My final blog for 2015 is a tribute to the teachers, Mrs. Smith and Miss Rabbas, and the 4th Grade Class of Little Chute Elementary School.  During November and December I helped teach the kids how to write fiction narrative via Skype classes.  Every session the class was enthusiastic and demonstrated eagerness to learn the skills of writing fiction narrative.  Writing includes both description and narrative and the class’s task was to master narrative through plot and scenes.  This is the 4th grade remember.  I certainly don’t remember learning writing in the 4th grade; if I had I’m sure I would remember the experience.

I met Amanda Smith, the senior classroom teacher, at the Oshkosh Irish Fest this year.  She ordered both of my books and when I mailed them to her I included a personal note to encourage her writing and offered my help.  The “help” she asked for was to help teach fiction narrative to her 4th grade class.  I couldn’t refuse. 

The teachers included me in their classroom lesson planning.  Several times we skyped our planning sessions at 7:30 am before their teaching day started.  Teachers are a dedicated, hard working lot.  We also exchanged numerous e-mails.  They were always willing to listen to my ideas and incorporate my suggestions into the daily 40 minute lessons.

I learned at least as much as the kids did from this experience.  First, I learned that you can teach writing skills and craft at a young age.  The 4th graders learned about character, showing vs. telling, strong verbs, plot and editing.  Once a 4th grader works hard for several weeks to write their story everyone knows it’s perfect.  Editing was tough for them to swallow.  Rather than attempting any major story overhaul the teachers suggested we concentrate on one thing – using strong words.  Their insight was instrumental in allowing the 4th graders to accept that their writing could be improved.

I also learned how much research was needed to prepare to teach a specific writing craft or skill.  I often researched one topic, like plot, for two hours to prepare for a 40 minute class.  I learned that the kids were eager to learn and tackled difficult problems like how to write a gripping introduction and slide down into a conclusion after the climax.  The teachers broke plot down into individual pages and that innovative technique transformed plot into small, manageable pieces.  It was a miracle!  Many of the students were able to create complex plots in just a few pages.

I learned that 4th graders are comfortable with technology.  Skype was not a problem. The kids were not shy about coming to the front of the room, grabbing the microphone and talking with me.  I was able to see the whole class.  I don’t know what they saw.  I fear I might have been a talking head.  If I was, it didn’t bother the kids.

You would think working on narrative for seven weeks would be enough.  Mrs. Smith and Miss Rabbas saw another learning opportunity – to teach keyboard skills.  Sometimes, I think teachers are gluttons for punishment or at least they’re not afraid to climb Mt. Rainier.     Before Christmas recess the students invaded the computer lab to transform their handwritten pages into a word document.

 The most significant lesson for me was that you can’t teach imagination or creativity.  Some of the kid’s stories were very complex with an introduction that grabbed your attention and a conclusion that ended with a question for the reader; sophisticated stuff.  Their imagination and creativity were inspiring.

It’s a little scary to be described as an “expert”.  I don’t consider myself an expert.  I’m still learning the craft of writing and feel I can always improve.  What I have picked up along the way I enjoyed sharing with the 4th Grade Little Chute Elementary class.  Working with both the teachers and students instills hope.  I’m looking forward to receiving copies of their stories early next year. I will miss both the 4th graders and the teachers.  Maybe I’ll be asked to help again next year – I hope so.

Several months ago at an author event I met an interesting young couple.  After graduating from high school Joe decided he wanted to live in Ireland and find his “tribe”.  Joe lived in Ireland for 17 years with a one year hiatus in France which didn’t turn out as expected.  Joe met Joanne a fine Irish girl and they were married in West Ireland in a unique pagan festival officiated by a former Irish Catholic priest.  It should be clear that Joe and Joanne are interesting people.

Joe asked me if my fictional character, Ian Murphy, was patterned after Danny Morrison.  I told him I didn’t have any idea who Danny Morrison was.  Joe was very enthusiastic about Danny, telling me he was the former National Director of Publicity for Sinn Fein, an author and a playwright.  He was also a political prisoner for years.  Joe said he had written a book about the Troubles called The Wrong Man that critics called one of the best.

