hide behind. Halloween means a mask. This poignant, yet funny family story, expresses a child's anger and grief for a Dad whose work takes him away for long periods of time. It's a tribute to the sacrifices made by military families and to those who care for children when a family needs support. Read with your classroom for military and patriotic holidaysVeteran's DayArmed Forced DayPatriot's Day4th of JulyUnderstand Military Families Who Serve the United StatesGratitude for their sacrifices Understand the family challengesSupport for deploymentChildren's book author and writing teacher Darcy Pattison gives tribute to the sacrifices made by military families and to those who care for children when a family needs help. She says, "My father was a Japanese POW during World War II. Also, I have lived near the Little Rock Air Force Base for years, and watched families as fathers and mothers deploy. I have a glimpse of the struggles facing military families, and feel a deep gratitude for the sacrifices these families make."

11 Ways to Ruin a Photograph: A Military Family Story

Children's Books

Pattison, Darcy

Holidays & Celebrations

The oldest bird in the world, documented with banding, is Wisdom, the Midway Albatross. She was on Midway when the Japanese Tsunami hit and this is her amazing story of survival of manmade and natural disasters for over 60 years. She has survived the dangers of living wild, plastic pollution, longline fishing, lead poisoning, and the Japanese earthquake. At 60, she’s still laying eggs and hatching chicks. It’s a story of survival and hope amidst the difficulties of life.

Wisdom, The Midway Albatross: Surviving the Japanese Tsunami and other Disasters for over 60 Years (Another Extraordinary Animal)

Animals

A school year includes many odd sorts of days. 
<ul>
<li>You unexpectedly finish a unit on Thursday and don't want to start a new one until Monday.</li>
<li>Holidays or special events make regular lessons difficult.</li>
<li>You're sick and need a substitute teacher for a day. </li>
</ul>This group of seasonal ELA and writing lessons is designed to fill in those odd days with fun, easy, lessons which require a minimum of preparation and yet still meet the needs of the Common Core State Standards. We suggest activities for each month, but most activities are flexible enough for any season. Meets Common Core Curriculum Needs Each lesson is correlated to appropriate Common Core curriculum maps. The Common Core State Standards (corestandards.com) include ten anchor standards each for writing and reading and six anchor standards for language. Each ELA activity in this book will list the anchor standards addressed, thus making them flexible enough to fit any grade level. Each activity is meant to be: <ul>
<li>Flexible </li>
<li>Fast and easy preparation</li>
<li>Fun for students</li>
<li>Aligned to the CCSS</li>
<li>Correlated to CCSS curriculum maps </li>
</ul>
TABLE OF CONTENTS <ul>
<li>August 26 National Dog Day (argument)</li>
<li>September 3 Skyscraper Day (informative/expository) </li>
<li>October 2 - Write a Comic Strip (comic strip/narrative) </li>
<li>November 21 - World Hello Day (letter writing/optional argument)</li>
<li>December - Rudolph's Top 5 Writing Tips (narrative) </li>
<li>January- Frosty the Snowman (narrative)</li>
<li>February- Evaluate a Website (argument)</li>
<li>March - Gingerbread Man (folk tale/narrative)</li>
<li>April 5 - National Read a Road Map Day (Reading/Creating maps as informational text)</li>
<li>May 20 - Endangered Species Day (Informative/expository) </li>
</ul>

Common Core Ela Activities: Month by Month Writing, Speaking and Listening Activities Aligned with the Common Core

Encyclopedias & Subject Guides

Congratulations! You've finished a novel. What an accomplishment! Now what? Now, you need a innovative, in-depth guide to revision. Why Revise? Before revision: Nice Story After revision: Richer, deeper-the novel of your dreams. Novice or Seasoned: For aspiring novelists, mid-list novelists who want to break out, novelists who want to self-publish-successfully, writers who have completed NaNoWriMo but don't know what to do next, and writing critique groups looking for a way to help each other to the next level. Revising has never been easier Systematically inventory and diagnose your manuscript Visually manipulate your manuscript to identify problems Transform dull characters into fascinating, memorable people Strengthen the narrative and emotional arcs Sharpen dialogue Morph dull settings into backdrops that set the mood Enliven narrated events by selecting the right details Use language with confidence Add depth with narrative patterning In-depth professional development Plan your novel's metamorphosis The Results A stronger, richer, deeper story, a story that makes readers weep and cry and turn the next page. Novel Metamorphosis, unlike most books on revision, turns theory into radical new tools which are practical, tangible, concrete. Cut straight to the heart of your manuscript's problem Develop your writing and editing skills Understand the critical underlying structure of your story Learn theory as you work Spark in-depth discussions in your critique group

Novel Metamorphosis: Uncommon Ways to Revise, 2nd edition

Writing, Research & Publishing Guides

6 Simple Steps to Starting Your Novel You want to write a novel, but you don’t know where to start. You have a great idea and—well, that’s all. This book explains the writing process of starting a novel in six winning steps. 
<ul>
<li>Starting the Journey</li> <li>Why Editors Focus on Page 1</li> <li>STEP ONE: Clarify Your Idea</li> <li>STEP TWO: Review Your Skills</li> <li>STEP Three: Plan the Opening Chapter</li> <li>STEP FOUR: Plan the Opening Line</li> <li>STEP FIVE: Now, Write!</li> <li>STEP SIX: Revise</li> </ul> Writing teacher and author, Darcy Pattison, is the author of NOVEL METAMORPHOSIS: Uncommon Ways to Revise and How to Write a Children’s Picture Book. She brings extensive experience in teaching writing to this exciting new book and helps you get started with the creative writing process. NaNoWriMo? You need this book in October to help you plan what to write in November! 29 Plot Templates 2 Essential Writing Skills 100 Examples of Opening Lines 7 Weak Openings to Avoid 4 Strong Openings to Use 3 Assignments to Get Unstuck 7 Problems to Resolve The Math adds up to one thing: a publishable manuscript. Other books by Darcy Pattison: Novel Metamorphosis: Uncommon Ways to Revise The Book Trailer Manual How to Write a Children's Picture Book

