by Ellen Buikema

Great writers make their stories authentic by allowing us to experience what their characters hear, see, smell, taste, and touch—capturing the senses so we are fully involved. Adding sensory details about smell into your writing creates a stronger story bond for your reader.… Read the post

by Ellen Buikema

For many of my teaching years, I used SMART goals for my learning disabled (LD) students as a part of their Individualized Educational Plans (IEP). These students needed to learn how to use their academic strengths to find a way around their learning impediments.… Read the post

by Ellen Buikema

Much of my career was spent working with young children and they gave me a different way of viewing and understanding the world. Life lessons from children serve as invaluable resources for writing and life.

Top 5 Lessons

1.

by Ellen Buikema

I was privileged to work in a co-operative preschool for six years that allowed for teacher autonomy. (Bless them.) This was the stage of my career where I learned the “And then what happened?” method of storytelling. These kids were phenomenal writing teachers!… Read the post

By Ellen Buikema

The road to writing is rocky. What motivates people to write their stories and endure the long journey required to send those book-babies out into the world?

Many people have a book in them to write. Thoughts traverse the mind, nudging to get written.… Read the post