Hello, manuscript. Get ready to work. I have some serious December writing goals. Tomorrow, I will start a new post and update it daily, with notes to myself, in order to be accountable and to reach these goals. It’s not like I haven’t been writing. I did write in November, I just didn’t do NaNoWriMo. But… Read more »
Writing
Best and Worst Writing Prompts from Fourth Grade
Fourth grade writing prompts are really useful even for forty year old writers like me! Do you remember any of your elementary school writing? I’ve been cleaning out my basement storage area recently and I found several old essays and projects that gave me a good chuckle. It’s really sweet to look back on the… Read more »
Let’s Close the Word Gap
Ready to learn about the Word Gap? I love to sneak learning into all parts of life. I’m a curious person, I can’t help it! My son asked if we could go on one vacation without learning things, and I answered with a maniacal laugh and a deep, sonorous NO. In this family, we love… Read more »
Summer Writing
Summer writing is different from school year writing for me. This summer, it’s been hard to find time to sit down and write. For me, once I get in my chair, I tend not to get out again. I get sucked in, absorbed, and I neglect other things like eating, moving and people. That kind… Read more »
When You Love the Story but Not the Writer
Have you ever fallen in love with a book, a movie, a song? Have you ever felt like it spoke to your soul, or resonated with you so much, you wanted to read more or listen to more by the same artist or author? And then you go and do some research on the… Read more »
Why Did This Book Win a Newbery Medal?
I’m working my way through the Newbery Award winners, and while I’ve read some books I really loved, there are some serious duds in the list. So far I have to say Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon and Ginger Pye are real disappointments compared to some of these books. While I gave both of… Read more »
Details, Details, Details – Details Matter in Novels
“Sometimes I read your stories and I like them, Mom,” said my middle son. “But sometimes, when I read some of your stories, I forget I’m reading. That’s when I know they are really good.” He’s right. And that’s all thanks to details. Everyone know the phrase ‘devil is in the details’ but I don’t… Read more »
Five Focal Points for Revising A Manuscript
I am training for a triathlon. That means I have to practice three different ways of racing: swimming, biking and running. Each one requires me to work on my form for that sport. But the form for each sport has lots of moving parts: arms, legs, head, neck, spine. When you’re practicing any of those,… Read more »
Advice for Writers from an Agent
In May, I attended the SCBWI Western PA Agent Workshop. I learned a lot and got some excellent advice for writers on pitches, storytelling, and revision and I wanted to share it with you! Pitching Advice for Writers While they need to be short, they still need to include the main character, the obstacle and some… Read more »
Does Watching the Movie First Make Kids Better Readers?
Lots of parents don’t let their kids watch the movie versions of popular books before their children read the books. I’ve heard this about Lord of the Rings, Divergent, Harry Potter, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and more. I totally see the logic of this. Parents are worried their children won’t read the books if… Read more »