Every good story, be it a book or a movie, has certain elements that make it worth reading/watching. Asking myself if my writing in the Bandana Acres series had them, I had to honestly answer, “no”. So I re-wrote them using the wisdom Mr. S. imparted to us in our writer’s group meeting. ALL of my writing now starts out with answering 5 key questions first.

I am also taking Dan’s high-school class, “One Year Adventure Novel”, which is AMAZING. I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to him and to thank him for all the good work he has done over the years. Please reach out to him on his website or check out his curriculum for middle or high school when your kids reach that age. Writing is an art!

When you click on “read more”, you’ll find answers to 7 personal questions I asked Dan, plus some great photos. You and your kids will love getting to know him so don’t forget to open this blog up!

The Five Elements of Story

(according to Daniel Schwabauer aka “Mr. S.”)

I will never forget the day I met Dan at our writer’s group meeting where he was speaking about the “Five Elements of Story”. It truly changed the way I write. The five elements are:

1. Someone to care about

2. Something to want

3. Something to dread (or fear)

4. Something to suffer

5. Something to learn

Getting to Know “Mr. S.”

1) What would you write in a letter to your younger (2nd grade) self?

"Dear younger me,

Don’t worry about getting your tonsils out next month. It’s not any fun, but you will get ice cream.

However, you SHOULD worry about stunt-jumping your bike using that home-made ramp on your neighbor’s driveway. It won’t end well. AT ALL.

Sincerely, Future you

p.s. Keep reading the stuff you like to read. Someday it will help you more than you can imagine!”

2) What does your perfect room look like?

“My office is as close to perfect as I can make it. I work in a basement surrounded by bookshelves, but have space for three whiteboards I use for brainstorming plus a 9 x 5 corkboard. Also for brainstorming.

But if I had a zillion dollars and could build a room from scratch, this office of mine would be much fancier. I would build a sort of round hobbit hole writing space with carved wooden bookshelves on the outer walls and a tree in the center rising to a high ceiling and out into the open sky. I would have a huge fireplace, a hundred times as many books, a hidden door (probably opening into a kitchen stocked with snacks), and a spiral staircase built to the the outside of the central tree trunk and ending with a door into the tree and through it out to the roof.

Oh, and a doggie bed by the fireplace for my shorkie, Bella.”

3) What real, or fictional place, would you like to visit?

“Someday I hope to visit Australia. But if fictional worlds were an option, I would trade that for an extended journey to Narnia. I would love to see Aslan’s country.”

4) What would be the most amazing adventure to go on?

“I’ve had some amazing adventures! Hiking through the jungle in Guatemala. Marrying my best friend. Being a dad.

One adventure I have dreamed about is recreating Huck Finn’s travels by raft down the Mississippi river. At one point I considered building my own raft and following Mark Twain’s adventure, then writing a book about it. But I decided to get married instead.”

5) What do you wish you knew more about?

“I wish I had spent the time and money to get a pilot’s license. I’ve wanted to fly all my life, and have read many books about planes, but never felt the reward would be worth the cost. Alas, maybe someday.”

6) What is your favorite genre of book, movie, or music?

“Science fiction. I enjoy the sense of wonder and otherness the genre creates.”

7) Why did you decide to do the work that you’re doing now?

“I love stories in all forms and knew I wanted to be a writer back in 6th grade. Now I don't just write; I also teach writing. And I have discovered that I enjoy storytelling so much that I also enjoy teaching other people how stories work.”

Books by Mr. “S”

(Click on the image for Amazon link.)

Another Month at Home ~

I sincerely hope this blog finds you all well, taking the appropriate precautions, and NOT panicking during this weird time of quarantine. Remember, there’s still a lot of good news still happening out there. This is temporary! I really liked this video from John Krasinski. Take a look:

Progress Report on my middle grade novel ~

Since I’ve had more time, I’m happy to report that I have more than 6,000 words of my upcoming novel, The Adventures of Emeline! Next month I should have 20,000. I’ll keep you posted.

Lots of love, and happy April