Krista Ramsey

    The column "Locking Into the Magic of Legos" is about the benefits of little kids playing with Legos regularly. it's also about how Legos spark creativity in young children.     
                The column can be found here: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/02/15/krista-locking-into-the-magic-of-legos/5521245/    
     The best line from this column is, "Meanwhile, a narrative is being constructed along with an object. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Jungle Duel can, with a little imagination, turn into sword-training for a ninja or a backyard sleepout with giant ants."     
     This line compares a Lego masterpiece to a narrative. It gives an example of creativity that can be demonstrated by Legos to the reader. This helps Ramsey make her point more clear. She uses informal diction because she is talking about little kids and that will connect with them more. Also, the long and involved sentence helps with the "transforming" theme of the sentence, where it transforms Indiana Jones into sword-training for a ninja or a backyard sleepout. If they were two separate sentences, they wouldn't have the same effect on the reader.      
      Ramsey's writing style is casual and relatable. Her columns are mostly to inform her readers of certain facts, events, etc. She doesn't use too much elevated diction but her writing is still very well crafted. She uses a conversational tone in order to connect with her readers. An example of her conversational tone is in the column "Locking Into the Magic of Legos" where she says, "That's because kids are off the clock with Legos. They're in a world beyond learning objectives and select soccer, safely out of reach of arranged play dates and online language programs." The phrase "off the clock" comes off as conversational dialogue. An example of her casual diction is in the column "Super Bowl QBs Score Points for Great Style" when it says, "The amazing thing isn’t that two super jocks know how to dress well, but that they actually seem to want to." The phrase "super jocks" is casual diction. An example of her giving specific facts to her reader is in the column "For Better Vision, Kids Need Time Outdoors" where it says, "Meanwhile, the American Optometric Association says young users of hand-held devices should follow a 20-20-20 rule – every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break and view something at least 20 feet away – and should also increase the font size on their device rather than bringing it closer to their eyes." This line gives a fact, but the fact is also relatable and applicable to all readers.      
           Three questions I have for Ramsey are:      
             When did you develop a passion for writing?      
             Where do you get ideas for your columns?      
             What is your favorite topic/subject to write about?