Two Kinds of Children’s Books
There are two kinds of children’s books: the kind that grownups want children to read and the kind that children want to read. As adults, we may be tempted to write the first type of book. The kind that gets Newberry and Caldecott medals. The kind that ends up on librarian and teacher’s lists. They […]
Tips for Writing More Engaging Picture Books – Part Two: Getting A Kid’s Attention
Last month, I gave some general tips on writing picture books. Today, I want to look deeper into the craft. What You Need to Know First Our competition is fierce. Most beginning writers think starting with picture books is good because they’re short. In a way, they’re right! Picture books should be 800 words or […]
Joyce Moyer Hostetter’s Master Class: The Story Safari
This past Saturday was our Master Class hosted by Joyce Moyer Hostetter: The Story Safari: Tracking Down the Story Through Research, Focus, and Revision. I read her Bakers Mountain series several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I was excited to get to learn more about her writing process. The Workshops The Master Class […]
Writing for the Ear
In my multimedia journalism class, our professor talked about “writing for the ear.” If you’re unfamiliar with the term, writing for the ear is when you write something that is meant to be spoken or performed rather than read silently. My Shakespeare professor taught me something similar. She said that Shakespeare’s plays were never meant […]
Tips for Writing More Engaging Picture Books – Part One
In all the years I’ve been a freelance children’s book editor, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard how people want to write picture books because they’re short … and easy. “HA!” I’d say. (And I had to keep myself from slapping them and saying, “Snap out of it!”) Writing picture books is […]
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 […]
A Conversation with Joyce Hostetter
A conversation with Joyce Hostetter, our spring MC teacher.
The Craft of Prewriting
There is nothing more painful as a writer, than staring at the blank page, with your mind even blanker. Some people call this writer’s block, some people say writer’s block doesn’t even exist. But neither of these offers a solution. Today, I’ll offer mine: prewriting. An umbrella term, prewriting can mean anything from brainstorming, drafting, […]
Steps to Tackle Writing Tasks
Tackling writing tasks can overwhelm. At least that’s been my experience. So let’s look at some steps to help us tackle them.
Author Interview with Laura Sassi
Today, I have the privilege of meeting with Laura Sassi to celebrate the launch of her latest picture book, Faithful Feet (illustrated by Emauela Di Donna, published by Worthy Kids). Interview Sue: Hi, Laura. Welcome back to Write2Ignite, and congrats on Faithful Feet! This book is so much fun to read, and it’s already receiving […]