Start Your Novel: Six Winning Steps Toward a Compelling Opening Line, Scene and Chapter

WHAT IS COMMON CORE? A Critique Cutting through the hype from supporters and defenders of the CCSS, this book documents the process for the adoption and implementation of the Common Core, which was developed as the result of politicians and business men deciding to create change in the education community so the U.S. could compete better in the global marketplace. This insightful critique focus on these issues: <ol>
<li>Is the CCSS a “national curriculum?”</li> <li>The CCSS relies on a national student database: the pros and cons of keeping tabs on students.</li> <li>Constructivism Mathematics is the basis of Common Core math. What does that mean for instruction, student homework and fluency with multiplication tables.</li> <li>New Criticism Literary Analysis is the basis of Common Core ELA. Explore this theory of reading that underlies all language arts activities.</li> <li>Explore reasons why the CCSS, a public policy document, is privately copyrighted and can’t be changed, modified, or corrected.</li>
</ol>

What is Common Core?

Education & Teaching

Schools & Teaching

The oldest wild bird in the world faced yet another danger when the Japanese Tsunami struck Midway Island where she lives. This is Wisdom's astounding story of survival of manmade and natural disasters for over 60 years. She has survived the dangers of living wild, plastic pollution, longline fishing, lead poisoning, and the Japanese earthquake.At 65+ years old, she's still alive and still laying eggs and hatching chicks. A must-read true story to capture the imagination of children of any age. Darcy Pattison's Wisdom, the Midway Albatross inspires young scientists and nature lovers with a true story of an individual animal in an easy to read format with captivating illustrations. It's the first of a series of fascinating animal biographies for elementary readers. Pattison's science-related books bring kids face to face with the basic questions of science and help them think like scientists. You'll be awed and inspired as you read this amazing story of survival and hope amidst the difficulties of life. As you read it, think of this majestic albatross soaring over the deep blue sea, wild and free.WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS BOOK:"It's marvelous! I LOVE it! And I got a lump in my throat, tears! And I'm a biologist! Your book is beautiful, meaningful, simple, elegant.........thank you for caring, thank you for sharing this story!" Kim Rivera, National Seabird Coordinator, NOAA Fisheries, Deputy ARA, Protected Resources Division, Alaska Region"Wisdom's story makes my heart soar." Kirby Larson, author of Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival and Winner of the Newbery Honor for Hattie Big Sky."On December 10, 1956, early in my first visit to Midway, I banded 99 incubating Laysan Albatrosses in the 'downtown' area of Sand Island, Midway. Wisdom (band number 587-51945) is still alive, healthy, and incubating again in December 2011. While I have grown old and gray and get around only with the use of a cane, Wisdom still looks and acts just the same as on the day I banded her. . . remarkable true story. . . beautifully illustrated in color."Chandler S. Robbins, Sc.D, Senior Scientist (Retired), USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.Q & A WITH THE AUTHORQ - How would you describe your animal biographies? A -Many science and nature books talk about endangered species. Instead, I wanted to tell stories about individual animals. It's not easy to find a story of an individual because so few are tracked across their lifetime. Wisdom's story was amazing because she's been banded since December 10, 1956. While we don't know everything about her life, we can infer a lot by studying the natural history of her habitat. Her life has been impacted by storms - tropical storms, hurricanes, tsunamis--and by every type of pollution that exists in the Pacific Ocean. I find the story of ONE bird much more interesting than the story of an entire species.Q - Why did you want to write science for kids? A -I love the basic questions of science: What happened? Why did it happen? Can you describe and explain this natural phenomenon? I want to inspire kids to think like scientists, to be awed at the world that surrounds them. Ultimately, I hope some of my readers go on to make amazing discoveries, to save the Earth from all sorts of pollutions and dangers, and add to the growing body of knowledge about the planet on which we live.Q - What does it mean to you when readers buy your books? A - It's an honor. I hope that these humble stories of the world around us invoke a sense of wonder and awe. Bringing stories to kids is an amazing privilege. Please--share the books with a kid you love.Wisdom, the Midway Albatross | Science & Nature Elementary Nonfiction Categories - Juvenile Nonfiction: Science and Nature- Animals | Birds- Endangered Species- Environmental Science- Outstanding Science Trade Book

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross: Surviving the Japanese Tsunami and Other Disasters for Over 60 Years

Kids and books—they just go together. Children’s picture books are an addictive passion! You love reading to kids and wish that you could read one of your own. Now, you can make that dream a reality. Writing illustrated picture books for children can seem deceptively simple. You must tell a complete story in less than 1000 words, and less than 350 words is best. Characters grow and change and keep the reader emotionally invested, while also giving the illustrator great possibilities for the art. It’s a balancing act all the way around. Writing teacher and author of over a dozen children’s books Darcy Pattison explains the craft of writing children’s picture books. You’ll learn why format matters, how to appeal to kids and parents, how to write a read-aloud friendly book, and much more. Pattison provides tips on writing, editing, and marketing your manuscript to publishers. If you like detailed writing guides, plenty of contemporary examples, and practical worksheets, then you’ll love Darcy Pattison’s guidance on creating your own masterpiece that will fascinate generations of young readers.

How to Write a Children's Picture Book

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