I’ve been trying to make a picture book draft once a month, every month, this year. I’m a member of Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 and the focus on productivity and creativity – the art of creating – has been really useful. I know I can come up with an idea once a month and it doesn’t… Read more »
creative
Creative science writing
Creative science writing, not exactly science fiction but fiction based in fact, is one of my favorite kinds of writing. Recently I finished a fun story about a worm who saves a compost pile. Lots of creative science writing in that tale. And earlier this year my middle son asked me to write a story… Read more »
Writing Contests
I am a sucker for a writing contest. I have a writing friend who thinks they can be a real waste of time and money, and I acknowledge that she is very right most of the time. But after a recent meeting of my SCBWI critique group, and after the experience I gained from one… Read more »
Helpful Resources for Freelance Writing
Do you belong to a community that improves your freelance writing? I’ve found that freelance writers tend to be very supportive of each other. They don’t mind offering help to other writers and sharing effective resources. There are several communities that I rely on for help, from in person meetings right here in my neighborhood… Read more »
Choosing the Right Format (For Picky Eaters!)
There are lots of ways to help picky eaters try new foods. One trick is to introduce food in a different format. My youngest thinks he likes yogurt but he never eats it out of the container. He insists I buy it, but when I serve it in the yogurt cup he takes one bite… Read more »
Grumpy Kids? Not these Kindergarteners!
This post originally appeared in June 2012. Kindergarten Thank You Notes At the end of May, I read The Bumpy, Grumpy Road to two kindergarten classes here in Pittsburgh. At first they laughed with delight when they saw Dylan, a little boy, driving a car. They were impressed! But then Dylan started to use grumpy words. In each… Read more »
Best Billboards
Here are two of the best Pittsburgh billboards I’ve seen lately. One’s silly and one’s clever. This billboard for Fodi Jewelers cracks me up every time I drive by it. It’s not the use of the word ‘chicks’ that got me, it’s the fact that they put baby chicks on the billboard. Yes, we get the… Read more »