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Joyce Scarbrough
Unity Member
Post Number:
1268
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 09:38 am: |   |
One of my step-daughters teaches fourth grade in the St. Mary's area of Georgia and recently had a state-mandated writing assignment to give her class, with the focus being on their response to literature. She decided to use my recently published short story "Hope Chest" because it's about a child's undying spirit, belief in herself, and how she survives by making up stories to take herself away from her misery.
My step-daughter called me the other day to tell me how much all the kids loved my story and what wonderful essays they wrote about it. She said she knew many of the kids would identify with Jaycee because of their own circumstances, but she was surprised and thrilled that ALL of them found something about her they could relate to and were eager to write about. One little girl from a prosperous family wrote that she understood how much Jaycee missed her dead mother because, even though her own mother was still alive, she didn't get to see her much because she works all the time. Several of them expressed understanding of why Jaycee still believed her father loves her despite his alcoholism and abuse, and a couple of them said they would try to be more understanding in the future when they met someone like Jaycee who was hard to like and thought they had to always act tough.
But the most moving thing for me was the little boy who rarely did his assigned work in the past, and if he did, it was always sloppy and carelessly done. This little boy not only wrote a detailed, insightful essay about the story, it was extremely neat, and he was even the first one to finish. He also said he'd never liked reading before, but my story made him want to read more.
I'm sure I don't have to tell all of you how much all this made my heart swell. And hearing things like this are why I will never stop writing, no matter what.
~Joyce Sterling Scarbrough
True Blue Forever
ISBN 0-9722385-9-X
Different Roads
ISBN 0-9722385-3-0
Authors Ink Books
http://www.authorsinkbooks.com
Read the first chapters: http://www.authorsden.com/joycelscarbrough1
Waste time on Joyce's Blog: http://joycescarbrough.blogspot.com
Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kztz5e3XZeo |
Frank Mazur
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
325
Registered: 02-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 11:32 am: | |
Good for you, Joyce. It's wonderful to make a difference.
4-dollar gas? Stay home, kick back, and read a great book by F. E. Mazur.
SPINE
THE BUCKSELLER
"A BIGGER CASE" |
Bill Nelson
Unity Member
Post Number:
2948
Registered: 10-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 01:37 pm: | |
Joyce,
You've had your reward for the piece. Everything from now forward is just gravy.
I'm proud to know you, JT.
 |
Todd Hunter
Mindsight Moderator
Post Number:
3827
Registered: 02-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 - 03:30 pm: | |
Having fans always helps with motivation. 
Mindsight Moderator
Aston's Website
Aston's Blog |
Harry Simenon
Unity Member
Post Number:
1888
Registered: 10-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 - 12:34 pm: | |
That's about the best acknowledgment a writer can get!
But one of my stories was used to level a table, see if you can top that! |
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