A fab article by Rebecca Schmitz in the Crozet Gazette captures exactly how I feel about school visits. "You just get all this joy from [young readers]" is both completely true and WHY I WRITE. Nothing is more fun than sharing writing ideas with the very kids who will (hopefully) read my work, and the suggestions they come up with on the fly are often surprising and always inspiring. I love their sheer enthusiasm and intense curiosity! Many thanks for the article and the opportunities given to me by the generous teachers in my area.
“After working closely with the teachers to find out what the students were learning and how she could reinforce their lessons, Martin structured her visit to Brownsville’s third graders as more of a writing workshop than a Q and A session. “I tell the students, this is not a speech, this is a workshop. I’ll tell you things that might help your writing, and you tell me things that might help my writing. They look at me like ‘are you sure?’” she said with a smile.
Students are always interested in where she gets her ideas, so she showed them pictures of her cats, her sons, and the maps and research that went into creating the books. “They want to know about the process—how long did it take?” She also gives tips on how to strengthen their own writing: “I try to say, what would make your writing interesting? You have to have obstacles and someone in trouble. You have to use words that are ‘juicy and delicious.’””