I read The Wrong Man in just a week.  The story is from the perspective of a typical working class IRA volunteer.  The prologue is a graphic scene of an interrogation that was difficult to read, but necessary.  The book has strong themes of family, dedication, nationalism and betrayal.  To understand the Troubles, The Wrong Man, is a must read.

I wanted to know more about Danny Morrison so I visited his website and Wikipedia.  I learned that he adapted his novel, The Wrong Man, into a play.  The play has been produced both in Ireland and London and received excellent reviews.  I searched for copies of the play on the internet and couldn’t find it.  I asked my new friend Joe if he had a copy, he didn’t.  Joe suggested I e-mail Danny Morrison and ask where I could purchase a copy.  I had grave doubts that would be successful because I couldn’t imagine that an Irish writer would take the time to respond to an unknown American writer.

I was wrong.  I e-mailed Danny Morrison and in a day had a response.  He told me he had a copy of his play but couldn’t remember where he stored it electronically.  He told me to give him a few days.  To say that I was surprised was an understatement.  The next day I received an e-mail with his play attached, and a brief note that he had found the play and was searching for other material to send me.  I was more than willing to purchase his work and was amazed at his generosity.

He sent me a review of the play by critic Dominic Cavendish published in the Daily Telegraph.  In addition, he sent me an article he wrote for The Observer, a London newspaper, called ‘Writing Oneself out of History.’  These were fascinating but he didn’t address the question of why he adapted his novel to a stage play and how he made the conversion.

Then the e-mail stopped.  I waited a week and wrote again to ask him to share his reasons for writing the play and how he made the transition.  It’s been 18 days since I sent my last e-mail.  I doubt if he’s going to respond.  I was hoping to have a dialogue with another writer about writing.  I guess that’s not going to happen.  I don’t understand the change from being open and sharing to silence.

It’s a shame, really.       

It’s not too early for a post with that title because this article won’t be the typical 2015 in review piece.  This post only covers from June-December.

When my second novel in the Murphy series, Out of Darkness, was published in June I decided to devote the remainder of the year to marketing.  I am not fond of on-line marketing although I posted a press release, posted on Good Reads, updated by bio on all of my platforms and made all my books available in e-book format along with trade paperback.  Out of Darkness received two professional reviews; one from Karen Saeman of Inkspots, Inc. and the second from Frank West of the Irish American News.  Readers have also posted a number of reviews on Amazon.  Our local newspaper, The Star, published a ¾ page interview.  Our local library selected Out of Darkness as a suggested book to read.

I prefer to market by meeting readers in whatever venue I can.  That means road trips.  I visited a number of locations including:

                                                    Oshkosh Irish Fest
                                                   Sun Prairie Public Library
                                                    Wisconsin Book Festival
                                                   Mystery to Me Bookstore
                                               Beans n Cream Coffee House
                                           Books and Beer Book Club – Columbus
                                                    Sun Prairie Literary Society
                                                   Irish Book Night – Waupaca
                                         Irish Book and Music Celebration – Chicago
                                                        Local Rotary Chapter
                                                   Colonial Club Senior Center
                                                       Madison Senior Center

My last event was held at Beans n Cream Coffee House on December 4th.  I promoted the event on both my author facebook page and my personal facebook page.  The coffee shop posted on their facebook page and displayed a poster advertising the event.

On an unseasonably warm December evening not one person came to my author event at the coffee shop.  The shop is divided into two rooms.  I set up a table near the Christmas tree.  I shared the room with five customers.  Not one of the customers showed any interest in my presence.  In fact, they aggressively ignored me – each person was absorbed in their own world.

So, my marketing venture ended with a whimper not a bang (The Hollow Men, T.S. Eliot).  For some reason having no one attend my final author event was an appropriate end.  The marketing season is done.  In 2016 I will concentrate on writing the third and final book in the Murphy Series.  I have registered for one author event in March 2016 but expect (and hope) such events will be sparse next year.  

