THIS JUST IN!

IT'S ALMOST TIME! MARK YOUR CALENDARS...OCTOBER 6!

GET SIGNED UP TODAY...

As proud supporters of the Pickford Community Library and teachers of their Young Writers Workshop we are excited to announce the fifth year is gearing up for young writers in Michigan.

This group of aspiring young writers is where our Journey to Publication Writing Curriculum was birthed and developed. This group holds charter members who we have watched come up through the ranks of writing to become successful authors.  

Straight from Pickford Community Library in Pickford, Michigan...

PICKFORD COMMUNITY LIBRARY YOUNG WRITERS WORKSHOP BEGINS ITS FIFTH YEAR ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6 AT 7 PM

Pickford Community Library’s Young Writers Workshop is ready to kick off another fabulous year. Starting on October 6, 2016, young aspiring authors will begin their journey to become published. New writing enthusiasts will write short stories, poetry, essays, micro-fiction, and flash-fiction; returning enthusiasts can choose to expand their writing abilities by composing longer works (novellas or novelettes) in most genres.

Pickford Community Library
Young Writers Workshop
Writing Enthusiasts: 2015- 2016 Season

The workshop meets every other Thursday evening from 7:00-8:00 p.m. at the Pickford Community Library. It concludes in mid-May with a “Book-Release Soirée” for the authors, their parents and friends, and other special guests who support the literary arts for young adults. Young aspiring authors from grade 6 through college who are interested in learning the ins and outs of becoming a published author are welcome—and encouraged—to attend the free workshop sessions. This program is open to all students in the Eastern U.P. and currently has enrollees from Pickford, Rudyard, Cedarville, Kinross, and Sault Ste. Marie.

Janet Beasley of Florida (author and CEO of JLB Creatives Publishing) and Dar Bagby of Brimley (author, illustrator, and Senior Editor at JLBCP) are the co-instructors of the course; Janet participates at each adventure session via Skype. All participants’ works will be published in eBook form free of charge by JLB Creatives Publishing, and no one (author or publisher) collects royalties. At the end of the workshop, each story/eBook will be made available to the public, free of charge, through SmashWords and the “Book Shoppes” at JLBCreatives.com. The works will also be available for digital checkout via Overdrive at most U.P. public libraries.

The Young Writers Workshop was founded by Pickford Community Library Manager Ann Marie Smith in 2012 and is free and open to the public. If you would like to enroll, please contact Ann Marie at the library before October 6 at 906-647-1288 or at amsmith@uproc.lib.mi.us The Pickford Community Library is located at 230 East Main Street in downtown Pickford. We look forward to hearing from you!

Excerpt Extravaganza! Today's Excerpt Is From "Triforce Warriors"

Welcome to the JLB Creatives Blog, where an eclectic team of creative geniuses share their fantastical imaginations. 

On Mondays we are featuring an excerpt from one of our creative authors. And what makes this feature so fun is that we publish a wide range of genres. You'll never know what to expect for the excerpt.

To read all of our excerpts thus far, we invite you to visit our blog archives and look for our first Excerpt Extravaganza! that began on August 1, 2016.

Enjoy!

All previous excerpts are available in our archives. We began this series on August 1, 2016. 

Today's excerpt is from author Noah Kamper's fantasy novella Triforce Warriors. Noah is an accomplished writing enthusiast from the Advanced Journey to Publication Writing Program Curriculum.

Link woke on the battle field the next morning. His head thumped, his leg was twisted, and his wrists were burning with pain. He turned his head and gazed at the carnage. He heard groans from monsters that were lying on the battlefield. Arrows, gunpowder, monster remains, and blood littered the field. He attempted to roll over, but the one finger that would move willingly with limited pain did him no good. He tried lifting his head up, but to no avail. His neck was twisted slightly, probably not broken, but majorly cracked. He was lucky the fall hadn't killed him, but the pain and his slight paralysis made him wish the fall would have killed him. He tried moaning, but his throat burned with pain, and it was drier than the Lanayru sands. He closed his eyes and tried to remember where his sword was. It was gone…the dragon had caused him to fling it away. He opened his eyes and looked at the sky. It was light blue, similar to Lana's hair…

Lana. She had run away from their home. His eyes managed to draw enough liquid to drop a single tear down his cheek. He prayed silently to the goddesses that morning that Lana was safe and that the monsters hadn't invaded the city.

