We love ping pong at our house. In fact we love ping pong so much, that we threw convention to the wind and moved our ping pong table into our front room. Why, you say? Since I’ve started homeschooling, I’ve become more utilitarian in my approach. We never used that room. It may not be pretty, but now we’re playing ping pong. My son even set up a tournament schedule. So far, my kids haven’t beaten me yet, but I have a feeling that I won’t be undefeated for long. Practice, competition and flexibility improve our ping pong and writing skills. Practice: There’s nothing more satisfying than a good volley when you’re playing ping pong. And the more you play, the better you get. Just like writing...the more you write, the better your work will be. Competition: Lately I’ve been learning how to return curve balls in my ping pong game. I know that if I don’t, I’ll start losing. Competition, even with yourself, helps in your writing life too. If it weren’t for the12x12 challenge, PiBoIdMo, ReViMo,and ReFoReMo, I wouldn’t have many of my stories written. Flexibility: Sometimes someone surprises you by hitting a ping pong ball on the very edge of the table. Sometimes you have to move in ways you never thought possible in order to return the ball to the other side of the table. Flexibility is key for writing too. We have to be willing to let a story evolve and to revise over and over and over again. It’s flexibility that makes an incredible story possible. What helps you improve your writing skills? Kirsti Call is a homeschooling mom of five. Her debut picture book, The Raindrop Who Couldn't Fall, came out December 2013 with Character Publishing. Her family band, Calling Out, plays songs written by her children. She contributes to Writer's Rumpus, and Kids are Writers. If you visit her house, you’ll likely find her reading or writing. You can find out more about her at www.kirsticall.com
6 Comments
Kirsti Call
12/16/2015 08:44:27 am
Thanks Johnell :)
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12/17/2015 06:38:38 am
love this, kirsti. the advice to let go of the first draft in crafting the second is something we ought to print on the wall next to the writing area.
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Kirsti Call
12/19/2015 06:02:31 am
Yes, Audrey, I agree. Sometimes it's really hard to let go of our favorite words or sentences in order to make a better story! I love that you have a front room for your dogs. It's nice to actually use our rooms...
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Sandra Jenkins
12/19/2015 06:30:26 am
I've been stuck revising. I'm finally ready to start chopping away the part that's not working, even though it was the brilliant flash of inspiration that began this story in the first place. Maybe that will fit in another story. So here I go--chop-chop!
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Kirsti Call
12/19/2015 07:30:12 pm
Go Sandra! You can do it!!!
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