A Different Kind of Writing Prompt
Writing prompts are used by students and writers alike to challenge their creativity and/or to improve writing skills. They can be presented in a variety of ways – phrases, questions, topics – the sky’s the limit. Their purpose is to present you with an idea or thought that you can expand upon, allowing you to […]
Stories Grow from Key Elements by Guest Blogger, Dawn Stephens
Stories grow from key elements: Setting, character, inciting incident, rising action, climax, surprise, conclusion.
How to Get $1.49’s Worth of Writing Advice
Jean Fritz. If you know her work, you’ll be smiling at the mere mention of her name. Her humor has wooed and wowed millions of kids into learning American history. I want to be her when (if) I grow up. See that book below? You can get it for $1.49—what are you waiting for? Didn’t […]
THE WORDS WE CHOOSE TO USE
As children’s writers, we all know the importance of choosing the right word to use. Shakespeare has a famous quote “What’s in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” That philosophy might work in Romeo and Juliet’s situation but not for ours. In a nonfiction book […]
10 Journal Prompts for Writers
Strengthen your writing voice with 10 Journal Prompts for Writers.
When Do I Need to Hire a Fiction Writing Coach?
The short answer is NOW! The long answer is NOW! A writing coach may seem expensive, but the experience will be less expensive than hiring an editor to fix it (and who won’t coach you along the way). You also may pay the price of not seeing your book get picked up by a publisher. […]
Think Like a Child by Guest Blogger, Terri B. Kelly
Terri B. Kelly encourages Christian writers on how to write devotionals that children will understand.
5 Tips for Overcoming Writing Critique Group Jitters
Does the idea of attending a writing critique group make you nervous? You’re not alone! Check out a few tips for calming those critique jitters.
Setting Your Reading Goals for 2022
“Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it.Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.” ― William Faulkner As writers, […]
Great Writing Isn’t Born—It’s Built Sentence by Sentence with Self-Editing
While I was self-editing my first children’s novel in 1989 (gasp, yes, I hung out with Methuselah et al.), I consulted a great little book called Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to edit yourself into print. The wise authors, David King and Renni Browne, helped me look professional in many areas including dialogue and proportion […]