He flicked his eyes toward the wall and found that the gate was intact and the wall un-breached. He smiled meekly and let loose a sigh of relief. He furrowed his brow and looked closer at the gate. It was opening! Two figures sprinted from the gate toward Link. As they neared he could see that one of them was Impa, but the other he didn't know. She had a tight white, blue, and black tunic that covered her whole body. She had a pair of the hidden blades on her hands, and her face was covered in a white linen cloth. She had braided her hair with white cloth, but what he could see of it was blue. The front of her tunic was covered in ornate designs. There was a silver eye with a Triforce above it, as if it were looking up at it. She had a kunai strapped to her belt and a short sword hooked to her back.

They arrived next to him, and the mysterious figure knelt down while Impa checked his breathing. The mysterious figure placed her hand on Link's chest and pushed it down, sending a shock of life throughout his body. His leg untwisted, his wrists no longer hurt, his head wasn't thumping, and all other injuries felt completely better.

Link sat up. "Who are you?" he asked the mysterious figure and turned to Impa. "And what happened after the battle with the dragon?"

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To discover more about author Noah Kamper and/or download Triforce Warriors for free visit his author page on JLB Creatives by clicking here.

Using a Dialect in Dialogue

"Dialogue...dialect. What's the difference?" (I have actually had students who confuse these two words.) Believe me, there is a BIG difference! Let's take a look at the definitions:

      dialogue: conversations between/among characters

      dialect: a variety of a language

According to dictionary.com: dialect is a variety of a language that is distinguished from other varieties of the same language by features of phonology, grammar, and vocabulary and by its use by a group of speakers who are set off from others geographically or socially.

When used properly a dialect can help build character, plus it reveals “who” might be talking.

Dialect can be drawn from an existing one, or the author can create a new one. In Janet Beasley’s Hidden Earth Series, Volume 1, Maycly the Trilogy, Book 1, Two Altered Worlds you'll find a brand new dialect. There are characters called "chukkons" on the world of Maycly who have their own way of talking. Though it is an unknown dialect, the author has left enough of the “real word” so readers can follow along easily and still get a feel for how a chukkon talks. You’ll notice that the narrative is in plain English while the dialogue carries the dialect.

Charleo laughed. “Here be yer taggerts, me friend. Ye shouldna be a-takin’ me so serious.” A few of the others in the Pipe Shoppe who knew Charleo could be heard giggling at that remark. “Now let’s see:  one, two, three, four, and five.”

“What be this? Ye dunna trust yer old pal Charleo? Countin’ in front of me. Shame, shame.”

“Sorry. Just force of habit there. No hard feelin’s?”

“None be taken. I was only a-pullin’ yer leg. Now I s’pose I’ll be a-needin’ some pipe stuffin’s ta smoke in this wonderful pipe.” Charleo ran his fingers over the pipe stuffing jars. “How about...umm ...this one. I’ll be a-havin’ me a laund of the ‘E’er So Sweet’.”

“Ooooo, tis one of me favorites.” Jobi inhaled deeply with every scoop until he had dished out a laund on the scale, and he added a pinch more.

“How much be I owin’ ye fer it?”

“Ah, nothin’.”

“I’ll be a-givin’ ye somethin’ fer it, ye crazy wee fella.”

“No arguin’ now. Yer first pipe stuffin's be on me.”

Charleo realized there was no budging Jobi. “I’ll be sure and make a point of showin’ yer fine piece of work ta everyone. And I be a-thankin’ ye from the bottom of me heart.” Charleo gave a nod and a wink to Jobi.

“And ye be welcome from the top of mine.”

Constructing a GOOD paragraph

A paragraph consists of several sentences grouped together, all of which discuss one topic. The first sentence in your paragraph is the topic sentence. It is the most general sentence in the paragraph and introduces an overall idea. It should suggest a question(s) in the reader’s mind and point your reader in the direction you are going; it does not provide any detailed information about the idea, It is usually the first sentence in the paragraph and should be indented. It can also make a reference to the preceding paragraph. The next sentences in a good paragraph are the supporting sentences, They should answer the question(s) suggested in the topic sentence and provide explanations (facts, details, examples) that support or explain the main idea expressed in the topic sentence. You can include as many sentences as necessary to accomplish the explanation. The concluding sentence summarizes the information presented within the paragraph. It is similar to, but not exactly the same as, the topic sentence.