Sometimes I like to write a frivolous blog and this is one of those weeks.  In 2008 I took a two week trip to Ireland because I needed to visit Ireland before I could continue on with my first historical fiction novel – Murphy’s Troubles.  The book is set in the period of Irish history called The Troubles from 1968-98. For some reason I decided I need to be wearing a beard when I went to Ireland.  I really don’t know why or how I felt a beard was necessary.  But I took my whim seriously and grew a full beard in the August heat.  Of course, the beard scratched.  My friends and colleagues at work ridiculed me for growing a beard in August.  “Nobody in Wisconsin grows a beard in August.  We grow beards in November before the gun deer hunting season” they chided me.

I arrived on the emerald isle with a full beard and felt very much at home.  Of course in Ireland in August the temperature is mild and as you would expect it rained several times – my beard felt right.

I thought having a beard would mean not shaving.  Not true.  My full beard would run down my neck to the top of my collarbone which makes me look like a Neanderthal – not the look I was going for.  So, I trim most of my neck and need to shave about every other day.  I also don’t like the natural shape of the beard on my cheeks so I trim it into a nice curve.

Mine is often called an “urban beard” – short and well groomed as my wife likes to say.  My friend Dennis has a man of the wild beard it hangs down a good 12” onto his chest but on Dennis it looks good.  Another friend of mine had a full thick beard most of his adult life and then when he retired decided to shave.  I actually didn’t recognize him the first time I saw him without his beard.  When asked why he shaved he responded, “I have more time to shave now.”

All in all I’ve discovered that keeping a trim beard is much more work than just shaving every day or every other day.  I still shave my cheeks and neck at least every other day plus grooming the beard at least three times a week.  Most of my beard has gone from speckled gray/black to white.  I think the white beard looks good. 

I’m terrified that if I shave off my beard my grandchildren would not recognize me and that would be a tragedy of the first order.  I won’t be shaving off my beard.

So, that’s about all I have to say or could ever say about wearing a beard.   

Several weeks ago I posted a blog sharing my experience with helping teach fiction narrative to the 4th grade Little Chute Elementary school students via skype.  We have now had four classes together.  We started by having the students record a “little moment” in their life that would be the core of their fictional story. 

Next we discussed how to imagine the main character for their story and our goal was to have them identify character traits.  We had the kids identify their favorite cartoon character and explain why they like that character.  Our hope was that in describing why they liked the character they would identify a trait.  It worked.  They said their favorite characters were silly, funny, brave etc.  Next they worked in pairs to write down as many character traits as they could.  As a group they developed an impressive list.

In the third session we talked about plot.  We used the story of the three little pigs to draw a plot diagram.  I learned that using the term “climax” was not useful and so we’ve changed the language to “the most exciting part of the story” and or “the solution” to the problem identified in the beginning of their story.  Unfortunately there was very little transfer from the “little moments” to the story the kids imagined.   We had the students plot their wn story using post it notes.  Plot is a difficult concept and the kids struggled.  Most were able to identify the beginning the climax and the end without any action between each.

The teachers and I agreed we needed another class on plot.  This time we used the book The Kid in the Red Jacket by Barbara Park, which they had read recently as a class, to find both character traits and plot.  I learned this is a very popular book for this grade level and the kids liked the story a lot.  Next the  teachers created a simple story and then drew the plot diagram to model for the students each step.  The students then worked individually on their plot diagram.  When finished the students took turns coming to the microphone and reading their story to me while the teachers worked with individual students.

I was pleased that the students were not shy about coming to the front of the class to talk with me, they even had a queue.   The original plan was to complete the section on teaching narrative by Thanksgiving break.  We’ve all learned that was too ambitious.  The class is getting close but need additional practice.  There are three students have been successful and don’t need more help, they can help the other students.

Next week we’ll help the kids continue to refine their stories – one step at a time.   

It has almost become trite to remind everyone that you need to live and express thankfulness every day and not just at this time of the year.  As many do, I try, but to be honest, am only mildly successful.  I am also thankful for many of the same things as others:  a loving spouse, health, family, grandchildren etc. etc.  So I won’t drone on about all those things.

