Words Have Wings
Develop Your Main Character
When you develop your main character you will find it can either be the most daunting task or the most fun. Gertie and Jeff were easy and fun for me to write. I could hear their conversations in my head which made writing the dialogue easy. I could close my eyes and visualize some of … Read more
Writing the Story
Writing the story is where writers often get stuck. It is not as simple as writing words on a page. There are many things to consider before you put your pencil to the paper. As I mentioned in the prior post I have been writing the acupuncture story for 3 years. It started as one … Read more
New Picture Book Buzz
I wanted to start this writing journey with some new picture book buzz. It is spring, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing and the bees are buzzing. I am writing a new picture book and I am buzzing with excitement. Writing is my passion, especially writing for children and with children. Many of … Read more
Octavia Can Do It!
Author Interviews are a fun way to learn about authors and their books. Interviews can give us insight into the author’s writing process. Author interviews help readers to better understand how and why their stories were written. This week I would like you to meet Liliana Tommasini author of Octavia Can Do It. Octavia Can Do … Read more
Gumbo Joy
A Picture Book Author Interview is one way to learn about the author and their book. They can be fun and informative. Interviews with authors help readers to better understand how and why stories were written. This week I would like you to meet Robert Dixon Jr. author of Gumbo Joy. Not only is the pot … Read more
Akua is Great
A Picture Book Author Interview is one way to learn about an author and their book. They can be fun and informative. Interviews with authors help readers to better understand how and why stories were written. This week I would like you to meet Dr. Artika Tyner, author of Akua is Great. I enjoyed reading this … Read more
Award Winning Children’s Picture Books
Literary Titan Book Award Gertie Saves the Day is now listed among Award Winning Children’s Picture Books. The Literary Titan Gold Award is awarded to books that were found to be perfect in their delivery of the original content, meticulous development of unique characters in an organic an striking setting, an innovative plot that supports … Read more
A Student’s Guide to Interviewing Authors
Why am I writing a Student’s Guide to Interviewing Authors? One of my all-time favorite children’s book authors was Tomie dePaola. I loved reading his books to my third graders. Strega Nona and Big Anthony and the Pasta Pot were two of our favorites. The more I read his books to my students, the more questions the children had that … Read more
First Draft Completed! What’s Next?
First Draft First draft is completed! What’s next, I ask myself? What should I do now? This week I completed a first draft of another picture book. If you recall, I am participating of the 12×12 picture book challenge. In this challenge we try to write a draft of a picture book each month. This … Read more