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 … More Two Kinds of Children’s Books
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 … More Writing for the Ear
I’ve got about a dozen unfinished stories. When I look back to see why I gave up on the story (sometimes mid-sentence), I discovered most of them died out around chapter three. I was shocked. What was so hard about chapter three? Why would I give up so easily? As I read through the first … More What is so Exciting About the Inciting Incident?
Last Saturday’s Write2Ignite Master Class on Writing Chapter Books was a big hit. We had the largest attendance we’ve had thus far, and our teacher Marianne Hering did a fabulous job! It is such a joy for me to gather with other Christian writers whether live or via Zoom. However, it’s more than terrific when … More W2I Chapter Books Master Class Review
By Guest Blogger and upcoming MC teacher, Marianne Hering Before I tell you why a fiction book with a whopping 361 chapters is not a chapter book, let me ramble about myself for a minute. Gauche, I know, but it’s part of the answer. So, I’ve written a few books in my day. I wrote … More So Why Isn’t War and Peace a Chapter Book?