Fragments are simply incomplete sentences. In order to be complete, a sentence must contain an independent clause. That simply means that the words must contain a subject and a verb, and together they must make a complete thought.

Examples

Example 1 - When she went to the store to buy some eggs to make Lilly a pie.  Incomplete - There is a subject and a verb here, but the thought is incomplete. The phrase above is what is known as a dependent clause. It needs an independent clause to finish it off. When she went to the store to buy some eggs to make Lilly a pie, she realized she forgot her wallet. Complete - The last part of this sentence is an independent clause, making it compete.

Example 2 - Unable to ride on the train. Incomplete - The verb is fine here, but there is no subject. Who is unable to ride on the train? Nellie Badilly is unable to ride on the train. Complete - Nellie Badilly is the subject.

Example 3 - One of the young readers, asking about the story. Incomplete - Ing verbs cannot stand on their own. They require a helping verb. One of the young readers, asking about the story, wondered why the spider was so mean. Complete - “wondered” saves the day here.

So teach your kids to make sure their sentences are complete - not run on sentences, but concise and complete, containing independent clauses.

If not you be not happy. If yes, you happy. All of us happy.

Yesterday I opened my mail box and was greeted by a huge envelope full of the most adorable hand-written thank you notes (for my Author Visit Day a couple of weeks ago) from the students at The Village School in Naples. They put a lot of effort into their words and drawings, and reading these was clearly one of the highlights of my career as a writer.

I see bright futures and successful careers for these students, because they know the RIGHT way to make others remember who they are. In 25 years, I will still remember them.

We had a fact-packed, fun day at Grassy Waters Elementary today in West Palm Beach. What a beautiful new school that is! The library looks like a Barnes and Noble Bookstore. Media Specialist Alina Orenstein does a fantastic job with the displays to make sure all the kids are drawn to some excellent books.

I was impressed by the media equipment and morning communications, prepared by students. Also, there is a morning stretch and short exercise segment for the entire school. Way to go! Kids need to exercise, and this sends a most important message.

As usual, the kids were adorable. They thought my costume was really funny and my voices were silly.  We had a lot of audience participation. Everyone was extremely friendly and welcoming. Thank you Ms. Orenstein and to everyone else at Grassy Waters Elementary, and have fun with your Book Fair this week! I know you will all find lots of great books to read.

I had a nice surprise when I arrived at the school only to find that my daughter’s favorite 6th grade teacher, Ms. Woods, was working there. She is an awesome teacher, and Grassy Waters is very lucky to have her!

Photos of the program and shot with Principal Wilkinson.

Phone calls and emails have been pouring in from public and private schools around South, Central and SW FL inquiring about our Visiting Author Programs and booking dates. It is a total pleasure speaking to these dedicated people, who really want to enrich their students with new ideas and encourage them to read more. These school leaders are creative and dedicated and many sure have a great sense of humor.

We are excited about getting out there and speaking to as many elementary and middle school students in Florida as possible. So keep your calls, emails and referrals coming. We can handle it!

Tomorrow I am visiting Grassy Waters Elementary in West Palm Beach and speaking to 500 students. I am really looking forward to this event! I’ll let you know how it goes!

Have you visited Lyved.com? You’ve got to check it out. Read this article about success. It is so well written and provides realistic and helpful tips about reaching your goals. There are tons of informative articles on this site that have to do with every day life. They are each thought-provoking and offer insight and solutions to many answers you may be seeking. It will be well worth your time to browse through the site regularly to benefit from the inspiring stories.

Also, if you are a writer, you can submit an idea for an article and get it published. Read this page if you are interested in submissions.

I have been so busy working, that my dog has been looking for some attention. How can I ignore her when she looks at me like this? She sure is one Smart Poodle.

What is the most memorable lesson a teacher has ever taught you? One that you’ve used many times in your life? I am not talking about your 1st grade teacher who handed you “Dick and Jane” and then you began reading. I am referring to, well a life changing lesson, be it academic or otherwise.

