Author Doreen Cronin

A young fan tells Doreen some original jokes

Doreen Cronin, author of wacky, hilarious and wildly popular books visited with three middle elementary classes on Tuesday: Not just an author visit but a class to inspire young writers. Remember:

1. Use your mom! Use your dad! Their faces, their names, their personalities.
2. Don't get stuck being logical -- have fun with crazy ideas. A rescue dog on the moon? Why not?
3. Don't worry about grammar and spelling right away; just get those ideas down.
4. Your brain will surprise you in all the different directions it takes when you are writing. Let it go places you hadn't planned.
5. Be glad when you get back a draft full of red marks and corrections. Someone has given you a gift.

One child asked, "What's your favorite thing to write about?"
Doreen replied, "I never thought about it until just now, but my favorite thing to write about is, well, writing. The cows in Click Clack Moo would never get their blankets if they didn't write, and of course all the Diary books are about writing. I studied journalism in college because I loved researching and writing stories, and I also was a lawyer: lawyers do research and write a story for the judge and the jury. Since reading was a favorite thing since the time that I used to hide in a closet and read with a flashlight, it makes sense that I like writing about writing."

How's that for meta?
(And how's that for a career trajectory: journalist, lawyer, award-winning children's author?)

Email her with your thoughts about her visit.