Teens

I’m going today to a high school English class and writing class to talk about my writing process. It may not come up, but I’ve been thinking about what advice I would give a teen about becoming a fiction writer.
Advice on Becoming a Fiction Writer
Essentials
First, be a reader. Read widely.

Joelle Anthony

by Joelle Anthony
The guest post today is by Joelle Anthony, whose first novel will debut in Summer, 2010: Restoring Harmony (Putnam)
It’s always sad to me when a writer tells me that they really need to finish their novel so they can get an agent because they’ve been at this for a couple of years and [...]

Sky challenge

Craft Challenges for the Writing Life
Whatever you write – novels, poetry, picture books, nonfiction – it’s important to keep your craft growing and improving. I take this seriously and find ways to challenge myself.
One way has been the Friday Ideas group, which has kept me searching for viable picture book ideas.
This year, I’m taking [...]

3 Writing Tips from the Season

Creative writing tips, courtesy of the season:

Peppermints! When you add sensory details to a story, the most common is visual details. The two most neglected are olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste). Flavors of the season are peppermint, cinnamon and cloves.

Gifts! Give your character something to hold in his/her hands. It’s one of the easiest and [...]

12 Days of Christmas Writing Tips

HAPPY HOLIDAYS
For the last few years, I’ve posted writing tips from Winter Holiday personalities. For example, Frosty the Snowman has 6 Top Writing Tips. This year, as our Christmas gift to you, we’ve collected these into one downloadable pdf.
Winter Writing with Kids
FREE download. 34 Writing Skills addressed. Celebrate the Season while Teaching Kids to [...]

Living Life so Fiction Can Grow

For the next four or five days, I won’t write. I won’t look at a novel manuscript or a picture book manuscript or even think the word, “Revise.”
Just Breathe
“How important it is to take the time to read literature, to look at art, to go to concerts. If all parts of your brain aren’t nourished, [...]

3 Ways Writers Survive Slow Times

Yesterday’s news was sad: PW has learned that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has asked its editors to stop buying books.
NOTE: News has filtered down that the buying freeze applies to adult imprints, not the children’s imprints.
How Can Writers Survive in Slow Times
In light of our sluggish economy, how can writers still pay bills — make [...]

How to Fight Writer’s Depression

I am almost sad and depressed today. Why? Because I’m looking at the wrong things. Writers of picture books or novels must remember to pay attention to their work, not the audience’s appraisal of their work.
The Audience is Always Late
The audience is always late to the party. When I sold The Journey of Oliver K. [...]

We are Writers!

For fun, I put up a poll on Friday (and finally configured it correctly): how do you refer to yourself?
Here’s the result.
How Do You Refer to Yourself?
With 19 people voting, the results are clear:
10/17 – 53% Writer
4/17 – 21% Novelist
4/17 – 21% Author
1/17 – 5% Picturebook author
0/17 – 0% Wordsmith or other
The majority refer [...]

Meet Me

I’ll be speaking a couple times this month. Stop by and say hello!
Say Hello

Weekend on the Water, Western Washington SCBWI Professional Retreat. This retreat, I’ll be teaching about Voice and Scenes.
Arkansas Curriculum Conference, Little Rock, AR. Geared toward teachers, I”ll be presenting PAPER LIGHTNING: Prewriting Activities to Spark Creativity to English Language Arts teachers and [...]