Show Don't Tell!

Show Don't Tell is by Josephine Nobisso, the author of Grandpa Loved and Grandma's Scrapbook.   In this book, she shares her vision of what it means to be a writer and offers up some of her "secrets" of writing.  She invites us to think carefully about some of the most important decisions we can make as a writer. 

     It's not a "how to" book, but a whimpsical invitation into the complex world of the writer.  Each page invites us to think deeply about the specifics of being a great writer.  My students love the scratch and sniff pages and the sound card at the end that invites them to "listen" and write.  I love how the author talks about complex writing concepts in such a creative way; it's like a "let's think more about this" book... and we can take specific concepts into whatever writer's craft or unit of study we are tackling.  I think it's a great book to use as a "think aloud."  And the beauty is, you can bring the book back to your writer's workshop again and again. 

      This is a brilliant book to use during a study of how readers create sensory images or how writer's add detail for their readers to create sensory images.  Plus, it's beauty captures so much about writing and the process of composing.  I love the beginning, "If you were to walk into my office, you would NOT see me typing away, a million words a minute.  You would find me, hands dangling, over the keyboard, lost in a daydream..."

     Show Don't Tell!:  Secrets of Writing.  It's a wonderful invitation!