Writing-manual author, Matt Bird offers a detailed explanation of why and how writers can create an ensemble of characters with different personalities. In The Secrets of Story, Bird explains how secondary characters can act as advisors to the protagonist, each in their own way. To illustrate, I will use the classic kids’ movie, The Sandlot.…
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Teacher Resource: Let the Glitter Settle by Stefanie Lachenauer
Stefanie Lachenauer is the 2025 New Jersey Teacher of the Year, with twenty years of classroom experience under her belt. In her newly published mindfulness guidebook, Let the Glitter Settle, Stefanie provides detailed instructions for teachers, students, or caregivers to learn the practice of mindfulness. She relates mindfulness to the daily stresses faced by students,…
Writing Inspiration: Eudora Welty
In graduate school, I read Eudora Welty’s One Writer’s Beginnings the first time. I did not consider myself a writer then, and it was not a goal of mine at that time. My professional goals evolved around teaching English to middle school students. At that time, I do not think I connected with Welty’s book…
Writing Inspiration: A Writing Retreat in Provence
A writer’s world can be a lonely one. Spending hours at a computer or with a notebook, imagining conversations and events taking place, is not the same as interacting with friends face-to-face. As a writer, I miss the camaraderie of working with fellow teachers, or other colleagues, despite belonging to various online writing groups. To…
A Gem of a Poem: “First Fig” & “Afternoon on a Hill” by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Posted on Author Jill M SmithPosted in A Gem of A Poem, Teacher Inspiration, Teacher Resources, Teacher TuesdayLeave a Reply
Two poetic gems by American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay are “First Fig” and “Afternoon on a Hill.” Students may be familiar with the expression “burning the candle at both ends,” but even if they are not, a quick explanation will show them how relatable the expression is. Perhaps they can compare it to their…
What I’m Reading: Perfect by Rachel Joyce
Rachel Joyce is a British writer of contemporary fiction. Her characters have such depth of feeling they seem real, as if they are in the room with you. The details she employs to show their moods and thoughts add to the story in a subtle yet impactful way. In Perfect, young Byron watches his beautiful…
Writing Inspiration: My Jewelry Box
I have just had the privilege of publishing my second short story, “The Pin,” on the Academy of the Heart and Mind website (on September 19, 2025). This was a fun story to write and revise – much more fun to revise than the novel I am currently working on. The inspiration for the story…
Writing Tip Wednesday: creating a hero readers will believe in
In his writing manual, The Secrets of Character, Matt Bird advises writers to create characters their audiences will believe in. This makes sense, doesn’t it? Why invest time and attention on a character you do not believe in? Matt (feels strange to refer to him as Bird) offers many devices and tricks to make main…
Writing Resource: The Secrets of Character by Matt Bird
I can’t say enough about all the advice Matt Bird crams into The Secrets of Character. This writing manual is full of tips, tricks, and examples for writers to use just within the first ten pages. That’s right, the first ten pages, because Bird knows that agents won’t read past that if they don’t love…
Writing Resource: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
There is much to say about Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, but today I will focus on one specific detail: assembling the troops. In her novel-writing manual, Brody breaks down the grand finale into five beats, or moments, so that writers have a checklist of sorts to follow. The first of these…