2021 Wrap Up 2021 is almost done. I like to take a look at the past year and acknowledge the highs, the lows, and all of the “I don’t knows.” I have kept a tracking sheet of my writing pretty regularly since 2013. I use Numbers, but I also use a little book. Yes, I… Read more »
Writing
I’ve Written a Children’s Book. Now What? Part 2
Congratulations! You’ve written a children’s book! You love reading children’s books so much you have dedicated yourself to learning the craft and written one yourself. And you’ve done the homework from Part 1, right? No? OK take a minute and go read that post and then do the homework. Then come back here. Done now?… Read more »
I’ve Written a Children’s Book. Now What? Part 1
I see this question a lot on social media sites and forums about writing. People ask, “I’ve written a children’s book. Now what?” I love talking with people about writing for children, so I’m always tempted to answer. But the answer I want to give is not the answer people want to hear. They want… Read more »
What is NaNoWriMo?
NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. It’s a great event for writers who love deadlines and external accountability. The challenge is to write a novel about 50,000 words long in one month. I made some great friends through NaNoWriMo in the past. I’ve “won” the event, or reached 50,000 words, a few times. So I… Read more »
Is #PitMad Worth It?
Is #PitMad worth it? Did you have any luck at the most recent #PitMad? I think a lot of people think that unless they get a book contract sent via DM that day, they failed. But I say you need a broad definition of success. Here’s how it worked for me, and why I think… Read more »
Help for Writers who are Parents and Parents who are Writers
In 2016, I was picking my kids up from art camp when I received a phone call from a New York phone number. Since this was the summer of 2016 (and the election had not yet happened) I was just still a naive, optimistic person. I answered the phone. It turns out I had won… Read more »
Finding a Mentor or Inspiration – Alhazen and Leonardo da Vinci
When I wrote my book The Science and Technology of Leonardo da Vinci, one of the things that really captivated me was how Leonardo learned a lot from an early scholar and scientist, Alhazen. I’d never heard of Alhazen before, but he did a lot of exciting work. It turns out Alhazen is the Latinized… Read more »
How to Write Nonfiction for Kids
View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Highlights Foundation (@highlightsfound) I’ve attended so many excellent Highlights Foundation courses over the past several years. Each one has helped me uncover big and small ways to develop my creativity and productivity. Now I’m so thrilled to be announce I’m working with the… Read more »
Looking for excellent STEAM books?
Over the weekend, someone asked me what kind of books I write. I mentioned I write books that fit into the STEAM category. “I thought it was STEM,” this person said. “There is STEM and there is STEAM,” I explained. “The A is for arts, and it makes sense as so much of art and… Read more »
Writer Submissions Tracking – 2019 and 2020
Here are my submission, acceptance, and rejection rates for 2019 and 2020. As a reminder, I keep track in both my lucky notebook and my lucky Numbers spreadsheet. Big news of 2020 – I signed with my lovely agent Miranda Paul of Erin Murphy Literary Agency and sold my book Animal Allies to Chicago Review… Read more »