I want to express my thankfulness for all the things the writer’s life has brought me this year.  In my quest to market my book the old fashioned way I have and not relied on the “social media”.  In March I was honored to make a presentation at local independent bookstore Mystery to Me on Saint Patrick’s Day.  Following my presentation we shared Irish tea, cookies and a bit of Jameson with those attending.  Speaking on Saint Patrick’s Day about a historical fiction book on The Troubles was a special treat for me.

I attended the Oshkosh Irish Fest and had the joy of having an author friend from Madison drive to Oshkosh to support me and have lunch.  I met many at that event and one in particular has become very special.  I met a woman who is a fourth grade teacher.  She wondered if I would be interested in helping her teach writing narrative to her class.  I jumped at the opportunity and have learned first-hand the work it takes to teach.  We’ve taught classes on story turning small moments into a story, story characters, and plot development.

Our community started a low power radio station and needed volunteers to produce radio programs.  I developed two programs.  One is a live call-in interview show called Writing In Wisconsin.  I interview Wisconsin authors, publishers, musicians, composers and playwrights.  I also broadcast a Book Club on the Air and we discuss a different book each month.

I’ve also presented at the local senior center.  That presentation was recorded and replayed by the local public cable program.  I’ve spoken at the Public Library, the Rotary Club; a Pub in Columbus and in December will speak at the coffee shop.  I’ve also been the guest author for the Sun Prairie Literary Society book club.  I also spent an evening at a Waupaca B & B, the Crystal River Inn where I presented and shared an Irish meal with everyone.

The writing life is about so much more than writing.  The writing life offers the opportunity to meet a variety of people and lead to doors opening for new activities such as teaching fourth graders narrative. I love the writing life, it fulfills me.    

I met a person at the Irish Fest who was interested in writing.  She also wanted to buy both my books but didn’t have the money.  I asked her to fill out an order form and then mail me a check.  Weeks went by and I didn’t receive the order form back and forgot about the experience.

About six weeks later I received the order form and a check.  She apologized because the form was folded in her jacket pocket and she forgot about it.  The next day I mailed her my books and included hand written notes that if she ever wanted help to contact me at my e-mail address.  Again, I thought that experience was ended.

Several weeks later I received a draft book review for Murphy’s Troubles.  It was a well written, thorough review and invited her to post it on Amazon.  Within a few days I received another e-mail explaining she was a 4th grade teacher in Little Chute Wisconsin.  She was planning on teaching a unit on writing and wanted to know if I would be willing to meet with her class through Skype.

WOW!  There is a once in a lifetime opportunity.  I jumped at the chance.  She and another teacher co-teach and she said she wanted approval from her teaching partner.  The partner was in favor of the experiment.

We set up a time to agree on curriculum and spent about 30 minutes on Skype planning our first class.  The objective for the first class was to teach students to think of a small moment from recent experiences and use that to begin a story.  Before our Skype planning session I met with a friend who is a retired 5th grade teacher.  He gave me a lot of pointers and suggested that I ask for samples of other writing the class had completed and ask what books they were reading.  In the Skype planning session the teachers were impressed with my questions and I confessed I had a little help from a friend.  

A week ago Monday we had our first 40 minute lesson via Skype.  The class includes 23 students with a wide range of abilities and talents.  The camera was set up so that I could view the whole class.  I don’t know for sure but I’m guessing I looked like a talking head.  To talk with me each student had to come to the front of the room and use a hand held microphone.  When the camera clicked on there was pandemonium with waving hands, laughing, smiling and screaming “Hello Mr. Owens”. 

I had the students share with me their single moments.  The teachers then had the students write about their moments in two or three sentences.  Students then volunteered to read to me what they wrote.  The final step was to take what they had written and turn it into fiction.  I suggested they think of their moment and then ask: “what if”.  I went down the water slide, what if I plunged into the pool and couldn’t swim to the surface?  As the class ended the students were transforming their single moment into a story.

What a thrill it was to watch the students learn the basics of writing fiction, one small step at a time.  That afternoon the teachers sent me an e-mail saying the class was AWESOME!  They gave me their schedule for the rest of the writing unit and invited to me come to any or all of the classes.  Several of the classes were just for review so I skipped those.  I’ll be helping out with the lessons on creating characters and on plot.

