The Dreaded Elevator Pitch
When I worked as a Human Resources executive, one of my responsibilities was to offer outplacement training—a fancy term for helping people who lost their jobs find new employment. Outplacement training included creating a resume, polishing interview skills, and developing an elevator pitch. The elevator pitch is something writers need as well. A pitch is […]
The Importance of Professional Editing before You Self-publish
By Brenda Covert True story: One year while celebrating my young adult daughter’s birthday at her favorite restaurant, our group sang the birthday song. Suddenly, a fashionably-dressed woman appeared at our table to wish my daughter a happy birthday and to give her an autographed copy of the woman’s book. I love books, so when […]
Online Connections for Christian Children’s Authors
An aspiring author is sometimes in a quandary about what to do next. Perhaps, the would-be author sits at her computer and wonders what to do with her writing time that day. Several months ago, I posted a list of jump start ideas, Be an Author – Do One Thing. Let’s add to that list […]
Eight Lessons I’ve Learned About Writing
School has been in session in the United States for more than a month. This means that all across the country, children are facing the same question that has been asked for generations: “What did you learn today?” To my mother’s utter frustration, I’d often answer her question with a blank stare and a mumbled, […]
10,000 Hours
10,000 hours. That’s the amount of intentional practice Dr. K. Anders Ericsson determined is needed to master a skill. He published his findings in the Harvard Business Review in 2007. Author Malcolm Gladwell popularized those findings in his book, Outliers, in 2008. https://www.gladwellbooks.com/https://www.gladwellbooks.com/gladwellbooks.com/ Just how long is 10,000 hours? If you practiced full-time, 40 hours per […]
What’s New in Children’s Books?
If you follow our blog, you undoubtedly have a sense of calling to write for children and teens in the Christian market. Today, I want to encourage you to check out what’s new in children’s books. Keeping on top of that may include some things that surprise you, but they’ll be relatively simple additions to […]
Rainy Days
As I write this, it’s raining. At least my lawn and flowerbeds are happy. Is it raining where you are? I don’t mean the weather. Is it raining on your writing? Are you familiar with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “The Rainy Day”? The day is cold, and dark, and dreary; It rains, and the wind […]
Sowing Seeds: Writing for the Christian Children’s Market by Kathleen M. Muldoon
Posted by Janice D. Green I feel honored and blessed to have been granted the opportunity to republish the book Sowing Seeds: Writing for the Christian Children’s Market by Kathleen M. Muldoon. I’m thrilled to announce that it now appears again on Amazon. Crystal Bowman is one of several “talented professionals who added their wisdom and experience for sections of this […]
Affirmation by the Numbers
I was never much of a numbers person. Words are more my thing. Lots and lots of words, if you ask my husband! Numbers . . . not so much. It’s one of the reasons I love to write. To be able to communicate using myriad combinations of a mere twenty-six letters is nothing short of […]
“When God Turned on the Light”
I was given a copy of Allia Zobel Nolan’s book When God Turned on the Light to review, and the more I read it, the more I like it. Not only do I see it as a wonderful book for children, but it inspires me as a glowing example of how to write about the Bible in a delightfully […]