Writing for the Homeschool Market

First Published in October, 2003 Fellowscript Magazine

Writing for the Homeschooling Market
by Glynis M. Belec


Writing for a niche market is like sweet syrup to some. When a writer is an expert in a particular field, or if he/she has special insight into a subject, a healthy and lengthy editorial relationship can result.

More and more readers and consequently, periodicals, are looking for well-written articles on homeschooling.

Homeschooling, an alternative form of education, is on the rise. Some Parents, discouraged and disillusioned about the state of the school system, or for personal reasons, are opting to teach their children at home.

Because of this, both seasoned and potential home educators are looking for ideas. They are interested in reading articles on a wide range of topics including how to get started in homeschooling, various resource information, personal interviews with other homeschoolers, internet communications, cooking, crafts, socialization tips, recreational math, how to organize a convention, how to get the most out of a convention, where families can volunteer, simple-living family activities, inspirational and devotional encouragement – the list is endless.

Other readers are simply curious about this rapidly increasing option for educating children. They want to learn more about what is involved in homeschooling and how children manage to learn in a home environment. Is it statistically working?

It is not a pre-requisite for a writer to be a teacher or to have homeschooling experience – although it does help establish some credibility. What matters is that you are well informed and knowledgeable about the subject you present to an editor.

There are exclusive homeschool magazines whose focus is primarily home education while other periodicals look for well-written general articles on the subject. Here are some for your consideration:

1. Homeschooling Today - http://www.homeschoolingtoday.com/

2. Home Educator .com - http://www.homeeducator.com/FamilyTimes/submissions.htm

3. Home Education Magazine - http://www.homeedmag.com/write.html

4. Home School World - http://www.home-school.com/writers/

Grandmothers’ Necklace Set for May 1st Launch in Kitchener

Press Release


by Glynis M. Belec

When Patricia Anne Elford attended her first meeting of the Petawawa Grannies for Africa, she was compelled to do her part. Elford, a writer, editor and teacher, felt an immediate stirring to help the now estimated 15-18 million African children orphaned by AIDS and their caregiver grandmothers.

“I wanted to do something because the need was so great,” said Elford.

She referred to the immense task and responsibility that sub-Saharan grandmothers face in caring for their grandchildren. Not only have these brave, African grandmothers lost their own children to the pandemic of HIV/AIDS, but they face the rest of their lives wondering how to provide the basic necessities as they raise their grandchildren.

Elford decided to use her gifts and abilities as a writer to compile submitted stories into a book that would help raise funds for these quietly courageous grandmothers.

Grandmother’s Necklace, a collection of inspiring stories, is the outcome of Elford’s brainchild. This remarkable anthology includes writings by 61 authors from across Canada, the United States and Ireland. The book also contains narratives from five African grandmothers.

None of the anthology authors receive payment for their contribution. All profits from the sale of the book will go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) www.stephenlewisfoundation.org/grandmothers.htm through the Petawawa Grannies. SLF is a registered charitable organization that funds grassroots efforts in sub-Saharan Africa to better the lives of the women and children there.

The Kitchener launch of Grandmothers’ Necklace will be held Saturday, May 1, 2010, from 2pm until 4 pm at St. Philip's Lutheran Church, 236 Woodhaven Road in Kitchener. Local author Carolyn Wilker, with the help of Listowel and Drayton authors, Ruth Smith-Meyer and Glynis Belec, is organizing and arranging for selected author readings and a time of celebration, refreshments and reflection. Refreshments will be provided by Omas Siskonas, the local chapter of Grandmothers to Grandmothers.

“We hear much about people in Third World nations and how they struggle,” says Wilker, “but rarely do we hear about those people—grandmothers, in this case— who work so hard to hold things together for their families.”

Wilker, as she contemplates the inconceivable tragedy that is sweeping Africa, joins with Smith-Meyer and Belec in saying that it feels good to [do our part] to help.

Smith-Meyer’s treasured relationship with her own grandmother inspires her to do what she can to foster and help other grandmothers.

“When I saw the request for submissions, I immediately felt compelled to do something for the grandmothers in Africa,” says Smith-Meyer. “I realized the difference between having [my] Grandmother as a "back-up" support and having her serve as a mother because my own was gone.”