A good paragraph includes four elements: unity, order, coherence, and completeness. To achieve unity you need to maintain one controlling idea (a single focus). This main idea is expressed in the topic sentence, detailed in the supporting sentences, and summarized in the concluding sentence.

Order can be cause & effect wherein a situation either causes or results from another, chronological or order of events in time, comparison/contrast or similarities and/or differences among things, emphatic, which means details are arranged in order of importance or for emphasis, and/or spatial, which is the discovery of how things are arranged in a space. Coherence is the element that makes a paragraph understandable. It uses logical bridges; in other words, the same idea is carried from one sentence to the next and successive sentences are constructed in parallel form. Verbal bridges can be used as well (e.g., pronouns refer to nouns in previous sentences, keywords are repeated in several sentences, synonymous words are repeated in several sentences, transition words link ideas from different sentences). Consistent verb use and point of view are maintained throughout. To achieve completeness you must maintain a single idea throughout the paragraph.

One of the most prominent questions when developing good paragraphs is, "When do I start a new paragraph?" The answer is simple: 1) when beginning a new idea, 2) to contrast ideas or information, or 3) when your reader needs a pause. Bear in mind that paragraph construction involves taking liberties when writing dialogue, and than's a whole other ball game. We'll cover that another time. 

Isn't It Time You Took the "Journey to Publication?"

Have you ever longed to be an author, yet don't know where to start? Have you ever dreamed of being published by a credible publisher, yet you need to know how to submit your work? Have you ever been in charge of a writing group, yet wishing you had all of the tools to educate your group regarding becoming a professional author?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions then you're going to want to check out JLB Creatives Curriculum Division: Journey to Publication. 

Journey to Publication is a one-of-a-kind writing program/curriculum that is suitable for a wide range of settings. Libraries, homeschooling, individuals, the workplace, children's hospitals, and so much more. Our top team of literary experts have developed not only what we call our "regular" editions (Novice and Advanced), but also college editions (Novice and Advanced).

JLB Creatives Publishing developed Journey to Publication over 3 years of teaching the Pickford Community Library's Young Writers Group. This group, thanks to Journey to Publication curriculum, has taken this group of young writers to being the largest young writers group in the state. 

We want to focus on the homeschooling crowd for a moment. Whether your child is looking to become an author, or your homeschooling group is looking for a new kind of extra curricular activity, you're going to want to discover this amazing writing program. 

Now's the time to start thinking about getting serious regarding your writing career, or preparing for college. Journey to Publication will help you every step of the way. And best of all...upon completion of your journey, someone from your group will be published by JLB Creatives Publishing! 

If you're going to be in or near the Lansing, Michigan are May 20-21, 2016 we invite you to attend the INCH Conference for Michigan homeschooling parents and groups. 

Dar Bagby

Our senior editor, Dar Bagby, will be presenting a workshop on Journey to Publication at INCH this year. You will gain an in-depth look at the curriculum as well as have the opportunity to see actual copies, ask questions, and have fun discovering with Dar. JLB Creatives Publishing's Chief Graphic Designer, Connie Thompson, will also be on hand at the Journey to Publication's exhibit table on the show floor.

Connie Thompson

We're looking forward to meeting you and your homeschooled students who have a knack for the creative side of things, and are looking to join other authors in the sea of literary wonderment!

To gain more information on this curriculum, we invite you to visit JourneyToPublication.com 

Friday Prompt: Musical Inspiration

Often we can be inspired by a piece of music. Check out the music video below and watch it a couple of times close your eyes and really get a feel for the beat and lyrics. Then pull out a blank page and tell us a story inspired by the music. Minimum word count 500.

Friday Prompt: The Hunt

It's Black Friday the most dreaded day of the year for retail workers and the most looked forward to by bargin hunters. Today let's have some fun and write a flash fiction of any length about the hunt for an elusive gift item. Ready, set, write it!

Friday Prompt: Character Study

This week let's think about characters. A great way to come up with character ideas is to Google images of people. You can choose to search for Steampunk Men or Femme Fatals or just a general search for random images. Portraits can tell you the story of that person if you take a few minutes to really look at it and listen to what they have to tell you. Here are a couple of "characters" to practice with or maybe they'll be in your next story. NaNoWriMo is coming up! 

