Stories grow from key elements: Setting, character, inciting incident, rising action, climax, surprise, conclusion. … More Stories Grow from Key Elements by Guest Blogger, Dawn Stephens
Jean Fritz. If you know her work, you’ll be smiling at the mere mention of her name. Her humor has wooed and wowed millions of kids into learning American history. I want to be her when (if) I grow up. See that book below? You can get it for $1.49—what are you waiting for? Didn’t … More How to Get $1.49’s Worth of Writing Advice
The short answer is NOW! The long answer is NOW! A writing coach may seem expensive, but the experience will be less expensive than hiring an editor to fix it (and who won’t coach you along the way). You also may pay the price of not seeing your book get picked up by a publisher. … More When Do I Need to Hire a Fiction Writing Coach?
As any brave explorer would do before embarking on a journey, it’s important for us as children’s writers to choose a reliable flashlight to help us find our way.For writers, our flashlight is a mentor text. What exactly is a mentor text, you may ask? In a nutshell, it’s a children’s book that you want … More Choosing Your Mentor Text
I have loved watching movie shorts since I was little but making one myself was harder than I expected. I quickly realized that I needed a grasp of basic storytelling, scriptwriting, filming, and editing in order to produce even a short, three-minute-long movie. My first video short was made using an iPhone, LEGO minifigures, and my … More A Take on Making Short Videos- Part I by Guest Blogger, Hadassah Murdock
A Review by Jean Matthew Hall of STEERING THE CRAFT: A TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY GUIDE TO SAILING THE SEA OF STORY by Ursula K. LeGuin Dear Writers, If the beauty of language thrills you; If you love weaving words, sounds and silences as they move readers through a story; If you admire and respect the power … More Book Review: A Book for Writers by Jean Hall
TIP #5 Use context to recognize, understand, and interpret literal and metaphorical language. Historical, social, cultural, and biblical contexts are essential for understanding literal and metaphorical elements in speech and writing. Accurate understanding should come before interpretation! A cropped photo automatically demands interpretation, zeroing in on details the user wants to emphasize while excluding others. In … More 5 Tips for Using Literal and Metaphorical Language, Part V (conclusion): Always Remember Context by Deborah DeCiantis
One of the most boring books I ever read was about Jesus. Okay – to be honest, I mostly said that to get your attention – please don’t get mad and click over to Facebook! But, the truth is, I never actually finished reading Joshua by Joseph Girzone because this modern-day portrayal of Jesus … More ON WRITING PLOT: What’s the Problem? by Joyce Moyer Hostetter
According to Elaine Marie Alphin (Creating Characters Kids Will Love p. 2) “Kids read because a magical closeness springs up between them and the characters in books and stories—the same magical closeness I felt as a child. They read because a writer has brought a character to life on the page for them.” Every great … More 9 Tips for Writing Unforgettable Characters by Deborah DeCiantis