Interviews Brian Pinkney, award-winning writer and illustrator of over 20 children's books. Discusses: how his illustrative process in working with scratchboard has evolved over the years; the writing process; the illustrating process; and his collaborations with his author/wife, Andrea Davis Pinkney. (SR)

Suggests that, although the benefits of word processing are widely acknowledged, writing is still perceived as a difficult activity. Considers the degree to which particular features of word processing might constitute new and significant impediments to individual writers. Discusses this issue with writers who expressed concerns that their…

Surveys professional editors (who work with publishing companies and magazines with national and international circulations) concerning advice to students on how writers write. Finds four main themes: (1) plan and organize carefully; (2) revise your work thoughtfully; (3) use words purposefully; and (4) correct errors thoroughly. (RS)

Notes that literacy today involves more than the three R's. Uses a semiotic approach to present a rhetorical model of multimedia communication and its elements. Includes an analysis of the multimedia composition process and its rhetorical features. (RS)

Compares two "bad boys" of adolescent literature: Chris Lynch and Adam Rapp. Notes the biggest distinction between them--Lynch writes about adolescents coached into violence, while Rapp writes about naively innocent adolescents caught in violent and emotionally isolated places. Suggests both authors believe it is possible to follow characters…

Presents an interview with Carolyn See, author of "The Rest Is Done with Mirrors,""Rhine Maidens,""Mothers, Daughters," and "Golden Days," among other novels. Shows how See is able to get inside the souls of her characters even as she maintains an analytical perspective. (TB)

Explores some of the possibilities of writing that the author realized from working with women writers and describes how, as a result of this work, she has revised her thinking about writing and the teaching of writing. (RS)

Explores practical and theoretical benefits of electronic mail in a creative writing program. Practical benefits include creation of alternative writing space, scheduling convenience, and savings on copies. Theoretical benefits include egalitarian communication, blending of formal and informal discourse, increase in student engagement,…

Discusses how writer Norma Fox Mazer has helped many readers make the leap between reality and imagination simply in the way she handles details in the lives of her characters. Explores the ideas of communicating with detail, experimenting with structure, and playing with time in crucial scenes. (SG)

Explains how Rudolf Flesch writes for elementary school children and recommends having a hero to maintain a point of view using a dialogue method or controversial writing, avoiding using heavy words, and having a strong beginning and ending. (YDS)

The fundamental goal of literacy is to construct meaning from language. Teachers help students become literate by providing opportunities to listen to read-alouds, by persuading them to investigate their writing process, by discussing what they have heard and read, and through other activities designed to attract students to the world of words.…

An English writing teacher has helped students acquire control over their writing in varying contexts by focusing on specific strategies that they could apply to different strategies of the writing process. Strategies for inquiry, for drafting and for products can be used with any of the students' writing tasks, which helps them become strategic…

The author of this article states that, as a fiction writer, he is reluctant to discuss process, yet, at war with a mystical stance about writing fiction, is the belief he imparts to his students that writing is a craft that can be taught, mastered, and understood. This article describes the seemingly subconscious approach to the writing of "The…

This article presents a profile of Newbery Award-winning author Karen Hesse, who is best known for her knack for recovering the little-known stories of the past and making them resonate once again in her books. As a meticulous researcher and lover of things from the past, some of Karen Hesse's most well-loved stories have tugged at her sleeve (and…

Most state standards refer to the writing process as one that writers use to communicate ideas with meaning and clarity for a variety of purposes and audiences. The writing process includes the stages a writer progresses through to move from a blank piece of paper to a finished piece that will be shared with the intended audience. Many teachers…