Once again, the writing life has provided me with opportunities and experiences I never could have imagined.  Next week I’ll share with you how the class on creating characters.        

When my second book, Out of Darkness, was published in June I decided to devote the remainder of the year to promoting both my novels, primarily though author events.  It has been a whirlwind.  When December rolls by I will have had an author event every two weeks.  Since June we have traveled to Door County, LaCrosse, Fort Worth, Oshkosh, Wichita, Waupaca (twice), Chicago and Milwaukee from July-Oct.  All of the experiences have been fun, educational and sales have been robust. 

I am tired.  I need to return to writing.  During my travels I’ve decided that the Murphy Series will be a trilogy and I know what the theme and general story arc will be for the third novel.  I have written the first chapter in my head and need to have the full arc of the story in my mind in order to begin Chapter One.

Once I was eager to begin writing novel #3 in November.  Now, I know I need to have more space – more time.  I need to create an emptiness that I can then have room to write.  I’m not sure when that will be.  I have confidence that it will come when it wants to come.  And when it does come – it will be a tsunami of creativity.

With my second novel I floundered for months to select a story I wanted to write.  For the third novel I know what I want to write and that is a relief and a joy.  However, Ian Padraic Murphy’s story will end with the third novel.  From my experience at the 2015 Irish Book and Music Celebration, I have an idea for my fourth novel, which will also be historical fiction.  I plan to write about the late 1500’s and take the opportunity to have a female protagonist.  Writing a female protagonist will allow me to grow as a writer and provide an opportunity to showcase the role of women in Celtic society/culture.

Let the writing begin . . . 

Several weeks ago I had an author event at the Crystal River Inn in Waupaca, Wisconsin.  One of those attending was a young Irish woman who married an American and had immigrated to the United States in January.  She told me an incredible story about how my first novel, Murphy’s Troubles, changed her life.

There is a scene in the novel that takes place in a bookshop in Blessington, Ireland.  I selected Blessington first because I loved the name.  For the story plot I needed to have Ian Murphy have a meeting in an out of the way place that no one would notice.  I thought it would be appropriate to have an author visit a local book store and research proved there is in fact ‘The Blessington Book Store’.  Continuing my research it was the perfect location for the scene.

The young woman was reading my book and was shocked and excited when she read the scene in Blessington.  As it turns out she grew up in Blessington and was very familiar with what she called their “quirky” book store.  She told her husband about the scene and had him read it to prove that she wasn’t making it up.

Having left Ireland a few months before the young Irish woman was homesick and feeling uncertain about her choice to immigrate to America.  Reading the scene in my book, written by an American author, was a sign to her that she had made the right decision to move.

Six degrees of freedom?  Coincidence?  How likely is it that a scene in my book would influence the life of a young woman from Ireland?  I don’t know.  When she told me her story the hair rose on the back of my neck.      

For the second consecutive year our friends Deb and Robert in Waupaca have hosted a book event for me.  Last year they invited a group of their friends to their Bed & Breakfast, Crystal River Inn.  Everyone brought something to share and we dined on a traditional Irish meal.  Robert lit the wood fireplace in their parlor and we talked about writing, publishing and my first book Murphy’s Troubles.  The conversation lasted until midnight.  It was a special, magical night.

This year Deb and Robert again offered to host an author event with a twist.  Some of the guests were family but most of the guests were people staying at the Inn for the weekend.  Deb and Robert invited the Bed & Breakfast guests to listen to a presentation from me then enjoy a traditional Irish coddle with brown bread, cultured butter, coleslaw and Irish soda bread.

While we shared a few drinks and some snacks I talked about writing, publishing and my two novels, Murphy’s Troubles and Out of Darkness.  They were generous with their time and allowed me 45 minutes to speak and with questions the entire presentation was 60 minutes.

During the drive to Waupaca my wife kidded me that I was the entertainment for the evening.  For some reason I struggled with that notion.  After my presentation Deb thanked me and told me that all the people in the room had booked the bed and breakfast to hear my talk.  I told her, “Well, I guess I was the entertainment.”