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A page for those who love to write-please keep scrolling for more activities below.

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Debbie at Work   Debbie deep into planning a new Keyholders book. Debbie likes to make an outline. Shadow helps Debbie early one morning. She uses a chart to develop characters. Shadow loves to climb and help Debbie think about her story. Plot is what happens. Skippy, Bailey, and Debbie love the writing life. Debbie brainstorms for a story with help from Bailey. Photos By Becky Dadey	Fun Writing Activities NEW!  Frankenstein Writing.  Spark some ideas with these 13 Story Sparkers. Here is a chart to help you organize your thoughts before writing. Story Elements Chart Creating characters for books is so fun. Here are 2 charts to get started: Basic Character Chart In Depth Character Chart Help the Bailey News staff finish today's paper. Read an interview with Eddie and then write your own interview. Eddie and Liza have found a large, coffin-looking box in Mrs. Jeepers basement. Write a story about what they found. Click Here Be like Bridgett Butt and write about your perfect school. Here is a sample outline from the book "The Worst Name in Third Grade."
	Click HERE to see a page from the manuscript of Dragons DO Eat Homework
	Writing Tips from Debbie *Write everyday *Read everyday *Finish a whole section before changing anything *Plan before you start writing *What does your character like/dislike? *Read your story outloud to see if it makes sense *Don't be afraid to make changes *What does your character look like?

 Write a story with Debbie Dadey.
       Brenton from Australia wanted to write about robbers, Alex wanted to go with I come from a long line of robbers and I think it's awful, what should I do?   Sophia thought we should have fairies.  And Alex made a suggestion for the fairy to take him to a different world. So, I've added to our outline below. 
1.  Steven finds out his parents are robbers-he doesn't like it.
2.  He tries to talk his parents out of being robbers, but they lock him in a room. 
3.  He tries to find a way out of the room.  It's where the robbers store their treasure.  He finds something unusual.
4.  There's a fairy inside. 
5. The fairy has magic powers and takes him to a different world.
6.  The fairy and Steven have adventures.  The fairy is goofy.
7.  Steven wants to get back home.  He misses his family, even if they are robbers.
8.  Steven uses some of his parent's robber tricks to help him escape from bad guys and get part of the way home.
9.  Steven finds his parents.  They are searching for him.  They promise to stop being robbers if he'll come home.
10.  Steven goes with his family, but when they steal food on the way home, he knows that his family is not perfect.  He might not be able to change them, but he knows that they're not all bad.  And that he can be whatever he wants to be, especially since he has a goofy fairy to help him.

  What are our characters like?  I changed Steven's name to Brutus (since we're in ancient Rome)  Brutus is a a scaredy cat and very clumsy.  He stays with his grandmother alot, which is why he doesn't know what his parents do.  His grandmother babies him, but his parents are quiet strict and a little frightening.
  Should the story be funny, scary, silly, or serious?  How about a little of each? 
 Should it take place in the past, future, or right now?   Mathhew says our story should take place in ancient Rome
Here are two starts to our story(there's more than one way to write a story!).  Which voice do you like best?   Alex and Nathan choose #2,s o that's what we'll go with.

1.  Slam!  Brutus felt a rock hit his shoulder. Whiz!  Another rock barely missed his head.  What was going on?  Why were these people yelling at his family?  No matter where they went, it seemed they weren't welcome.  Why?

2.  Brutus's hand shook on the door latch.  Should he go inside the room?  His mother had told him never to look inside.  But why?  What was hiding inside?  Was it something horrible or something wonderful?  He had to know.   Slowly he pushed.  He held his breath as the door creaked open.  What he saw would change his life forever.

Here's our story start:
     Brutus's hand shook on the door latch.  Should he go inside the room? 
His mother had told him never to look inside.  But why?  What was hiding inside?  Was it something horrible or something wonderful?  He had to know.   This was the perfect time to find out.  His parents were gone and his grandmother was asleep.  Of course, his parents were often gone at night.  They would never tell him where they went.  It was another one of the many mysteries in his family.  Maybe, just maybe, this room held the answer to all the mysteries.  But only if he was brave enough to find out.  He held up his candle with his free hand.
     "You can do this," he told himself, after all he was ten-almost a man. Still, he always had done want his parents wanted.  How could he think of going against them?  Why was he suddenly so curious?  Could it have something to do with what the kids at the well had done?  Why did they always whisper when his grandmother went to get water with him?  At first, he had thought it was because Grandmother was so old, but there were many old women at the well.  Brutus knew there was another reason and he was determined to find the answer.
     Slowly he pushed.  He held his breath as the door creaked open.  He held the candle up higher to see what was inside.  What he saw would change his life forever.  "Oh no!"  he gasped. 
     He backed away, trembling all over.  "How could this be?" 
     A million ideas raced through his head to explain what he saw, but none of them made sense.  He thought the room would answer his questions, but it had the opposite effect.  "I'll ask Grandmother," Brutus said.  "She'll tell me the truth."  He didn't like to think about the look in his grandmother's eyes when he told her he'd defied his mother.  But he couldn't keep this a secret.  It was too big.  Too scary. 
     For one moment, Brutus thought about closing the door and pretending he'd never seen.  He could go on like before.  His parents would never know what he'd done.  No one would have to know.  Suddenly he was feeling better.  "I can keep it a secret," he said softly.
     But before he could close the door, a strong hand pushed him on his back.  He tumbled into the room head first.  The candle sputtered and the room fell into darkness.  Slam!  The door closed and Brutus heard the bolt slide into place. 
     He was trapped!

