The story below is a preview from our July/August 2018 issue. For the full story Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
One author has a new take on the writing process.
Author Bruce Ingram is celebrating his new release, thanks in part to the help of his Lord Botetourt High School students.
Published by Secant, Ingram says Tenth Grade Angst continues the story of the same four main characters from Ninth Grade Blues. They face new challenges, including learning to drive, family tragedies, bullying, dating, sports successes and failures, tougher classes and physical and emotional pains.
Ingram taught Ninth Grade Blues to both his English 9 Honors and general classes, while his English 10 Honors class gave him plenty of suggestions on the new release. Ingram’s creative writing and English classes have played a major role in his books, both because of content (Ingram is surrounded by real-life inspiration for his characters) and because the students proof his books and make content suggestions.
“They particularly like to see my early drafts which are full of grammar and sentence structure errors,” Ingram says. “Some of my best grammar lessons have related to the students proofing the books. What I love most about teaching is a ‘eureka’ moment when a student begins to succeed in an area they previously struggled in.”
Ingram is halfway through the next book in the series, Eleventh Grade Stress, which his creative writing class will proof this fall. He will also participate for the second year in Festival of the Book next March, and frequently contributes to publications and outlets about the outdoors, particularly on conservation.
Readers seeking a copy of Tenth Grade Angst can find it in bookstores and online and may contact Ingram directly for an autographed copy.
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