Timewaster's Guide Archive

Yeah, when I read Baby Bug, I had that same reaction. I wondered, "How do they pick what they like? They're so short!" But I figure they must have some sort of measuring system to decide what's "good" for that age.

Maybe not. Maybe it's just the personal taste of the editors. But, yes, it is hard to write such short things. I'm not good at it--which is why I'm not a poet. Even though the Friend did take a couple of the poems I wrote (which are not my greatest writings, for sure).

Not helping.

Again, I'll recommend checking out Ladybug and Baby Bug. They're magazines for really young readers. And, since they are so competetive and extremely picky about what they publish, I found it interesting to read what they had. I remember them being very short.

That's all I can think of. It does sound like there are a lot of restrictions, but it is a worthwhile thing. Approaching it from a language development perspective is interesting. But, again, it could make it difficult.

When I worked at a Tutor Time last year, I worked with beginning readers. They often read short stories that emphasized a sound, like you've described. The stories rarely had a rising action, climax, denouement--all that. There just wasn't time. Instead, they seemed to focus on a scene with some action in it. There was dialogue and a bit of humor. But it wasn't an entire story, just a moment in time. Maybe that would be easier. Also, it didn't have to rhyme all the time. It just stressed the sound with repetition, like cat, hat, fat, bat, etc.

I enjoyed reading this article very much--I liked CtrlZed's sense of humor, and it was interesting to hear his opinion. I second him on Garth Nix's books--I think the covers are beautiful. I'm not an artist, but an appreciator of art. I don't usually have a reason why I like something--if it speaks to me, I like it. If it doesn't, I don't.

I do want to point out that the link from the article to the forum, at the end of the article, wasn't working when I tried to use it just now.

Anything specific you want to avoid? I don't know if we'll be eating in a kitchen area, or where we're watching the movie. If you're worried about spills, we should try to bring things that aren't messy.

and with the end result being that when you exit the game, you've learned something about yourself and hopefully are better prepared to deal with real life.  Is that about right?

MattD

That's pretty much it, dreamking. Like EUOL and possibly others have mentioned before, we (members of the LDS Church) believe that life began BEFORE we came to earth. There are three parts--Premortal Life, Mortal Life, and Postmortal Life. God is our father and we are His children. We'd progressed as far as we could as spirits in the Premortal Life. So Earth was created as the next stage of our testing ground--a place where we could receive mortal bodies and prove ourselves SEPARATED from the direct presence of God, our Heavenly Father. We are preparing for the third and final stage--Postmortal Life, where we will have perfected, immortal bodies. As one scripture says in the Book of Mormon, "This life is the time to prepare to meet God." Thus, we believe that life continues after death, and that what we do while on earth directly affects what glory we receive in the next life. So we are, in a sense, preparing for "real life"--the glorious existence that comes in Postmortal Life. But that doesn't by any means negate the reality or importance of this life. Mortal life is filled with pain and joy, but you use your agency/free will to follow God's commandments and live the best life possible, perfecting yourself and helping others.

I can bring a Marie Calendars Razzleberry Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream. It's one of Fish's and my favorite treats. If nobody minds that it is not homemade, of course. 

Or I can do salad. I do great salads.