On Our Bookshelf: What if the World is a Letter? by Hilary Echols and Vu Thuy Ngoc Ha
The Premise Some books linger with you—the images stay in your mind; the words dance around in your thoughts; and you can’t wait to read them again. Such is the case with Hilary Echol’s debut picture book, What if the World is a Letter?. This picture book showcases the love of God through His creation […]
The Greatest Gift to Writers
The Initial Prayer My fingers rested on my keyboard. The idea for a new story rested in my head. As I pondered how to begin this new story, my internal editor kept buzzing. “Make sure it’s a great sentence. It’s got to have a great hook. Bring in excitement right away!” The internal editor is […]
On Our Bookshelf: Consider the Lilies by Jennifer Grant
The Premise Jennifer Grant and Julianna Swaney’s book, Consider the Lilies, was released on February 10th. It’s the second book in the Consider series, published by Eerdmans, and is a beautiful account of the way God sees and cares for not only His creation, but for His kids as well. Inspired by Matthew 6:28 and Luke 12:27, the concept of God’s care is woven throughout every page. The […]
The Swirl of the Season
My Writing Swirls It’s easy during the Christmas season to stretch ourselves thin—even in our writing. Here’s how it happened for me: I write mostly picture books and middle grade stories, and I’m actively working on submissions for some manuscripts and revising others. In the midst of passing critiques back and forth, I committed […]
On Our Bookshelf: Consider the Birds by Jennifer Grant
Consider the Birds by Jennifer Grant, illustrated by Julianna Swaney, is a lovely new book published by Eerdmans Books that utilizes the activity of birds to subtly remind kids that God sees every detail. Summary In my opinion, the story hints of the verse Matthew 6:26 and reminds us to consider the birds of the […]
A Phrase That Helps Us Revise
YES AND, A Game When I worked as a drama coach, we played a game called, “Yes and.” We’d stand in a large circle, and I’d give the students a story prompt, such as “An elephant danced in the rain.” The students would then go around the circle and add to the story in 3 […]
On Our Bookshelf: Remmy’s Sticky Situation by Cindy Lynn Sawyer
THE SYNOPSIS Remmy Raccoon is excited because the fair is in town—and that means carnival food! He is very hungry. He dumpster dives to find his favorite munchables, but don’t worry, he always washes them before eating. When he finds a pink, fluffy confectionary treat, it quickly disappears before he can eat it! He goes […]
Spring Into Writing
Spring is a time of rebirth, renewal, and growth: green sprouts poke out of dormant dirt, the sun tarries longer in the sky, and birds tweet from awakening trees. As writers, it’s a joy to create alongside the waking wonders of spring. Here are 5 tips to help us get into the swing of spring […]
7 Steps Toward Not Over-Loving Your Character
Characters Are Like Children As writers, we tend to fall in love with our characters. And we should. They are our word children. Just like parents, we treasure our children. We love them. We want the absolute best for them. All the time. Nothing should ever happen to them. And… this is unhealthy and boring. […]
A New Year: Letting Go of The Old
It’s that time again… It’s a new year! A new you! For only $19.99 per day, you can have the ____ of your dreams! It’s a new year, so what are your goals? Be sure to write down everything you’ve ever wanted to achieve and make it a goal in January!! Obviously, I jest, but […]