Dear Readers:
Dr. Ink recently visited a summer writing camp for children where he met a delightful young writer named Maddy Job. One of the younger students in the camp, Maddy is about to become a 5th grader, which probably makes her about 11 years old.
Doc discovered that Maddy had built a reputation among the other campers as something of an individualist, a girl who sought to stand out rather than fit in.
“How do you know that about her?” Doc asked the class.
The curious Doc peeked under her work table and could, indeed, see something unusual. With her low sneakers, Maddy wore one white sock and one gray sock. Not only were the socks of different colors but also different textures, and each came up to a different height over her little ankles.
“She never wears two of the same socks,” said another voice. “They’re always different.”
This provided Dr. Ink with a beautiful teaching moment. “If you are writing about a person,” explained the Doc, “don’t write that Dr. Ink was ‘funny.’ Describe for your readers something funny that he did. Show the readers your evidence. Did Doc tell a joke? Do a dance? Play a silly song on the piano?”
Then Doc said, “Tell me about Maddy. Give me some adjectives that describe her.”
- Unique
- A little weird
- Different
- Confident
- Uninhibited
- Her own person
“OK. Now you’ve TOLD me about Maddy. Now SHOW me. What detail would reveal these for the reader?”
The answer came instantly from all directions. MADDY’S SOCKS!