Along with contributions by Wilker, Smith-Meyer and Belec, other award-winning contributors to Grandmothers’ Necklace include Phil Callaway, Kathleen Gibson, Judy Maddren, Patricia Elford, L. June Stevenson, and others.

For further information about the launch, e-mail gbelec@everus.ca or cari.edit@rogers.com or call (519) 570-9595

ICWF Word Challenge February 2010

The criteria for submission was as follows:

"...write a short news story that has some connection to the Olympics. In your story you need to clearly answer the journalistic questions as follows: who, where, what, when, why, how. They don't have to be answered in this order, but it should be clear that each is covered.
The newspaper that you are writing for is called the "Glory Times" and its content includes current events from a spiritual perspective. The maximum word count is 300 words not including the snappy headline for your story..."

The submissions were sent to the Inscribe listserve, members voted and then the votes were tallied and Pat Earl was our winner! CONGRATULATIONS, Pat!

Here is her winning story:

Savour The Moment

Cheryl Bernard thought they had it. The final rock of the women’s 2010 gold medal Olympic curling challenge glided smoothly toward the waiting rings. The confident skip of team Canada smiled as she hollered, " Clean. Clean!" Her stone struck the opponents rock dead on and stopped short of the blue ring. Sweden counted two. The game was tied, six six. Smiles changed to looks of disbelief. Overtime. One more chance. Bernard once more had the last rock. The projected tap on the opponent’s stone failed to materialize. Sweden won gold. As the Swedish women whooped and cheered, team Canada stood dejected, looking on. None more so than their skip who was known for putting her rocks in place when it counted most.

Later, as the Canadian team stood on the podium to receive silver medals, their downcast faces told the story of disappointment. Bernard, speaking to a reporter later that evening, said she would be reliving her last throw for some time. She acknowledged it would perhaps be a week or two before she could appreciate being second best in the world.

But something happened between Friday’s game and Sunday. Was it the adulation of the Canadian crowds? Was it words of encouragement from family and friends? Or perhaps, Bernard knew in her heart she had done her best and had used her God given talent to support her team.

Whatever the reason, there she was, all smiles, savouring the moment during the closing ceremony, looking every inch a proud Canadian. For a team inexperienced on the world stage, winning the silver medal was a spectacular feat. Bernard and all of Team Canada can be proud of their performance.

Keeping Track!

http://www.bylinescalendar.com/

Inscribe Christian Writer's Fellowship (ICWF) Winner

Greetings to you as you take a moment to rest those tired writing fingers and read the winning submission from our most recent ICWF Word Challenge. The criteria was as follows:

Develop a story that contains the following:

God says, "No." What is the question?

God says, "Yes." What is the question?

God says, "Maybe..." What is the question?

The word count was to be 300 maximum and there was a deadline to meet. Participants on the Inscribe listserve voted and the following selection written by Joyce Harback won the honour of first place. Second place was awarded to Addy Oberlin and Bruce Atchison came in a close third. Congratulations to all.

Here is Joyce's winning entry:

There’s No Place Like Home

by Joyce Harback

I drove away from the babysitter’s home, weeping again. For six months I had been working temporary jobs after being laid off during a company downsizing. Money from the severance package was running out and I was trying the third caregiver for my toddler after two unmitigated disasters. As I gave her my contact information, my son began to cry but she firmly shooed me out the door.

“Crying is healthy,“ she said, “He’ll calm down after you leave.” His volume increased as I ran to the car, blinded by tears. I cried out to God as I drove. He is a God of miracles.

“Please, Lord, is there is ANY way you can make it possible for me to stay home with my boy?” I begged.

“I should be his caregiver. I don’t know how, but I can’t bear to see him cry like that every morning.”

Having rolled my burden over onto God, I wiped my eyes and started my job. After lunch my husband called.

“How are you?” he asked. “Oh, fine,”

Things were pretty crazy at his workplace, no need to burden him with my sadness.

“Now, don’t freak out,” my husband warned, “but my boss says they’re having a hard time finding someone to take that position up north.”

Rainbow Lake was where the road ends. Literally. Only the name was attractive. I knew exactly what he was suggesting. He wanted to apply for the job. It would be a huge promotion. The financial benefits were great.

“Yes,” I said. “Excuse me?” my husband said, shocked.

“Yes. I’m willing to go.” I explained my heart-broken appeal to God from the morning.

“This is the answer to my prayer.” He got the job, I got to be a stay-at-home mom and God got the glory.

