What are your kids doing in their free time? Do they even have free time? A recent article in Publisher’s Weekly says that for kids, reading for pleasure is “losing out to other activities.” The article states that according to Circana BookScan, sales of middle-grade fiction—that is, fiction geared to kids ages 8 to 12—has…
Everyone has a story in them. Not everyone wants to write that story, but a lot of people do. I’ve joined several Facebook writing groups and it amazes me the number of people posting something along these lines: “I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but I don’t know how to get started.” Or they’ll…
A friend (who writes picture books) and I were having an interesting conversation the other day about upcoming trips to England, which led to talking about Shakespeare. I’m an English major, but I never appreciated Shakespeare. I know he’s the greatest playwright of all time, and he invented many words that are in our current…
How varied is your reading list? I feel like mine should be full of books about rainbows and unicorns and butterflies since I write children’s books. It’s not. Kids don’t stick to books about rainbows and lollipops, and neither do I. So I read a variety of books. And I get something valuable from each…
Here we are, halfway through the month and halfway through the year. How’re you doing on those goals you set back in January? Have you reviewed them lately? Maybe you’ve finished them? Or are making good progress. If so, yay, you! Maybe you’ve set them aside? No shame. No judgment. Just wondering. If you haven’t…
The amount of content available to internet users is mind-boggling. And LOUD! Much of it is free, too, which adds to the noise. (Things that cost money are often easier to ignore.) Pretty sure you all know how the internet works. Now here’s the hard part: At what point do you stop listening and say,…
I like my posts to apply to writers but also be helpful to other creative types (and I think we’re all a bit creative). So let’s see if I can tweak these Twelve Golden Rules to be helpful to all. 1. Before you set off on your yellow brick project road, have a plan or…
Have you ever noticed when you’re watching TV or starting a new book how many of them begin with the characters at a big event, like a wedding or a funeral, a graduation ceremony, birthday party or moving day? Why is that? It’s on purpose. I first heard about this tactic from screenwriter Michael Jamin….
A friend of mine and a talented writer in my writers’ group invited me to an upcoming event that she’s hosting, a “Bookish Tea Party,” where her friends will discuss any book they’re currently reading. I love this! I have come to accept the fact that I’m not a good fit for traditional book clubs…
I ran into an interesting issue last week with a story I wrote. In the narration, as well as the dialogue, I made references to some classic literature. Those people “in the know” (agents, editors, published authors) have admonished writers not to reference current literature or cultural items or events because it will date the…
