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
Anyone else suffer from too many ideas? Anyone else know that all ideas are not equally good? How do you decide what to work on next? I've outlined how I process this dilemma for me below. You may have different factors and reasons but here are mine and I hope you find them useful as… Continue reading 5 Ways to Choose Your Next Project
Don't ask me who has influenced me. A lion is made up of all the lambs he has digested, and I've been reading all my life. -George Seferis
My grocery list is typically all groceries with a few extra items here and there. But those extra items and the groceries themselves tell a story. The whole list tells about my life. It tells my tastes, my eating habits, my faults, my milestones and my successes. I tend to write characters that don't feel… Continue reading Groceries & Characters
I've been to a fair number of writing conferences over the years. There is nearly always open question time for a presenter or two. There is also always those one or two people that take over the time. They ask things like, "How do I get an agent?" or "How do I write a query… Continue reading What NOT to ask at a Writing Conference
Let me say that math was never my forte. I barely skimmed by in Algebra and for some reason I did great at geometry (still don't know why). When I set out to write this post it occurred to me that writing can be shown as a form of math or presented within the parameters… Continue reading The Math of Writing
I'm not going to lie, anything about performing arts scares me. Ask me to talk to a room full of people about a topic I'm knowledgeable about sure thing- I got it. But ask me to act like something I'm not and bad things happen, and by bad I mean embarrassing. Flashing back to jr.… Continue reading Open to Suggestions… Right?
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, and… Continue reading Not What I Meant To Write…
I've been working on being creative for pretty much my whole life. In grade school I was "crafty." In high school I was "weird." Today I'm actually viewed as somewhat "cool." Not sure how that happened... Mostly I'm thankful that I didn't listen to those voices earlier in my life. My parents kept buying me… Continue reading The Well of Creativity
"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 my… Continue reading Teamwork
I know I'm deviating from my regularly scheduled day but I can't contain my excitement! I HAVE AN AGENT! I saw a #MSWL post asking for a kids cookbook proposal and freaked out. I've watched the #MSWL feed for three years and no one has ever asked for a kids cookbook. So I jumped on… Continue reading The Call!
I stumbled upon the best query letter advice in awhile through the Manuscript Academy. It's called key selling points. Sounds super business fancy I know. But don't let that freak you out. I'll break it down for you super easy. If you want to watch the original clip or to see the whole video you… Continue reading Query Letter Upgrade
This week has forced me, literally, to take a rest. It has shown me how to look for balance. While I'm not emotionally prepared to go into what happened this week I do know one thing, humans need balance. A balance between creativity, hustle, and rest. I've been able to read Called To Create by Raynor some… Continue reading Balance
I've been blessed to join a new critique group of amazing ladies. If you are in a critique group you know it can be invaluable in so many ways. I try to have a writing group for each age category I write in if possible. This means I have my picture book pals, my middle… Continue reading Bullies vs. Cheerleaders
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, your… Continue reading Bravery is Not a Feeling
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 leaving… Continue reading The Art of the [Art Note: …]
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. You… Continue reading Comparable Titles Are Like Buried Treasure
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!… Continue reading Writing & Parenting: A Juggling Act
“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 into… Continue reading Finding the Next Step
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 and… Continue reading Troubleshooting Stories
Quest Type 