I don’t know if I’ll ever write a book about Margaret Morse Nice, but now that I have visited the land where she lived and studied birds, I feel more connected to her. I visited Columbus, Ohio in late April 2021 and made the effort to get to Tuttle Park, which was once the property… Read more »
General writing
Pantser v. Plotter – Resolved
You may of heard there are two kinds of writers, pantsers, who write by the seat of their pants. They let the creativity flow and discover the story as they go. Plotters plan it all out in advance. They know the ending before they write “once upon a time.” I’ve done a bit of both…. Read more »
New Graphic Novels for Young Readers
I’m so excited to share these new graphic novels for young readers! These three new fun, fiction stories introduce readers to reading graphic novels. I adore the illustrations – they really brought each story to life. I couldn’t resist including some of my favorite topics. Anyone familiar with my instagram will recognize some baking disasters… Read more »
Do You Use a Standing Desk?
Do you use a standing desk? I’m trying out a new standing desk in my office. I used to have a very tall craft desk. I thought I might stand to write, but I couldn’t stand for eight hours. I ended up buying a tall drafting chair so I could sit sometimes. Then I ended… Read more »
Pittsburgh Writing Events
Where do you find out about Pittsburgh writing events? Of course, my favorite is the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators But there are many more writing groups active in our region. There is so much going on. There are so many opportunities even though we can’t gather in groups. Sometimes I can feel overwhelmed… Read more »
Writing with Your Senses
“The eye and the ear are different listeners.” – Jane Yolen When we read sensory details in a book, parts of our brain are activated. The parts that are activated are the same parts that would be active if we were experiencing the sense in real life. So if you write about the spicy sweet… Read more »
Being a Citizen Scientist – Firefly Count
I love being a citizen scientist. I participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. I submit eBird checklists! I signed up to learn how to count pollinators for Project BeeWatch, but my schedule didn’t work for the training. Last week I started a new citizen science project: Firefly Count. It’s so simple. On lovely summer… Read more »
Researching for a Story
I’m doing some research for a story. My story involves baking. I’ve had some delicious success with pizzelles. I’ve had some terrible failure with bagels. It’s ok. I’m not that upset about the bagels. Because sometimes things in our stories work, and sometimes they don’t. But we learn every time!
Making Picture Books
One of the best ways to learn how to do something like writing or art is to copy very good versions of said thing. That’s the goal of Pictures and Words OnlineOnline Summer Story Camps 2020 camp. We’re learning how to tell great stories using pictures and words!
Dinosaur Boogie – On Sale Now!
