by Grace S. – 8th Grade
When I was little I wanted to become a writer. It wasn’t so much the “writing” part that I loved but the idea used for a story. There were so many crazy, infinite ideas to use for stories. Playing with my plastic animals and dinosaurs, I would pretend they were characters acting out each roll like puppets. As I grew older and learned more about the English language my interest in writing grew. I didn’t enjoy writing essays, but I dived right in to short stories and poems.
Recently Kathleen Benner Duble, an author, came to speak to our school. Having a love for words myself I found some of her main points were helpful to a young writer and student like me. This past Friday I was fortunate enough to see her share at W.S. Parker Middle School and take notes for my next article. She covered many areas from how to get ideas for stories to finding an editor.
Duble was very well spoken and is one of those people that can motivate middle school kids! One of her main points in the assembly was how to transform an experience into a book. She showed the audience a slide show of each book she had written and published. For each book she described the story behind it that motivated her to write the book. I found this very interesting. She used stories from her sibling, parents, friends, family members, and hobbies.
After the assembly I noticed that my hearing became more acute. Probably because Duble told the students to keep their ears open in case they heard an interesting story. Duble also told the students that the most inspiring stories are usually the short and simple kind. Overall the assembly was very inspiring and unique. After the assembly I found that Kathleen Benner Duble’s words were still echoing in my head. Being a journalist myself, I was fond of the assembly because Duble’s main points are important to students and young writers. By explaining the story behind each book she made, I realizes how anyone can use that experience as the foundation of their novel.
For some reason I always thought that authors just wrote books from their imagination, not based on their real experiences. Now students understand that the idea for a book or school essay can begin from anywhere. From a cheesy, funny story told by your grandmother when she was a kid, to when your father served in the war. Duble’s idea is important to a writer, because now they are inspired to write and create a story from the little things that happen in their life. Kathleen Benner Duble is an amazing author and teacher.
The Quill Online 