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I’ve been nerdy lately, reading a new book about nerds. Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them, by David Anderegg, Ph.D. Nerds as a Cultural Stereotype, and Why Authors of Children’s Literature Should Care Andeggers postulates that the reason we have so few kids interested in science/math these days is the [...]
A friend is having problems with a landlord and I advised her to pull our her contract and go over it again in light of the problems. Likewise, in the author-publisher relationship, everything is governed by the book contract for your novel or picture book. Don’t Sign That Contract Until — You’ve Read and Understood [...]
Everyone wants to know how to contact an editor because editors buy manuscripts. How NOT to Contact an Editor No cold calls. If you haven’t met an editor, do not call them and try to pitch a manuscript. You’ll just make them mad and the answer will be no. No inappropriate submissions. You must do [...]
When you write or revise a novel, one thing to check for is how characters change or transform one another. Novel Characters Transform Each Other Pillow Fight, Piazza Maggiore by Donato Accogli In my WIP, I just created a chart showing the emotional narrative arc of two characters. Each is pushed along that narrative arc [...]
Writing or revising a novel, you’ve got to be flexible. Novels that Spaghetti They refuse to be set in stone until the absolute last second. I’m about halfway through a draft of a new novel and realized that I’ve got to slow down and redo my outline or at least re-evaluate where I am on [...]
Do you get that empty feeling? I’m not talking about feeling hungry, but feeling empty, drained of all story. How Do You Fill Up Your Story Tank? I’ve just sent off a story in the mail today and I feel empty, not quite able to turn to another story that needs attention. My friend always [...]
As a writer, I consider habits to be my friends. 4 Habits that Help Your Writing Habit of Writing. I’m in the habit of writing M-F from about 10 am to 3 pm. There are many days when I’m disgruntled, or discouraged, or tired, or distracted. But I follow my habit and sit down to [...]
I’m getting back into my long-neglected WIP novel and finding some problems. Revision of a novel is part of the process of writing a novel. The Main Plot I’ve written a couple scenes this week, but realized that one of the main characters was missing from all of them. I was dealing with sub-plots all [...]
Here’s the question: How do you get back into a story? After the Cooling Off Period — Then What? Everyone recommends a cooling off period for a story. But how do you get back into a story when you come back to it? And what’s the longest cooling off period you’ve had and successfully gone [...]
Here’s the current schedule for my teaching/speaking for the next year or so. 2008 October 6-8 Books to Bridge the Region, NW Indiana October 11 Educator’s Day, B&N, Little Rock November 7-9 Scene and Voice, Weekend on the Water: Fall Professional Retreat Western Washington SCBWI November 13-14 Arkansas Teacher’s Conference 2009 February 6-8 OK SCBWI [...]
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