Living a Creative Life with Hannah Deurloo, Author
https://www.etsy.com/shop/AntiqueBooksandMusic?ref=shop_sugg I've finally taken the time to start scanning in my amazing book and music collection! I hope to share these images with anyone who loves to use vintage designs as much as I do. Because you subscribe to my blog you get a discount to any item in my shop until the end of… Continue reading Now Open on Etsy
It's Day 11 of National Novel Writing Month. If you're like me you are slowly watching the gap between the words written and words that should be written graph on your NaNoWriMo home page grow. It's not that I'm not writing. It's that I'm not getting as many words as I need. I'm still happy… Continue reading I’m Failing NaNoWriMo & Happy- You Should be too.
I've been writing for some time now and some of the advice that gets pushed around is "show don't tell." Which is fine advice but no one ever gives a practical way to accomplish this. So here it is. A way to move your sentences from passive into active and therefore show instead of tell.… Continue reading Show Don’t Tell: Passive Verbs
I'm a fairly prolific writer. I get ideas fast and can follow through quickly. That's my normal. To my peers it looks effortless, like I'm a creative island unto myself. I assure you it's not easy nor as secluded as it seems. It's a carefully tuned balance in a multifaceted creative life. Currently, I'm not… Continue reading I’m Not an Island
Listening to the Literaticast Podcast (#34) I finally have been able to get a better handle on the term board book. If you aren't listening to the podcast I highly recommend it for great industry thoughts and information all around children's books. So board books are for the youngest readers, ages 0-5. They are usually made… Continue reading The Case for Story Dummies
“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” ― Louis L'Amour
“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
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?… Continue reading A New Editing Resource
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 it… Continue reading 11 Tips for Building a Writing Team
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 that… Continue reading Writing & Facebook: Caution is Key
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 a… Continue reading How to Utilize Book Structure
Kids are so smart and creative, it blows me away. Last week I had the honor of teaching a word camp for kids 9-12 at Alvan N. Belding Memorial Library. It was the best experience I've had all summer. We took some extra steps to make writing fun and made some discoveries along the way.… Continue reading 9 Ways to Make Writing Fun for Kids
I'm fairly competitive and I also like teammates. So how's about a friendly challenge? For those of us writing picture books we have ideas floating around to infinity is seems, see last weeks post for more on that. So it hit me to put my ideas into a challenge. There are many ways to format… Continue reading Sweet Seven: A Picture Book Challenge
So you a have the most wonderful, adorable, unique idea for a picture book. Great! But what kind of picture book is it? Does it matter? Yes, it really does matter if you are planning on sending those words out into the world. First, you'll need to decide on the age range of your story.… Continue reading Finding Your Picture Book’s Place
I've talked about character before but I'm going deeper this time. Have you ever thought about giving a character like arc to things that technically are not characters? Did I just lose you? What I'm getting at is that characters are not the only ones that change within a story. At least they shouldn't be… Continue reading Using Arc Beyond Characters
Saying “no” can be powerful. As a people-pleasing, passive person, I rarely say no in real life. When I do say no to a friend or loved one, I feel super guilty about it for weeks. No, I can’t go to the movies this weekend because I have plans with my husband/mom/grandma/husband’s mom or grandma.… Continue reading The power of ‘no’
We are all blessed with a few friends in our lives that we cannot do without at some point or another. Friends are necessary. However, writing is by default a lonely endeavor. Lonely out of necessity. You can't hold a conversation between your own head and a blank page while talking to your cubicle mate.… Continue reading Finding Your People
Like Christmas presents, I've been wrapping up the loose ends on my stories for National Novel Writing Month. I am not a "winner" coming short of the fifty thousand words needed. However, I feel like a winner. Why? Because I've been writing. I've been proving to myself that with two tiny children I can do… Continue reading NaNoWriMo & the Season of Joy
I love to fish. But with toddlers it isn't something I get to do as often as I'd like. So now I settle for figurative fishing by quering my stories to agents, editors, and publishers. One thing is certain, if you never cast into the water you will never catch anything. But if you do… Continue reading Fishing for an Agent
I'm blessed to have several writer friends close enough to meet with and it seems we are facing the same conundrum. What story to focus on next? I mean how do you really pick? It's like picking a favorite tree in the woods. Do you go for the big project and tackle it? Or do… Continue reading Woods Full of Story Trees
Quest Type 