Another Pair of Eyes

Filed in Resources / Comment

Lisa Wheeler (www.lisawheeler.com), picture book author extraordinaire, shared this resource for free critiquing from industry professionals. Yes. You read that right.  The website is:  http://rateyourstory.blogspot.com/. I tried it out and Margot Finke was my critiquer. She did a great job finding the sticking points in a new picture book manuscript. And she did it for free, quickly, and effectively. Can’t ask for much more than that! Try it!

Jacketflap

Filed in Resources / Comment

Writers, do you know about this resource? Jacketflap http://www.jacketflap.com/index.asp provides a wealth of information about books, publishers, authors, illustrators…Check it out. It is free and is a good place to start research on publishers prior to submitting — because we all know how important it is to research the most appropriate publishers for our submissions, right?  Right?

Set up your own profile on Jacketflap. It’s easy!

Loving This Quote

Filed in Deep Thoughts / Comment

“Write like you are drunk. Edit like you are sober.”

                        — Tamra Tuller, editor, Philomel Books

SCBWI Rocks

Filed in Resources / Comment

I’ve just returned from the 2011 SCBWI-Michigan fall conference and even though this was my 6th fall conference with this group, I am still in awe of their comraderie, support and skill. If you are a children’s book writer and/or illustrator and you haven’t joined the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, do it today (www.scbwi.org). So many members swear it is what has kept them going during long, dark rejection nights, taught them how to improve their craft, and pointed them in the direction of publication.  Join up, go forth, and conquer!

As George said, “Stay the course.”

Filed in Deep Thoughts / Comment

The SCBWI-MI listserv group is discussing motivation and rewards. How do you keep yourself going during writing and revision? If you are like me, a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are the ticket to keeping my BIC (butt in chair). Refer to photo to the right. 🙂

Twitterpated

Filed in Marketing/Promotion / Comment

So I decided to jump on the Twitter bandwagon because I wanted to see what the fuss is about. After one intro session, I learned it is easy to get immersed in twittertopia for too long — so many people, so much sharing! — but there is a ton of helpful information there. For instance, check out this post by agent Mary Kole at www.kidlit.com: Two signs of overwriting and why it’s a problem: http://ow.ly/6buRq#writing#kidlit. 

What do you think? Do you need to simplify your writing?

A RED LETTER DAY

Filed in About the Books / Comment

I can now say there are few better feelings in life for a writer than to see actual drawings for her debut picture book. Even in the sketch phase, Christina Wald (www.christinawald.com) has drawn what I pictured in my mind as I wrote — without any conversation between us — and I’m in awe of her talent.  I cannot wait to see the finished work and to share it with readers.

I also appreciate being kept in the loop by my editor. An author herself, she must understand how wonderful it is to see a new book come alive.
       

Nothing Like a Road Trip

Filed in A Writing Life / Comment

I love a good road trip. Family togetherness, lots of peanut butter and honey sandwiches at roadside parks, sampling gas station restrooms across the country…3,784 miles later (from northern Michigan to northern Montana and back) and we’ve all grown – and I don’t mean just larger kiesters from sitting. We heard hoary marmots whistle in Glacier National Park, saw eagles soar across the faces of presidents at Mount Rushmore, and tasted freeze dried pad thai at a mountaintop cabin. It was a wonderful way to fill the mind with new images — and story ideas!    

Wait! What happened to the month of June and half of July?

Filed in A Writing Life / Comment

Life. That’s what happened. Travel soccer, family visits, trip planning, ongoing negotiations with teenaged daughters over curfew and car use…just life. BUT, early every morning before all the summer mayhem begins, I’ve been writing. Danny, Emilio, Rafael, Father Timothy, Cookie…they are all living larger in my brain and on the pages and I’m excited to share them and their story with others.

I’ve also been reading Deborah Halverson’s Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies and finding it quite useful (www.deborahhalverson.com). She has a knack for breaking down complex ideas in to bits that can be absorbed and put into use right away. Well done, Deborah.