At this point in a story, I would either choose to rewrite what I have so far or continue with the story, and later go back and rewrite.  Usually it's best just to keep going, but I wanted to show you a bit of the rewriting process, so here goes . . . my changes are in white.
     Something woke him.  Brutus listened.  A muffled sound came from inside the house.  He hesitated.  His parents were gone.  They always left on fifth night.  Perhaps he should check on Grandmother.  Did she need his help?  She was ill after all.  What if it wasn't Grandmother, but a robber?  Evil bandits plagued Rome's countryside, but thankfully they'd never attacked their compound.  What if they'd come tonight, when his parents weren't here to protect him?  Brutus threw his coverlet off his bare legs.  He was all of eleven.  Man enough to protect his home if needed.  He stood on the stone floor and took a deep breath.  He heard the noise again and his heart pounded.  Brutus's hand closed tight around the sword his father had presented him on his birthday.  "Soon, you'll join us on our adventures," his father had said with a twinkle in his eyes.  Brutus' heart had leapt with hope.
     "Not yet," his mother said sternly, bashing her son's excitement. Always staying at home while his two older brothers and parents went off on exciting trips, Brutus was left at home like a baby.  This eve he would show his parents he could be a man. 
     Searching through the corridors and peering into his grandmother's room, he found nothing out of place.  Servants were sleeping on mats, just as they should be.  But what of the sound?  There, he heard it again.  It was coming from the forbidden room.
     Brutus's stood out side the room.  The noise came again, louder this time.  Whatever it was, it was coming from inside.  His hand shook on the door latch.  Should he investigate? He knew where his parents kept the key.  He had seen them hiding it.
     "Never go in there," his mother had told him.  But why?  What was  inside?  Was it something horrible or something wonderful?  He had to know.   
     The muffled sound came again as he turned the key.  The noise was almost like a moan.  Brutus tightened his hold on his sword and held up his candle with his free hand.
     "You can do this," he told himself. Slowly he pushed.  He held his breath as the door creaked open.  He raised the candle up higher to see inside.  What he saw would change his life forever.  "Oh no!"  he gasped. 
     He backed away, trembling all over.  "How could this be?"  
     Everything made sense.  All the trips without him.  All the huddled whispers and secrets.  Now he knew and he was ashamed.  As he looked around the stuffed room, he saw movement.  A rolled Persian carpet wiggled.  Now he knew where the moans had come from.  Something was alive in the secret room.  Something that needed his help.  All he wanted to do was run back to the safety of his room, away from this horrible secret.  If only he could pretend not to know.  As he stood in the doorway, he knew he couldn't leave the prisoner to suffer inside the rug.  He had to do something.  
     But before he move, a strong hand pushed him.  He tumbled into the room head first.  The candle sputtered and the room fell into darkness.  Slam!  The door closed and Brutus heard the bolt slide into place.  
     He was trapped!

I've added and delete some things.   In the writing process, there's lots of room for changes.  Perhaps, some things I'll put back in.  Some things stll could be changed or rearranged.  It's almost like a big puzzle or an onion (like in Shrek).  There are lots of layers to add to a story-or change the ending.  Perhaps you'd like to finish the story.  If you do, let us know how you decided to end it on Kids Talk.

             

 Eric and Cameron came up with this rap.  Try making up your own just for fun!  If it's about Debbie or one of her books, make sure to let her know and it might get put right here.

Debbie Dadey is in the house yawl.
She writes widdedy wiggedy wack books
She is Izzy Wid Ds Chizzy dawg.
She has a dog named Shadow yo
QUARTIO FLARTIO!!!!!!
She is so super she has a city named after her.
She has the 3 cool kids yawl!
CRASH!