If Your Future Could Speak
When I was in the 3rd grade, Mrs. Wheatley, my teacher, gave my mother a warning. She said, “Mrs. Snipes, we just can’t let his imagination run off with him.” My mom didn’t heed that warning . . . and it’s the reason why I still daydream today! One of my favorite daydream scenarios might […]
Best Laid Plans
Conventional wisdom tells us that to be successful we should become adept at planning. Good planning helps us manage resources and minimize unexpected challenges. But life doesn’t always work out as we planned. We pour ourselves into a manuscript, but agents and editors are not interested. We finally receive that coveted contract, but sales are […]
Believing “I Can” with Lisa Albinus
My name is Lisa Albinus, I get to live the dream of being an artist 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 been abandoned. […]
Connect with us….
There was a day, when to connect with someone, you sent them a letter. Or if you had the resources, you picked up the phone and gave them a call. And if they were really special you went to their street address, their house, to see them in person. One thing shared by all these ways to connect was an address. In those days, if you had a […]
How to Write a Query for Schoolhouse Teachers: Part One
Today, I’d like to start a series of posts related to the topic of how to query SchoolhouseTeachers.com, the curriculum site of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. I’ll be representing SchoolhouseTeachers.com at the 2016 Write2Ignite conference, as well as presenting workshops on writing for the homeschool market and the art of storytelling. To date, I have […]
Resources for Writing for Children
It is just a few more days until 2016. The New Year always brings a list of resolutions and goals. If you are reading this, writing for children or teens is likely on your list. How do children’s writers know that they are successfully penning words that will resonate with young readers? Certainly they must […]
What Does It Mean to Write for the Homeschool Market?
We’ve talked a lot this year about creating materials with the homeschool market in mind, so it’s important that we know whom that market represents. If we’re going to visualize our ideal reader, there are some things we need to understand. One of the common misconceptions about homeschooling is that it’s done only on the […]
Writing for Schoolhouse Teachers
The homeschooling market is growing rapidly, and there are many ways childrens’ authors can be involved. I’m the executive editor at SchoolhouseTeachers.com, and I’d like to share with you about our company and how you can become part of our writing team. SchoolhouseTeachers.com is the curriculum site of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. We serve homeschool families […]
Christmas in July: Planning Seasonal Products Early
It’s July 1st. I’m having trouble getting my head wrapped around that. It means half the year has passed. It means all those things I committed to doing in July (when it was still months away) are suddenly due now. And it means the Christmas holiday will be here before we blink. I know—you’re probably […]
Different Routes, Same Destination
I’ve been thinking about routes. One of the most helpful tools I have is a GPS. Helpful, because if there’s a way to get lost, I’ll find it. So I’m dependent on that quiet but firm voice that says, “In fifty yards, turn right.” When I program my GPS for a long trip, it often […]