I often think about a college professor I had at FSU. I am embarrassed to admit that I have no recollection of his name. But his words have stayed with me for well over 20 years. The students in my Short Story Writing Class received some exceptional writing direction when it came to character development. One day he said of my story, “You’ve got potential here, but I don’t know enough about your lead character. I mean, does this grumpy guy demand that his wife toasts his English muffins twice in the morning? And then does he make certain that the butter gets into every crevice of the English muffin’s craters before gobbling it up with his ill-fitting dentures and making a mess of crumbs all over the kitchen floor that his wife - not he- cleans up? These are things I need to know as a reader.”

For some reason, with this example, everything suddenly clicked. I realized I had been using characters in my stories without really developing them fully. I was describing with adjectives more than I was bringing them to life with specifics. So every time I write about a person (or millipede), I think about what I like to refer to as ‘The English Muffin Test.” What little quirky habits does this character have? What is her favorite novel? What strange habits might he have? And so on.

When I am asked to read what others have written, I often pass on the English Muffin Test to make my point. Yes, this does generate some puzzled looks, but on occasion I see an expression of “I get it now!” on the writer’s face.

I am forever grateful for the professor whose name I cannot recall.

As you can see, we have made some changes to the wwww.smartpoodlepublishing.com website, thanks to my brilliant web designer and friend, Michael Knauf. We’v added some pages to make it easier for you to find what you’re looking for, including Contests and School Visits. Plus we made changes to the Press Page. I hope you find it easier to find your way around! Happy navigating.

What an unusual evening my daughter and I had tonight! After listening to NPR in the car on the way to school, Rachel called to tell me that there was going to be a Change Ringer demonstration at Trinity Church in Miami. What is a change ringer, you ask? It is a person who rings the bells in a church tower. There are only about 50 churches in the US with real bell towers, and Trinity is the only one in South Florida, and this week there is a Annual Conference for the members of the North American Guild of Bell Ringers

The Bell Tower was built in 1984 and houses 8 VERY heavy bells. The largest bell weighs over a ton and the smallest weighs over 500 lbs! The bells are set on a rotating wheel, and the heavier bells take a while to get enough momentum to rotate completely around. You will not hear a sound unless there is a complete rotation. One person can only work one bell at a time. And if anyone makes a mistake, the group must start the process over from scratch, because it is near impossible to catch up. There is a science to playing and a set of patterns to be followed.

A Change Ringer needs about 18 months of training and practice (twice per week) to know the basics. Some of the sessions can last hours in the bell tower, and I cannot imagine the exhaustion the Change Ringer must feel in his or her shoulders! We listened to an explanation about Change Ringing and watched the Ringers up in the tower. It was fascinating. Anyone age 10 and up can train to be a Change Ringer at Trinity Church, and you do not need to have a musical background. Check it out!

And by the way, Trinity Church is GORGEOUS. You’ve got to visit the next time you are in Miami. We stayed for the Evensong Service with the excellent Men’s Anglican Chorale, and it was memorable. The organ sounds better than any I have ever heard! Here are photos of the tower, the demonstration and the stunning Trinity Church. Look for the Change Ringer at work in the window.

My daughter had an epiphany yesterday. I showed her a photo album/scrap book I made for her Dad’s 30th birthday almost 17 years ago. She actually said, “Wow. Daddy had a life before me I never thought about.” When she saw my husband’s prom photo (circa 1979) in his brown tux with his ridiculous ruffled peach dress shirt, she laughed so hard she was crying.

It’s really coincidental that I came to that same realization about my parents when I was plowing through all my Mom’s old photos after she passed away. There were my Mom and Dad laughing and entertaining friends, all decked out in evening attire, traveling and having a good ol’ time WITHOUT me. They were Pauline and Ed. Not Mom and Dad. Why did it not ever occur to me before that they actually were alive and loving life before I was born? Am I that self absorbed? Maybe if I had looked at those photos a long time ago, I’d have gotten it a long time ago.

If you have some old photos of your life (and who doesn’t?) then share them with your kids now. Watch their faces light up as they discover your “other” life, or what I like to call “LBK,” Life Before Kids.