Take a look at each one. What do they do for a living? Where are they from? What music do they have on their iPod or in their record collection? Are they married or are they a player? Ask more questions and design the perfect character for your story. 

Thursday Prompt: The yellow brick road leads to....

This week I'm challenging you with a photo prompt. Write a flash fiction of 500 words or more inspired by the photo below. Where does this road lead to? What's waiting at the end or inside the fog at the edges? Is it a dangerous journey or are your travelers safe as long as they stay on the yellow brick road?

Be sure to post a link to your story in the comments below or the comments section on the blog link on our Facebook page JLB Creatives Publishing.

Don't forget to stop by JLBCreatives.com for great books and cosplay accessories!

Two Awesome Events Coming from JLB Creatives Publishing!

EVENT #1: Journey to Publication Writing Program Adventure Seminar for Homeschooling enthusiasts ~ September 17, 2015 ~ Mount Dora, Florida

Be sure you register to attend our Journey to Publication Writing Program Adventure Seminar. Why? First off it's FREE, and who doesn't love FREE? And secondly you will have your eyes opened to a writing program that is remarkably outstanding! 

For more information and to get registered we invite you to visit the Journey to Publication website at: www.JourneyToPublication.com 

Also, look for our Journey to Publication Writing Program ad in Connect Magazine on page 21 

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EVENT #2: Lake Collect-a-Con ~ September 19, 2015 ~ Mount Dora, Florida

If you're into steampunk, comics, super heroes and other such coolness be sure to make plans to attend this event. There is an entrance charge, but will be well worth the price of admission.

How does JLB Creatives fit into this one? Well, for starters the owners of JLB Creatives (Don and Janet Beasley) are cosplay artists (or makers) who dream up and create some of the best cosplay weaponry, hats, masks, and jewelry to be had. They will be showing off and selling their unique, opulent Beaslepunk line of cosplay guns and jewelry at Collect-a-Con on September 19.

Be sure to visit www.BeaslePunk.com on the JLB Creatives website to take a look at some of their artwork.

Visit www.lakecollectacon.com for more information.

ATTN Homeschooling Enthusiasts...Do You Love FREE, fun, and educational outings?

If you answered "yes" to our blog's title today then you'll want to read on!

We still have a few seats open for our Journey to Publication Writing Program Adventure Seminar. You won't want to miss this incredible opportunity to consult with Journey to Publication curriculum creators and authors, JLB Creatives Publishing's team members Janet Beasley (CEO), and Jean E. Lane (financial director). It's FREE to attend and there is no obligation.

Before you make a decision this year on a writing program, be sure to check out the benefits of the Journey to Publication Writing Program. It is remarkably different from any other writing curriculum in the sense that it expands from the basic writing skills and dives headfirst into the world of publishing as well.

With over 50 Adventures to choose from in our Novice edition, and over 70 in our Advanced edition your student(s) will benefit from being able to apply their newly found skill sets when it comes to applying for college, writing for magazines, writing fictional short stories, and more. In addition to being exposed to the basic writing skills your student(s) will learn in-depth information regarding the publishing industry as well as what it take to be a successful author.

REGISTER FOR FREE: CLICK HERE

And our best feature that separates the Journey to Publication Writing Program drastically from any other writing program is the fact that one student per paid curriculum will be published by JLB Creatives Publishing at no charge. 

So start writing down your questions, get registered, and make plans to attend our FREE Journey to Publication Writing Program Adventure Seminar September 17, 2015.

JLB Creatives Publishing team members are FPEA members. Look for our Journey to Publication ad in Connect Magazine on page 21.

It's FREE, fun, and educational! HOMESCHOOLERS...what are you waiting for?

Be sure to register to attend our FREE Journey to Publication Writing Program Adventure Seminar taking place September 17, 2015 in the wonderfully quaint city of Mount Dora, Florida. Attend to learn how this writing program is remarkably different from any other on the market and will benefit your home schooled students when it comes to things such as applying to college, real world applications, and even tapping into their talent as a fictional author.

There are 3 times to choose from, and you can turn this outing into an educational one. While you're in Mount Dora for the seminar make the best of it by turning your outing into an day of learning about the arts, history, conservation, and/or nature. It's all at your fingertips!

