Dual-Curriculum in Learning to Write for Children
I am the mother of four grown sons. But they weren’t always grown. There were quite a few hectic years that could best be described as managed chaos. I would get a little one off my hip and onto his feet just in time to have another firmly attach himself. And honestly, who knew there were […]
Pitch Your Picture Book through a Twitter Party!
“For what event would you pack an ax, a vial of serum, and dog booties? Racing in the Iditarod! Find out what else mushers pack. #PBPitch #NF” “Jersey wishes she had spots like the other cows, so she knits herself a spotted sweater, and all the other cows want one too. #PBPitch #H” The above […]
Always a Learning Curve
There’s plenty of advice available about what to write and how to “speak” to children readers through story. But how do you get your stories out there to parents who buy a large percentage of children’s reading material after you publish those fantastic tales? You can Google information on how to use Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, […]
The Charlotte Mason Method, Part Four
In Part One and Part Two of our series about writing for the homeschool community, we talked about some of the main components of the Charlotte Mason Method of education. In Part Three, we explored how to create copywork. This month, we’re going to take a look at what other types of resources we can […]
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 Charlotte Mason Method, Part Three
Copywork is a key component of the Charlotte Mason Method, but it is also enjoyed by many homeschoolers who do not use her method exclusively. You can create copywork that is connected to the themes you write about or you can create it based on Scripture, classical literature, etc. The first thing you need to […]
Spotlight on Lisa Albinus
My name is Lisa Albinus. I get to live the dream of being an artist and author as I live my life with a Bible tucked under my arm and a paintbrush in my hand. My greatest desire is to breathe hope into the latent, creative dreams of your childhood and the crayons that have […]
More Than Just the Facts, Ma’am
When you think about writing for children, you might picture stacks of picture books or a shelf full of novels. But did you know there’s a large nonfiction market as well? In my workshop session “More Than Just the Facts, Ma’am,” I’m going to introduce you to the world of children’s nonfiction and educational publishing. There’s […]
The Charlotte Mason Method, Part Two
Last month, we introduced Charlotte Mason and discussed her influence on homeschooling. Her method is popular among many homeschool families, and it’s important to understand it so you can create resources that support families who follow this method. So far, we’ve talked about living books, copywork, dictation, science, and nature study. Let’s explore some additional […]
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 […]