Watching Men in Black 2 and about to tuck into some delicious chocolate, Twizzlers, trail mix, and dates. It’s been a tumultuous day at book camp. We began the day with trading yesterday’s one-act plays and critiquing them. Afterwards, we warmed up by trading writing prompts and committing to a ten-minute free write based on today’s theme: fan fiction.
After the free write, I gave each kid the critique I wrote on their plays and the critique a brother/sister/cousin wrote. We broke up to read our critiques. But first I counseled the kids about critiques, the trust required between the writer and reviewer, and the spirit with which to receive the critiques. When we came back together, I asked them to close their eyes and for every person to raise a hand if they felt hurt by what they read. Five hands rose in the air.
Critiques can sting even when they are gently written by people who love you. The trick is separating one’s self as a person from one’s work. That’s hard to do.
For the next hour, the kids practiced instruments (viola, bass, sousaphone, euphonium), typing, and math. Then the fun began! We visited Full Circle Book Store, a divine little shop in Oklahoma City with sliding ladders to reach high books. After a glorious hour and much help from the kind shopkeepers, we retired to Starbucks for treats, chats, and reading.
After lunch, the real trouble started. One of our merry band found himself utterly blocked. We delved into our understanding of fan fiction. A writer can develop story skills by using others’ well-drawn characters and basic motivations. However, copyright should always be honored.
When we began the worksheet to determine our fan fiction stories, the blocked kid melted down. He couldn’t choose any source material. The tears came hot and heavy. It took half an hour to get him to tell me he was upset about my critique. It took thirty more minutes to reconcile the two of us. But then he wrote an amazing piece of fan fiction!
Overall, the day balanced on the good. Much like most writing days. And the rest of life.