Note This
Hope your holidays were great. Christmas happens to be one of my favorite days of the year.
And my family outdid themselves this year. I got some great books myself, gave a couple good ones—including one of my all-time favorites, To Kill a Mockingbird—to my son, Jack. I also received some of the world’s best ice cream, from Graeter’s in Cincinnati.
So now it’s time for thank-you notes! I know, thank-you notes can seem like a total drag and, these days, with the speed and ease of email, IMs, cell phones, and texting, it seems downright old-fashioned and inefficient to actually commit pen to paper, but I personally think part of enjoying books comes from an appreciation of this old-fashioned, first-hand, and magical experience of turning our own thoughts into words.
To that end, even if thank-you notes are a hard-sell with your child, have you ever considered getting them a blank notebook? Here’s a thought and a letter you’re welcome to adapt for your own young reader:
Dear ___,You ought to keep a journal. Do you know what a journal is? It’s basically your own book. And it’s a place where you can keeps things you want to remember. Things like [and of course use your own examples here, these are just for-instances]:
- How much the Cowboys are going to win by in the next game
- What sorts of table scraps Rex likes best
- The right amount of ketchup one should use on one’s burger
- What is the best joke you heard at school this week
- What day of the week you get your allowance on
- How many Whiffle balls you’ve hit into the next-door-neighbors’ yard
- What sort of cake you want for your birthday
- What Mom or Dad said to you that ticked you off the other day
- Best fishing spots at the river
- Secrets that nobody should know but you
My point is that if you have a journal and practice writing in it—just like with our bike or smacking Whiffle balls into the neighbors’ yard—you’ll get good fast.
And writing’s a good thing to be good at. It helps you remember things, it helps you get your ideas to across to other people (so you can get into good schools and get good jobs and stuff like that) and it can even be pretty good fun.
And you don’t have to write in this journal when you don’t feel like it. You can glue pictures you’ve cut out of magazines, things you’ve printed off the computer, hide money in it, or even smash leaves or bugs into it if you like. Or you can neglect it for weeks or months at a time.
Anyhow, why don’t you give it a try, and let me know if there’s anything I can help with? I’m proud of you being such a good reader and writer.
JP
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I Love Greaters Ice Cream! I live near Cinncinati so I can get it whenever I want.
I've tried to keep a journal before, but I soon forget about it. I only fill in a few pages before I lose it, or just get tired of it, and I never write in again. I write about my school days, or off-topic things in e-mails. Then I send them to my best friend. I like to think of that as a kind of journal.
I am a first grade teacher and I love to see my students writing. They write about their friendships, family, activities in our class. They don't always spell everything correctly BUT they do illustrate and SHARE with their friends. They are enthusiastic about learning at this early age and we should encourage their creativity.
I always end up losing or getting tired of my journal, but I have epiphanies every once in a blue moon.
But anyways, great advice....uh..... what do I call you? Mr. Patterson? I guess that works, you know the respect thing, I mean, I'm only 13, I'm speaking to a renowned novelist. I also would like you to know that you're my favorite author and my favorite series is Maximum Ride, and that, since I first held one of your books, my life was changed. Yeah, it's that good, so pat yourself on the back.
P.S. I don't want you to think I am some ordinary, girly, fan. I am MUCH more than that, I promise.
Way Cool, Izzy!!!
My 10 year old son has ADHD and I find that the best way for him to practice focusing is through his journal writing. This wonderful practice works on many levels: the journal is an outlet for him to pour out his torrent of thoughts and emotions, his writing abilities are honed through the constant exercise of literary expression and I manage to get valuable insight on what is going on in his life (he is comfortable about sharing his entries with me).
Alex Cross would be prous!
How can I get my kids to write things in their journal if I can't even keep my own up to date??? I have a 9 yr old with ADHD and it would help her with things like her spelling and her reading but if I can't keep my journal up how would I expect her to keep hers up???
To Misty, my sister is only a year younger than me (12) but she has ADHD so at heart she's much younger. My Mom and I had been trying to get her to read, and it wasn't working. So, I started reading to her. We would spend hours in my room reading Maximum Ride, Eragon, Twilight, and Heartland (her favorite). But one day I didn't have time to read to her, and when I came in her room later that night, she was reading the book herself! My reading to her has taught her to love books, so much that she reads all the time. My one problem is that she doesn't have enough books, she's read Twilight more than 15 times!
i started writing a journal,i have now three of them,i havnt written in my last one for a while, mr patterson believe it or not, i just started reading your books, now i cant put them down,i just read, youve been warned, had it read in one day, now im reading the beach house.your are a awsome auther.
steph
I think this is a great idea. Christmas is past but birthdays are coming up. might even do this myself with the computer. thanks JP for the idea.
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Thanks for very interesting article. btw. I really enjoyed reading all of your posts. It’s interesting to read ideas, and observations from someone else’s point of view… makes you think more.
So please keep up the great work. Greetings.
you're not at all like i thought you would be from writing all those dark, briliant books. do you go into a fugue when you write from the "psycho's" perspective or something. i expected something different