Here is my unsolicited advice for freshmen starting high school. (Freshmen, listen up!)
Keep a tight rein on your freshmen.
Parents, your kid may look more mature and responsible than ever—and s(he) could very well be—but the beginning of the school year is not the time to extend latitude.
Seriously? She had me paged in a Connecticut store from California?
Hot under the collar, I found and punched the “R” on my keyboard, hit send, and rushed over to check out, hoping I had enough cash so I wouldn’t have to whip out a credit card identifying me as that Deborah Davis.
I was known to do both, depending on what I was teaching. But, on the days when we had a minute to spare, my students were charged with making me laugh. A good joke, especially a science joke, was their ticket out of my room before the bell. (That was actually frowned upon, but the kids never went too far because they were listening to the others jokes.)
Have a Prom Plan. Lay down the rules, and define the consequences if they are not followed. This allows kids to play the parent card. (“My parents will take away the car until I graduate if I do that.
Have you been given any great advice on writing fiction, or do you have any to impart?
The people who like the same things you do will like your work. The people who have different preferences than you will prefer other types of work than yours. Your job is to figure out how to get your book into the hands of like-minded readers, and not take it personally if someone doesn’t prefer it.