Look for our ad in Connect Magazine on page 21. As FPEA members we understand the importance of quality curriculum with positive results. This proven effective writing program opens the opportunity for one student per purchased curriculum to be published by JLB Creatives Publishing at no charge. 

Discover more information and register here: Journey to Publication Writing Program Adventure Seminar

Jean E. Lane

Janet Beasley

Your Adventure Seminar presenters and consultants are JLB Creatives Publishing's CEO Janet Beasley, and financial director Jean E. Lane. They will be on hand to not only present the valuable information, but also to answer your questions

We hope to see you at One Flight Up Cafe` in beautiful downtown Mount Dora on September 17th!

Thrusday Prompt: Junk Drawer Challenge

This week we're going to have a fun challenge and maybe find a few things we forgot we owned! It's time for a Junk Drawer Challenge! Every house or office has at least one. It might be a box, closet or other container instead of a drawer, but I can say for certain we all have a junk catcher somewhere. :)

For this challenge, you are going to go to that drawer full of inspiration and open it up. Don't take time to study the contents. Don't even look in the drawer if you're sure there's nothing dangerous to your fingers inside. You have five seconds to pick up three objects from different locations in the drawer. Yup, only five seconds. That keeps you from taking too much time or thinking about what you're picking up. You want your story inspirations to be purely random objects. Go on and grab your treasures I'll be waiting right here.

*Whistles and waits while you pick out your junk... er treasures.* Oh good you're back! Now let's sit down at the computer or with a notebook and examine your finds. Look at each object and think about what a character would do with it or use it for. Don't linger too long here just take five minutes or so to let your muse wonder on this.

Once the time is up open up a shiny new page and start writing using each of the objects in your story. You can use any genre or wordcount for this one. Most important have fun with it! Okay get writing I'm going to go raid my junk drawer for inspiration!

Thursday Prompt: Grab Bag

Happy Thursday! It's that time again! Let's have some fun with a grab bag of 15 words to use in a 1500 word flash fiction. The goal is to use all of the words in the randomly generated grab bag below in your story. The words can not be altered from their present form. They can be capitalized, that is the only alteration, but, can be used in any order. Ready? Okay here's your grab bag list check them out then get started on your next adventure.

Grab Bag list 

automobile
dandelion
description
Brazil
film
catcall
driven
proposition
authentic
intensity
dedicated
obsolete
risk
plantation
rose

Seats Are Filling Up - Register now to attend our FREE....

Journey to Publication™

Adventure Seminar Registration

Reserve your seat today for September 17 

to attend our FREE Adventure Seminar!

It's FREE, fun, educational, and 

something you won't want to miss!

Add even more fun by making it an educational day trip regarding the arts, conservation, and/or history while visiting the beautiful historic town of 

Mount Dora, Florida

Look for our ad in Connect Magazine! (page 21)

As FPEA members who excel in the arts we understand and agree with the expected high levels of quality and positive results when it comes to education. This is one of the main reasons we have created the Journey to Publication™ career path writing program for homeschooling.

We will be offering FREE consulting regarding the career path writing program PLUS a 10% discount, free stickers, and FREE shipping on orders placed during the event.

We invite you to get acquainted with the 

Journey to Publication™ Writing Program first hand! 

FREE:

Journey to Publication™ Writing Program Adventure Seminar 

is FREE to attend on Sept. 17, 2015 (seating is limited)

WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS ADVENTURE SEMINAR:

Homeschooling educators and kids ages 12-18 (Please limit your party to 2 as seating is limited, one adult must accompany each child under 18.)

LOCATION: 

One Flight Up Cafe` 

440 N. Donnelly Street 

Mount Dora, Florida

YOU MUST REGISTER:

Seating is limited!

ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM available at:

www.JourneyToPublication.com 

This is a FREE seminar for homeschooling educators and kids (ages 12-18). Florida homeschooling residents will have the exclusive opportunity to meet and greet Journey to Publication™ creators and authors Janet Beasley (top left) and Jean E. Lane (bottom left) of JLB Creatives Publishing. 

There will be a presentation explaining in detail how this career path writing program works and fits into homeschooling. Actual copies of the writing program curriculum will be on hand for you to view.

After the presentation there will be plenty of time for questions and answers. Complimentary refreshments will be served. And  there is no obligation.  

Posted 1 week ago by Janet Beasley