“You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” ― Madeleine L’Engle
Tag Archives: novel
Pitch Parties Post Agent
One of the biggest pitch parties of the year just came and went… I’ve got the blues a bit. I like participating in online events. I miss it. Don’t feel too sorry for me though since I do have an agent now, who’s fabulous. It occurred to me that I should find ways to participateContinueContinue reading “Pitch Parties Post Agent”
Page One… How to Start Your Story
I’ve seen the advice repeated over and over and over again: START WITH ACTION! Like books are: Lights! Camera! Action! Gimme a break. Books are not movies and that’s why we have both. They do different things. After listening to a dialogue from Agent Hannah Fergesen on Manuscript Academy, you don’t start with action… youContinueContinue reading “Page One… How to Start Your Story”
Not What I Meant To Write…
Well I touched on this in my last post but I signed my agent not for a fiction picture book but for a non-fiction kid’s cookbook. Huh? Yep… Now before you say, “Wait! You can’t write non-fiction!” Let me break it down for you. I’ve spent years honing my writing skills for brevity, clarity, andContinueContinue reading “Not What I Meant To Write…”
Teamwork
“Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” – Amy Poehler After a whirlwind of excitement last week, which you can read about HERE, I’ve come to the full realization that I now have an even bigger team on myContinueContinue reading “Teamwork”
Bravery is Not a Feeling
Bravery is an action. You heard me. It’s what you do that gets you labeled brave. Your feelings are secret and no one knows you are quaking inside. To the world, you are doing something incredible. Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience. -Paulo Coelho Every time you write your story, yourContinueContinue reading “Bravery is Not a Feeling”
The Art of the [Art Note: …]
I’m a fairly traditional writer. So making the transition into picture books has been difficult. Not because my writing is bad but because picture books are more than just the words. In picture books I have to leave room for art. You can check out another post on book structure HERE. When I say I’m leavingContinueContinue reading “The Art of the [Art Note: …]”
A New Editing Resource
For those of us that write kid lit, especially at the chapter level and below, it’s essential to understand reading levels. Unfortunately, there are nearly a dozen different scales you can use to “grade” your story. Additionally, how do you know what makes a story a higher or lower level, are your edits even working?ContinueContinue reading “A New Editing Resource”
Comparable Titles Are Like Buried Treasure
Finding a good comparable title is like following a map to buried treasure. Once you’ve got a good one you’re golden but the journey can be grueling. Let’s add some tools to your backpack on this excursion. Beware! None of these ideas will help you if you don’t fully understand your own story first. YouContinueContinue reading “Comparable Titles Are Like Buried Treasure”
11 Tips for Building a Writing Team
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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
A Note On Perseverance
If you’ve been rejected by a person, a job, a college, or anything else you’d set your heart on having, you understand what it means to be a writer. Dealing with rejection is normal on multiple levels and in different ways. You can be rejected by the reader at any point. Whether it’s the firstContinueContinue reading “A Note On Perseverance”
An Editor For That Mess-uscript
Each of us have strengths when it comes to evaluating writing. Do you know what yours are? Here are the types of editors. You can hire one and you can work on being one for yourself and others. Developmental Editor- looks for big picture problems like plot, structure, characters, pacing, and world building. Line EditorContinueContinue reading “An Editor For That Mess-uscript”
Holy Homesteading 