I talked last week about different types of critique. Check out that post HERE. This week I want to dig in about how to create and maintain a critique group. I saw an interview with a group of writers who’ve been critiquing for over 15 years and I took notes. These folks were making itContinueContinue reading “11 Tips for Building a Writing Team”
Author Archives: Hannah Deurloo
Different Types Of Critique
I’ve been taking a writing course for picture books and something has become abundantly clear, there are different types of critiques. Within a group of writers and authors I’m looking for specific feedback regarding plot, pacing, character, sentence structure etc. All the things that writers have learned to improve craft through the editing process. That’sContinueContinue reading “Different Types Of Critique”
Writing & Facebook: Caution is Key
I enjoy Facebook like most folks and use it regularly. However what I don’t put on Facebook is my writing that I’m seeking publication for. I’ve been told my stance is extreme at times and I’d like to dive into the why behind my stance. This is an excerpt from the Facebook Legal Agreement thatContinueContinue reading “Writing & Facebook: Caution is Key”
Writing & Parenting: A Juggling Act
I have two young kids, neither of them are in school yet, and let me say it’s hard to find time for creative endeavors. By the end of the day I’m too tired to think. In the morning even the littlest peep will wake them early. What’s a parent to do? All hail quiet time!ContinueContinue reading “Writing & Parenting: A Juggling Act”
How to Utilize Book Structure
When you hear the words picture book, what comes to mind? A book with pictures? Me too. But picture books are so much more than the words and pictures, there is also the book itself. When you go to revise your story think about these different elements and see if any of them are aContinueContinue reading “How to Utilize Book Structure”
Finding the Next Step
“If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room.”― Confucius It was common for my business professors to quote Confucius and I always wondered what they meant by it. Were they jokingly saying they were sick of teaching? Were they challenging us, as students, to learn our way intoContinueContinue reading “Finding the Next Step”
Un-gifting Perfectionism
I’m prepping and planning for the most joyful day of the year, today, Christmas. The goal in my mind is the perfect event: the kids will be adorable, the food delicious, my look flawless. But it won’t be. Never totally is, at least in my mind. I made this confession to my Bible study buddyContinueContinue reading “Un-gifting Perfectionism”
Troubleshooting Stories
We’ve all heard about plotting vs pantsing but what gets overlooked is those of us who either start with a plot/world and those of us who start with character. Several of my writing friends always starts with character. I always start with a question that unravels into a plot and world. There are pros andContinueContinue reading “Troubleshooting Stories”
Being a Writer Curator
I’ve been doing some cleaning out of old files, papers, and documents. You know what I found? More boring than I care to admit. I’m not talking about old bills either. I found-gulp-boring stories. Stories that told everything from the day of my character from brushing teeth in the morning to turning off the lampContinueContinue reading “Being a Writer Curator”
DIY Calendula Lotion Bars
Tis the season of dry skin and my hands are no exception. Taking care of our hands as writers is important. I’ve had a jar of oil infused with calendula flowers sitting in my cupboard for about a year so it’s ready to use for this very purpose. What is calendula? It’s a flower, easyContinueContinue reading “DIY Calendula Lotion Bars”
5 Ways Kids Books Are Like Jelly
Have you ever made jelly or another type of preserve? It takes more than a recipe to get the results you want and kids books are very similar. Here’s how: Recipe like Voice- To make jelly you need a recipe and the first few times I’d recommend sticking to it. However, now that I’ve madeContinueContinue reading “5 Ways Kids Books Are Like Jelly”
Emotional Plotting
It’s that time of year again! The time to dive deep, start drowning, and scramble back up to breath by December. It’s time for National Novel Writing Month! If you didn’t read Samantha’s post about generational plotting be sure to check it out because I’ll be building off of her thoughts here. Character is sovereignContinueContinue reading “Emotional Plotting”
R&R
In the book world R&R means revise and resubmit. Which I will talk about another day. Because in my world this week R&R means rest and recovery. There is value in rest. My family of four got hit by the flu hard this week and I’m still trying to clean up the mess while nursingContinueContinue reading “R&R”
Negotiation No Go
A couple months ago I got that magical email that said “we’d like to publish your story.” And before you get too excited, that’s where the magic ended. I received a contract via email and I began the painful process of looking up how to negotiate a book contract solo. Folks this is why agentsContinueContinue reading “Negotiation No Go”
Visual Writing Prompts for NaNoWriMo
I think we’ve all fallen down the jumbo dragon hole of Pinterest at some point or another. Repeat offender over here. As a writer it can suck up all my time quicker than syrup on a pancake. On the other hand it gives me immersive and intense inspiration. Are the jewels hidden within Pinterest worthContinueContinue reading “Visual Writing Prompts for NaNoWriMo”
A Chilling Tale
Being so near to Halloween I’ve had scary thoughts floating around in my head. So when Brandon Ide contacted me about doing a photo story together I couldn’t resist. You can check out The Ides Photography Blog and see his amazing photos for yourself. Brandon’s photo of The Auction House Cafe inspired the following tale.ContinueContinue reading “A Chilling Tale”
Flipping Cliches
We’ve all done it, see there I just did. I used a cliche. A common phrase or string of words that most folks like us understand. it’s good to be understood. The problem is, cliches are boring. So let’s take some examples and flip them. What we are hoping to do is convey the sameContinueContinue reading “Flipping Cliches”
Scene by Scene
After working on nearly a dozen picture books over the last year I want to go back into a longer story. I dusted off one I had a good start to (I’ve talked about before) and dove in. While I know first drafts are not worth sharing I couldn’t help myself and let a few readContinueContinue reading “Scene by Scene”
Favorite Middle Grade Book Quotes
I’ve been compiling a book full of best quotes for years. When I find one I add it to the pile. I’ve noticed a trend of having quite a few from books from the middle grade reading level. Here they are and I hope you have as much joy in them as I do. “TheContinueContinue reading “Favorite Middle Grade Book Quotes”
Expanding Vocabulary Or Not…
I had admiral goals when I stated to my critique partner that I wanted to expand my vocabulary. The issue was in execution. Read the dictionary, was the first thing we thought of. Then realized that retention of those words would be dismal. We’d have to create an exercise to make the words become organicContinueContinue reading “Expanding Vocabulary Or Not…”
Holy Homesteading 