For the month of March I will be participating in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by The Two Writing Teachers Blog. Each day I will be sharing a Quick Write as my way of slicing. The idea is to offer a SPARK that will kindle thinking and then write as quickly as you can for 5-10 minutes. No filters, no revisions.I’ve been curating a collection of Sparks and will share some with you all month. It’s a great way to ignite your writing life.
FAN MAIL
When I ask students who they looked up to, it is very enlightening. There are the obvious singers, performers, and athletes, but I am stunned by the number of YouTubers that students are fans of. I have no idea who most of these people are, but I’m learning about them and about my students. There’s nothing like drafting a handwritten note to someone who’s work you deeply appreciate but I often take a photo of the letter and reach out via social media instead of snail mail. Since it is no secret that kidlit authors are my heroes and their books are such a huge part of my life, I’ll take this opportunity to let one know with a letter “slice”.
Donna Gephart is the author of several kidlit books that I admire.
Here’s my quick write:
I could send this as is in a tweet or Facebook post, or I could revise if I chose. Just snap a picture and tag them on social media. They are always so accessible to their readers and I know would welcome some appreciation for their hard work. The idea is to express gratitude with intention, whether or not it ever gets sent. But a bonus to this quick write is that it spreads some love-and we could all use more of that.
litcoachlady 
I like the idea of posting it. I think I’d also send it to so they have the physical copy as a memento.
I agree, it is often hard to get a physical address for authors, but they almost always have a social media account (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter).
What a wonderful idea, Paula! There are so many ways to reach out to our favorite authors. Thanks for the reminder that it is important to express gratitude whenever we can.
It’s my OLW this year, Rose. I am SOOOooo grateful to authors who pour their hearts into their books so we can have experiences we might never have had without reading.
Brilliant! I especially love the idea of snapping a photo and posting it on social media. it blends the intimacy of a hand-written letter with the immediacy of social media.
Yes, so much more personal than typing out a short tweet. We’ve done this with kids and it is so sweet.
I love the incorporation of handwriting and technology. There is greatness that lives in pen to paper! I love that we don’t have to abandon it to use technology to publish to a greater audience.
It’s a great way to use each medium in the best way!
I love this idea, and handwriting is so much more beautiful and personal than a tweet or message on social media. I am going to try this!
It is truly more personal-our personalities often shine through with each stroke.
You are always writing those inspirational notes to others!! I would love this March challenge to see some of your note taking. I have never seen anything like it! I challenge you to write a note taking post about this challenge!!
I love letting people know “I’m grateful for” or “I noticed” all the wonderful things they do!
Love this idea! And I know from the contact I have had with authors, they would love it too. They are so, so generous!
They really are such generous people. Writing can be such a lonely endeavor -I think having readers reach out and say, “Thank you, this was sooo good” has got to be gratifying.
I love the idea! Especially taking the photo and sharing it via social media! Thanks for the spark of information today.
Good idea. I think the students would really like this idea.
This is a great idea! Also…I totally loved that book, too! 🙂