"Writing to the Beat of a Different Drummer" was the program offered by Linda Oatman when she visited Towamensing Elementary School on March 4.

Reading specialist Stacey Olewine introduced her to the students in the gym and said she will "tell us about being an author."It takes practice said Oatman, and that was the theme of much of her talk. "It takes practice just as a sport or musical instrument does."How many of you like to read, she asked, and many hands shot up."Did you consider writing as magic?" she asked. "You can juggle 26 little letters and they can make a million different stories, books or songs."How many make cookies?" she asked. "Writing is like making cookies."Oatman said for cookies you mix up real things like flour and sugar, and for writing you mix up wishes, dreams and things that scare you.She said even writers who write for a job need to practice - even when you're 52 and you've been writing for 28 years you have to practice.Students gave the names of their favorite books, among which were Dr. Seuss stories. Jean Calpas' class had dressed for the occasion with "Cat in the Hat" hats.Oatman asked who was familiar with the "Wimpy Kid Books" which were made into a movie."If a writer is really lucky that can happen," she said before beginning a power point presentation that began with her father's car sitting in the driveway ready to take her mother to the hospital. It was followed by Oatman as a baby with a blanket framing her head. Later she was standing in the crib and Oatman said at that age it is an example of multitasking - she was standing, holding on and smiling.Everyone can write because you can all tell a story. Writers are multitaskers like the baby.Oatman's dream was to grow up and be a cowboy. Consequently, her first books were about horses and her latest is the "Tenth Avenue Cowboy." The story is placed in New York City as is much of her work.Anyone who had an "I love New York" tee shirt wore it to school that day, students and teachers alike. Classroom doors were decorated with New York themes to make Oatman feel at home.They enjoyed the power point program and the manner in which it related Oatman's life to her writing.