Started these notes on Nov. 7, one week into NaNoWrIMo. – Write. – Use those 15 beats. Write out several versions of the story you think you want to tell. – Work on those character descriptions early in October. Know those characters before hand and your story will flow. – Read great books all month…. Read more »
Inspiration
The Mom Con in Pittsburgh
There’s buzz, no doubt about it, surrounding The Mom Con happening in Pittsburgh on Nov. 15, 2014! It’s going to be a great event this year and although I’m not able to attend as a vendor for family reasons, I have to say I’m excited to still be involved and learning from the organizers. The… Read more »
NaNoWriMo 2014
It’s almost November! And you know what that means? NaNoWriMo 2014! NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month is only a few days away and I’m itching to get started. I had two ideas in mind for this month’s project. Project Ideas 1. “Sweetie” is a retelling of Hansel and Gretel set in Depression-Era Baltimore. -or-… Read more »
Tomboys or Sissies: Which do you want?
“I’m pretty sure my daughter will be a tomboy,” my friend, father of a nine-month old girl, proudly announced. I automatically smiled, because I think my friends would describe me as more tomboy than girly-girl. My sons are often surprised when I wear a dress. Because girly-girls wear dresses, right? But then I started thinking… Read more »
Writers Rejection Slips
Do you keep track of your writers rejection slips? Way, way back when I first started submitting my short stories to literary magazines, I kept a big file full of all my writers rejection slips. Since I followed the advice of all the big writers’ advice magazines, I was sending out stories to ten different… Read more »
Regional dialect and writing
Does your story require writing in a regional dialect? I recently finished reading two books, Porgy and The Owl Service, that I believe were dependent on regional dialect to truly convey the stories and characters. Last year, I picked up Porgy after I heard an interview on Fresh Air with one of the performers in… Read more »
Writing Your Truth
Back in February, I attended the SCWBI Winter Conference. When people in my critique group, or other writers that I know online ask me how I felt about the conference, I answer that I felt both elated and deflated. I learned a lot, but I was also reminded that I had a lot more to… Read more »
Writing Clips
I’m happy to announce a few new writing clips in my portfolio. Writer’s Weekly, a fantastic source of information and publications for freelance writers recently published my story about learning InDesign to boost my income and increase my client work. Next, Children’s Writer, a newsletter produced by the Institute of Children’s Literature, published my article… Read more »
Why Farm to Table is Great for Kids and Families
This weekend is the 8th annual Farm to Table Conference in Pittsburgh! I am really excited to be involved in this year’s event again. The theme for this year is Food Sources and the conference again offers lots of excellent activities for children. The conference has always been family friendly, but a new feature… Read more »
March Madness and the Healthy Food Challenge
It’s the perfect time of year for a healthy food challenge! March is National Nutrition Month and it’s also March Madness. So on a run, a time when I often get my best ideas, I decided it would be really cool to combine these two great activities into a Healthy Food Challenge! Luckily our elementary… Read more »