When people ask me what I am writing, the truth is most of the time I am editing a story. While every author needs to have their manuscript edited by a professional editor, but authors can begin with a good self edit. I have found that incorporating self editing techniques before sending my manuscript off … Read more
The power of quitting is very liberating. I am not talking about quitting writing altogether, but rather knowing when to quit a story when it just is not working. I belong to a writing group, Teach Write, of teachers who teach writing. They are a wonderful and supportive group of writers. Each week we set … Read more
A year in review is an opportunity for authors to look back at their writing life for the past year. Reviews can help you plan next steps for the new year. It is important to focus on what you were able to do rather than the rejections, less than shining critiques or contracts not offered. … Read more
You have written your picture book manuscript. It has been revised and it has been through several edits. You are ready to submit your manuscript to an agent or publisher, but there’s one more step. You need to write a query letter. A query letter is a letter written for literary agents or editors asking if … Read more
Staying motivated as a writer can be hard. I have my fair share of days when pursuing my writing goals is the last thing I want to do. Writing is a journey and there will be times that you may lack the motivation to push past those moments. It is in those moments I try to … Read more
Joining a writing community can be one of the most important things that you can do as a writer. Children’s writing has been in my blood for years, but it wasn’t until the end of my college teaching career that I could really spend the time fine tuning my craft. Writing for children was the … Read more
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
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
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
The 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 Maria Buffolino, author of The Leaning Palm. I enjoyed reading this … Read more
