10,000 Hours
10,000 hours. That’s the amount of intentional practice Dr. K. Anders Ericsson determined is needed to master a skill. He published his findings in the Harvard Business Review in 2007. Author Malcolm Gladwell popularized those findings in his book, Outliers, in 2008. https://www.gladwellbooks.com/https://www.gladwellbooks.com/gladwellbooks.com/ Just how long is 10,000 hours? If you practiced full-time, 40 hours per […]
Creating Unit Studies
A unit study is a great way for kids to learn about a topic that sparks their interest. It is also a great way for writers to share their work and use all that “extra” information your research uncovered that just wouldn’t fit into your final piece. Unit studies take one topic—anything from quicksand to […]
Five Benefits of Attending a Christian Writer’s Conference
Have you ever considered attending a Christian writer’s conference? Whether you’re a first-time attendee, a published author, a presenter, or even the conference director, you’ll leave blooming with these benefits. Fellowship: There’s nothing like sitting in a room full of like-minded writers. The first time you do so, it may be difficult to comprehend. All […]
In Search of Excellence
In my previous career as a human resources executive, one of my areas of responsibility was the management of our quality control programs. Phrases such as “Quality First,” “Do it right the first time,” and “Quality means doing it right when no one is looking” (Henry Ford), pervaded our corporate culture. But corporate America did […]
Ten Things NOT to Do When Writing a Picture Book
Do you have a picture book in the works? If so, you know picture books are a lot harder to write than most people think. Whether you’re just starting to write your manuscript or are in the final stages of revision, here are some things not to do: Don’t write down to children. Children are […]
How to Write a Query for Schoolhouse Teachers: Part Three
By this point in the process, you have lots of content and a good idea of where you’d like to take it. Today, let’s look at putting the pieces together. Now that you have a sense of how much content you can write about your topic, what size lessons fit it the best? Do you […]
Daniel Blackaby’s Earthshaking Confession
I have a serious confession to make. Ready for it? Promise you won’t tell anyone? Okay, here it is . . . I’m a fake author. You see, I get asked all the time: “What does it take to be a writer?” People think that because I’ve published several books I’m a somehow a guru in […]
Three Reasons to Write for Kids
Conference season is here. Perhaps you are registered for a writers conference, an especially good investment in your career. Before you head off for that event, you should consider the purpose of your writing. Here are three main categories of writing for children. 1 – Write to Entertain A good story is a wonderful kind […]
Is Children’s Literature Developing Thinking Skills?
I’ve heard pastors begin a sermon saying they followed this formula: “Tell them what you’re going to tell them; then, tell them; then, tell them what you told them.” Knowing human tendencies to forget, this can be good advice, especially when doctrinal truth is the subject. However, I frequently find myself marking off for redundancies […]
How to Write a Query for Schoolhouse Teachers: Part Two
If you’ve been working on the assignment I gave you last month, you’ve thought of one or more good ideas that you want to write about. Now let’s get in to the meat of how to make this a course that kids can enjoy. You’re going to need three main pieces to your course: The […]