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Sunday, October 23, 2022

Creative Writing and Publishing Resources for You and Your Students

Around 20 years ago, my daughter and I used to do poetry nights where we would use a website (Watch Out for Snakes) that would randomly create titles for us by putting together adjectives and nouns. We would then challenge each other to write a poem based on one of the prompts, followed by reading our new creations.

Yes, I have always been a nerd.

Over the years, writing has continued to be a big part of our lives, and I have posted many poetry-related and creative writing tools and activities to my blog.

Likewise my daughter has continued to write including two children's books. In 2021 she released "Red the Raccoon Weathers the Storm" and now in 2022 she has just put out "This Book Is A Little Bit Cheesy".

To help encourage and support you and your students, see below for my resources on creative writing and poetry, as well as ideas for sharing and publishing writing from you and your students. Also as an example of using technology for writing and publishing, see the details on the wonderful new book from my daughter that's perfect for the cheese-loving kids in your classroom or family.

✍️ Creative Writing Resources

Over the years I have created and collected many resources to help inspire and assist you and your students with creative writing and poetry. Below are many of the resource I have shared:
You can also listen to an episode of Vicki Davis' show "The 10-Minute Teacher Podcast" where I talk through several of these tools and activities here:



📖 Sharing and Publishing

Creative writing is so important for our students, and for us! But it is also so valuable to share what is written with a wider authentic audience. Thankfully with technology it is easier than ever for writing to be shared far and wide.

On one hand you can simply share your writing as a publicly viewable Google Doc.
  • Simply click the "Share" button in your Doc.
  • This will open the sharing window.
  • At the bottom in the "General access" section, click where it reads "Restricted".
  • From the drop-down menu choose "Anyone with the link".
  • Now click the "Copy link" button.
  • You can now share this link any way you want for other people to be able to read the writing.



Or on the other hand, you can professionally self-publish the writing through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing. For more details on how to self-publish through Amazon, check out this detailed blog post from the amazing Meredith Akers:
Meredith always shares such helpful content on her blog, and this post is no exception. 



She walks you step-by-step through her experience of self-publishing her children's book "Fred and Joe Go to Egypt!" and shows you how you can do the same.


🧀 This Book Is A Little Bit Cheesy

As a great example of using technology to write creatively and to publish and share the final product, I am excited to highlight my daughter's latest children's book.

"This Book Is A Little Bit Cheesy" is a delightful rhyming book written and illustrated by my amazing daughter, Christina Terhune, and published through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing. The colorful 32-page book follows some hungry mice as they are looking for the perfect snack. Through creative and funny rhymes, they learn about all sorts of cheeses including:

  • Cheddar
  • Emmental
  • Swiss
  • Cotija
  • Feta
  • Paneer
  • Parmesan
  • Asiago
  • Mozzarella
  • Brie
  • Gorgonzola
  • Pepper Jack
  • Provolone
  • Mascarpone
  • Ricotta
  • Goat cheese
  • Sheep cheese

The easiest way to get your own copy of "This Book Is A Little Bit Cheesy" is through Amazon. You can find the book here:



🦝 Other Books and Writings

For more inspiration, be sure to check out the earlier book my daughter wrote and illustrated called "Red the Raccoon Weathers the Storm". This rhyming book helps children explore how to manage their fears through a story about Red the Raccoon and his fear of storms. Through singing, dancing, and the support of his family he learns to reframe his fear into something fun.

You can get "Red the Raccoon Weathers the Storm" on Amazon as well here:


I am still writing fun children's poems as well and hope to pull them all together in a book in the near future. You can see a few examples of some I have written here:


Keep an eye out for a full book at some point in the future!


🏁 Conclusion

Hopefully these books and resources will inspire you and your students to write and share what you create. I would love to read any creations you are willing to share! 


Post by Eric Curts
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