Five Ways MUF’s Updated “For Writers” Page Is NOT Like a Large Umbrella

I have a confession to make: I’m a habitual list maker. I suppose that explains my frequent use of numbered lists in my MUF posts—posts like “Top 10 Deep (& Stolen) Thoughts about Writing” and “Three Ways Middle-grade Writing Is Like a Bowl of Lucky Charms.” Such perpetual numbering might make you think, Hey, T. P., escape your list-making rut. EXPAND YOUR BLOGGING HORIZONS!

My response? . . . “You didn’t need to use an exclamation point at the end of that thought, and the ALL-CAPS thing was definite overkill. Now get off my case. If lists work, I’m going to roll with them.”

Good. I’m glad we understand each other. Let’s dispense with the bickering and get this blog post underway. Here’s the latest list:

FIVE WAYS MUF’S UPDATED “FOR WRITERS” PAGE IS NOT   LIKE A LARGE UMBRELLA

1. I had to take an umbrella along while walking my son to school this morning. That kept our book dry for our walk-and-read-aloud routine. The “For Writers” page is just bunch of Internet links to useful middle-grade writing resources, which would make it completely useless for that keeping-books-dry thing.
2. The “For Writers-The Craft” page provides access to plenty of insights and information that can help you create stronger characters, strengthen your story’s plot, and become an all-around better writer. This will help your writing take flight. Unless you’re Mary Poppins, don’t expect an umbrella to have any such flight-granting effect.
3. The “For Writers-The Process” page can help you move from idea to draft to revision and onward. No way can an umbrella do that. Unless maybe you get one with an ink pen mounted in the tip. But even then I think the subsequent writer’s cramp would kill your progress.
4. The “For Writers-The Writing Life” page can inspire you and help you learn how to carve writing time from your overwhelmingly busy schedule. If you think an umbrella can do that, you probably need professional help that has nothing to do with writing or umbrellas.
5. I think you should visit MUF’s updated “For Writers” page. Conversely, I really don’t care about your umbrella use. Sorry.

Of course, before you click over to “For Writers,” feel free to share your own umbrella-inspired insights below. Happy writing! 🙂

T. P. Jagger

Along with his MUF posts, T. P. Jagger can be found at www.tpjagger.com, where he provides brief how-to writing-tip videos as The 3-Minute Writing Teacher plus original, free readers’ theater scripts for middle-grade classrooms. For T. P.’s 10-lesson, video-based creative writing course, check him out on Curious.com.