******************************

Congratulations Joyce!

Part Two - Writing for the Stage - Less is Best!

Subtle type directions such as gestures, responses to dialogue, idiosyncrasies of character and the like, are left to the discretion of the director.

For a start, you as the writer are not usually aware of the type of stage where your play will be performed or some of the subtleties involved as a complete stranger interprets your play. Nor will you have control over the pace and delivery. Actors, if they have some experience, will be most aware of the acting is reacting truism. If you, as the writer, try to tell them how to respond or what to do, then you are actually stifling their creativity. You need to write using your God-given gift but you also need to learn to limit the fluff.

Give both the actor and the director credit for reading your story and interpreting it for the audience.

An area where the writer does have a reasonable measure of input is in the creation of the set. The first part of the script should offer a description of the setting: a living room; a hunting lodge; heaven’s gates; a church sanctuary; a homeless shelter. As tempting as it may be, however, resist the tendency to go into great detail about the luxurious velvet brocade on the Victorian couch and the shiny bronze spittoon beneath the solid mahogany, hand-carved hat rack. You’re not writing a novel. Keep that in mind and keep things simple. If it has no bearing on the play – scratch it.

It is okay to indicate the time period and condition of the furniture and where the pieces are situated on stage, but make sure that everything on stage is there for a purpose. If there is a teapot on the table with two cups, make sure someone has enjoyed a taste before the end of the play.

It’s okay to give minimal direction about lighting but only if it pertains to the mood of the play or is necessary for a particular moment, otherwise leave the lighting up to the lighting director or producer.

Stage directions for characters should also be kept to a minimum. A brief, general description of each character should suffice. Don’t worry about describing the specific outward appearance or personality traits unless it is essential to the role. Personality, attitude and behavior will emerge as the discourse progresses. Concentrate more on creating good dialogue than on instructing the actor how he should react or behave on stage.

When I write a play I often am the director, too, so it’s easy for me to work as I go. I often do bare bones stage directions in that case. But when I write to submit my work I have to read my work in a different light. Have I offered sufficient information for staging without going overboard, is a big question?

Because someone else is reading my play, I sometimes feel I need to explain more. However, if the dialogue is well done and the story line is believable then I remind myself that I need not worry.

Minimal stage directions are all the director needs. So, are you ready to get out that script and give it the once over? Here’s a good way to edit the stage directions in your script. Read each direction then ask yourself, each time – “Who needs to know this and why?”

Too much information is not always a good thing. Keep it simple, Shakespeare!

Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation

(Photo: Adrian Plass sharing wisdom and wisecracks!)

"Do you love what you are doing?" I asked Adrian Plass last Friday night after his presentation at the The Waterloo Mennonite Brethern Church. I was curious. This gentle giant of a man seemed a natural with his delightfully lovely (and oh, so familiar) British accent. I could tell he really did love his Anglican roots, although he did not mince words when it came to 'wound tight' Christians. Mr. Plass was very forthright and almost gushed at how much he loved his writing and speaking. He also told me a little bit about how he had been struggling with depression and how this ministry was the healing tonic that God poured into his vessel!

(Photo: Glen Soderholm - right and David White filling the night with a joyful sound!)

The music for the night provided by the sweet voiced Glen Soderholm and his multi-talented musical sidekick, David White, was delightfully uplifting, honouring and wonderfully entertaining. These gifted boys were a lovely complement to Adrian's cheeky one liners.

The intimate venue at the church on Lexington Road was perfect for creating an intimate setting for the World Vision Story and Song evening. I had a great time.

It's not often I venture out on my own to such an event. At one point, after those who were initially going to attend with me couldn't make it last minute, I thought I might not go. But since I had a ticket and my happy hubby was out of town, I hopped in my car and headed out. And I am not one bit sorry that I did.

Mr. Plass, with his unique humorous perspective on the Christian life, was responsible for many a stitch in the side. People were guffawing right, left and centre as Adrian Plass spoke about everything from bacon sandwiches and salvation to büstenhalters. (If you are even the slightest bit curious about the büstenhalter, then check out this video!)

I am extremely thankful to the Word Guild and Eric Spath for offering tickets to TWG members. I encourage anyone who still might have the opportunity to see this great presentation. It's a wonderful evening out. Now I am off to have a read of my signed copy of Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation.