Download - Opening Doors Writing Is Exciting! - NIE WORLD with my nose in a book. ... Opening Doors Writing Is Exciting! ... song? Wallace: “Jungle Bells”! TM TM

© 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

release dates: November 29-December 5 48-1 (08)

from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

BETTY DEBNAM – Founding Editor and Editor at Large

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Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.

Writing is a skill that can help you allthrough your life. Writers tell stories —

true ones andfictional ones.Their wordscan touchpeople’s heartsand provideneededinformation.

To give you examples of some of theplaces writing can take you, The MiniPage talked to two writers, a journalistand a TV series script writer.Linda Ellerbee

Linda Ellerbee is a journalist, newsanchor and television producer. She haswritten several books for adults. She alsowrites books about a girl reporter in the“Get Real” series for kids.

She is the producer, host and writer forNickelodeon TV’s “Nick News.”Fiction and nonfiction

Fiction and journalism are verydifferent types of writing. But both areabout storytelling, Linda said. “All storieshave a beginning, a middle and an end.

“Part of real writing is editing, goingover it again and again and again andfixing it until you get it right.

“If you’re e-mailing somebody, I urgeyou to go back and look it over andconsider who else might be reading thate-mail or posting on that blog,” she said.

Writing as a journalistLinda said writing “has everything to

do with” being a journalist. “You cover thestory and then write the story; at least,that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

Some TV reporters have other peoplewrite what they say on the air, but Lindawrites all her own reports and stories.

She said it is important that she writesher own stories “because I don’t wantsomebody putting words in my mouth.”

Writing as a kidLinda said: “I am a writer because I

was a reader. I was an only child, andlike many only children, I spent a lot oftime with my nose in a book.”

As with many other kids, she said, herfirst inspiration for becoming a writerwas Jo March, a character in “LittleWomen.” Like Jo, Linda “wanted to getout in the world and write about it.”

Her aunt gave her a diary when Lindawas 10, and she wrote in it every day. Shestill keeps a journal. She has saved allher journals, including that first diary.

She said it is good for everyone to keepa journal. When you have thoughts youwant to put down, or hear interestingconversations, or see something you wantto remember, write it down. “You can takea picture with yourwords,” she said.Benefits of writing

“It is important tohave more than one wayto express yourself,”Linda said. “It is ofteneasier to write thingsdown than to say them out loud. I jokethat sometimes I don’t know what I thinkuntil I see what I write.

“Writing helps you sort out thethoughts in your brain. It is a very usefulway to look back years later and see whoyou were, because we forget.”

Opening Doors

Writing Is Exciting!

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Linda Ellerbee, 64, has a daughter, Vanessa,39, a granddaughter, Violet, 5, a son, Joshua,38, and twin grandsons, Gabriel and Ruben, 2.

Mini Spy . . .from The Mini Page © 2008 Universal Press Syndicate

Mini Spy is writing an exciting story! See if you can find:• question mark • word MINI • number 4 • number 7

• olive• bell • kite• sailboat• book• letter Z• carrot• letter D• banana• arrow• tin can• safety pin


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OpportunitiesLinda said: “Writing has given me a

wonderful career for more than 30years. I’ve seen the world on someoneelse’s dime. I’ve been able to meet someof the most interesting people.

“No two days are alike. One otherwonderful benefit is that I’m being paidto go learn something.”

The downside isthat journalism ofteninvolves a greatdeal of travel. “Thiscan be wonderful,and it can be hard if you’re a mom.”Making a difference

Journalists have the power to make adifference in the world. An example isan interview Linda did with a 7-year-old girl who was HIV-positive.**HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.

Linda said: “The girl said she justwanted to be treated like other children.She burst into tears, and sat therecrying and crying.”

That little girl’s honesty probablychanged more people’s minds about HIVthan any show for adults, Linda said.

Young writers Linda said that this generation of

kids “are all going to be much betterwriters than my own children’sgeneration. This generation now isgrowing up writing. That’s the goodside.”

The bad side is that kids forget that“the word ‘you’ is actually spelled ‘y-o-u’

instead of ‘u.’”She said she

loves the fact thatkids are bloggingand e-mailing.

She remindedkids that the printed word can also bevery dangerous. “You put something inprint, and it’s there. That’s why the diarymy aunt gave me had a lock on it.”

More About Linda Ellerbee

Learning from kidsLinda said her interviews with kids have

been her favorite interviews in her career.“Kids are more honest, more direct,

less cynical.* In their answers theyoften say the things we might want tosay and can’t. Their answers sometimeschange us,” Linda said.*When someone is cynical (SI-ni-kul), he orshe doesn’t believe people will do the rightthing or act the right way.

Linda’s advice to kids“You are smarter than you think. You

know more than you think, and yourvoice counts. Use it. One very fine wayto use your voice is by writing.

“It is a simple thing. If you want to bea writer, write. That’s all there is to it.”

Words that remind us of writing are hidden in the block below. Somewords are hidden backward or diagonally. See if you can find: STORY,SCRIPT, TELEVISION, SHOW, MOVIE, JOURNALIST, BEGINNING,MIDDLE, END, DIARY, JOURNAL, READ, LEARN, INTERVIEW,BLOG, WORDS, PRINT, FICTION, LAUGH, PRODUCER, IDEA.

Writing TRY ’NFIND

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Linda Ellerbeetalks with kids inan episode of“Nick News.”



Meet Debby RyanDebby Ryan stars as Bailey in the Disney

Channel’s “The Suite Life on Deck.”Debby, 15, was born in Huntsville, Ala.

She grew up in Killeen, Texas, then inGermany, and came back to Keller, Texas.

She has acted in school and local theaterproductions and has also been in severalcommercials. She has appeared in both aDVD movie and in a regular movie.

Debby likes making paper crafts, making unscripted moviesfor fun, listening to music, and riding her bike and playingRollerblade street hockey.

She now lives in Los Angeles with her mom, going back toTexas as much as possible to see her dad and brother. She has aYorkie named Daisy and a cat named Isaac.


All the following jokes have something in common.Can you guess the common theme or category?

Wesley: What could we call Frosty the Snowman ifhe sported a suntan?

Winston: A puddle!

Wanda: What is Tarzan’s favorite holidaysong?

Wallace: “Jungle Bells”!

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William: What did the Christmas tree ask theornaments?Waldo: “Why are you just hanging around?”

You’ll need:• 2 cups regular oats (not quick-cooking)• 1 cup shredded coconut• 1 teaspoon salt• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk• 1/4 cup canola oil• 1 cup pecan pieces• 3/4 cup dried cranberries• 3/4 cup golden raisinsWhat to do:1. Line a large baking sheet with sides with waxed paper.2. In a large bowl, mix oats, coconut, salt, milk, oil and pecans.3. Spread mixture evenly on baking sheet.4. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Stir mixture every 20 minutes.5. When cooking time is through, stir in dried fruit while the mixture is still hot.6. Enjoy as a topping on yogurt or ice cream, or by itself.*You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.

Rookie Cookie’s RecipeEasy Granola Mix

This makes a great topping for yogurt or ice cream.


Pamela Eells O’Connell is a scriptwriter and executive producer for thenew Disney Channel show “The SuiteLife on Deck.” She has also written andproduced shows in the series “The SuiteLife of Zack & Cody,” “The Nanny” and“Family Matters.”A group effort

Pamela said the difference betweenwriting a TV script and writing a bookis that a script is written with manyother people. “A book exists in yourhead, and the only other person youmight have to consider is the editor.”

She said: “When writing a film or TVscript, you need other people to bring itto life, including actors, directors andset people. There are about 100 peopleworking on a TV show.”

When writing TV comedies, she said:“You sit in a room with unbelievablyfunny writers. I might say I think itwould be funny if Zack and Cody becomesuper heroes. Then you pitch (or present)your idea.”

Then thewriters startthinking ofwhat couldhappen withthat idea. Each writer contributes his orher ideas. The group of writers has tocome up with a funny story that has abeginning, a middle and an end.

When the network approves the idea,a smaller team of writers from thegroup writes the new episode. The restof the writers work on the episode beingfilmed at the moment.

Writing for TVPamela said the biggest difference

between writing for movies and for TVis that in TV, the writer is theexecutive producer, or the boss. Inmovies it is different. There the directoris the boss.

Everybody reports to the executiveproducer in TV, she said. “Costumes,props, art direction on the set, what anindividual set looks like, the music,everything, comes to the writer for finalapproval.”

When writers work on a script, theydo not just write the plot. They writethe dialogue, or the conversation. Theyalso write the action directions, givingthe actors suggestions about when and

how to move.Pamela said:

“Writing a script is sospectacular becauseit’s like playing house,only real people areyour dolls.”

Meet TV Writer Pamela O’ConnellGetting started

Pamela did not plan on being a writerwhen she was a kid. But, she said, “Iloved reading from the time I was 2. Iloved reading, loved film and loved TV.”

She said when she was a kid shenever knew you could make a livingwriting for television. Writing for TV didnot become her dream until she was anadult.

After college, Pamela became anassistant director in a TV network newsdepartment. She then decided shewanted to become a comedy writer. Shewatched old TV comedies to study howwriters made people laugh. She wrote ascript and tried to sell it.Joys of writing

Pamela said the greatest joy of herjob is that “I’ve spent the last 20 yearssurrounded by people trying to makeme laugh. And I’ve been trying to makethem laugh. The result of all that is wehave hopefully made a lot of people allover the world laugh.”

One downside of being a script writeris job security. Writing for TV can be arisky business. But, she said, for her itis worth it.

The Mini Page StaffBetty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist

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Pamela Eells O’Connell writes sitcoms, orsituation comedies, and teaches collegeclasses in writing them. A sitcom is a TVseries where the same characters appear indifferent funny situations.

Look through your newspaper for storiesabout kids.

Next week The Mini Page is about giving allyear long.

Cody andBaileysearchfor a seamonsterin “TheSuite LifeonDeck.”

photo by Dean Hendler,courtesy Disney Channel


Supersport: Brandon CrawfordHeight: 6-3 Birthdate: 8-16-76Weight: 260 Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind.

At one time, playing college football appeared to be about thelast thing Brandon Crawford would ever do. Work in a factory?Yes. Serve in the Marines? Yes. College football? Forget it.

But Crawford, a 32-year-old junior, is playing for nationallyranked Ball State University — and with the toughness of an ex-Marine. Heled the Cardinals in sacks and tackles-for-loss last year and is pacing thesquad in tackles-for-loss again this year.

Crawford, who has two siblings, simply took the unconventional path tostardom. He worked in an automotive factory after graduating from highschool and later spent several years in the Marines.

After receiving an honorable discharge in 2003, he decided to give footballa try and wound up at Ball State. And the team’s “Old Man” quickly showedthe kids he could play and win head-to-head battles on the front line, justlike a Marine.

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