Nancy Kelly Allen's Blog, page 47

Rejection Letters/Revision/Character Development/Call for Submissions

In the world of manuscript submissions, two simple facts haunt writers of every genre:

Fact #1: Rejection pierces the skin and goes straight to the psyche like a poisoned arrow.

Fact #2: Prepare to be pierced.

If you submit manuscripts to publishers, you will receive rejection letters. The sting of rejection is so painful some writers quit writing altogether. Others fuss and fume but go right back to stringing together more words.

I've had two manuscripts accepted without receiving a single reje...

Laura Crawford, Nonfiction, Contests

This week I have a guest author, Laura Crawford, who has written a fact-filled and beautiful picture book, The American Revolution From A to Z. Pelican Publishing Company, 2009. Grades 2-5. ISBN: 1-58980-515-1.

In The American Revolution From A to Z, history comes to life with the ABCs of America's fight for freedom. From B's Battles of Lexington and Concord to H's John Hancock, this alphabet book provides an exciting and interesting history of the American Revolution. The colorful pages featu...

Environment, Theme, Contests

This week I'm continuing to spotlight themes in children's literature. The themes of The Munched-Up Flower Garden and Trouble in Troublesome Creek focus on the environment and ecology. Children's books need strong, universal themes. And what is a universal theme? It's an underlying message—subtle, not preachy—that children everywhere can respond to.

Many children's books deal with such universal themes as loneliness, new school, new pet, new baby, moving, and friendship. These themes can wor...

Blog chain

Yvonne Perry, owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services http://writersinthesky.com, has put together a blog chain for St. Patrick's Day March 11 through 17 and this blog is participating in the fun event.

You may be wondering, "What is a Blog Chain?" A blog chain involves about a dozen people who have a blog and want to participate in a fun group activity. Each participant visits the blog of every person on the chain within one week of being sent the list of URLs. When visiting ...

Theme, Trouble in Troublesome Creek, Contests, Call for Submissions

The Troublesome Creek kids are back with a new adventure. Their favorite swimming hole has dead fish floating in the water. Stiiiinky! Can the kids solve the mystery of the dead fish?

Usually I begin writing a story with a particular character in mind. My fictional characters are often quirky and far from perfect. Sometimes a plot pops into my mind and I work characters into the action. For my newest book, Trouble in Troublesome Creek, my editor asked me to write a story about water pollution....

Laura Crawford-Author, Nonfiction, Contest/Call for Submission

This week I have a guest author, Laura Crawford, who has written a fact-filled and beautiful picture book, The American Revolution From A to Z. Pelican Publishing Company, 2009. Grades 2-5. ISBN: 1-58980-515-1.

In The American Revolution From A to Z, history comes to life with the ABCs of America's fight for freedom. From B's Battles of Lexington and Concord to H's John Hancock, this alphabet book provides an exciting and interesting history of the American Revolution. The colorful pages feat...

Trouble in Troublesome Creek/ Mysteries/ Two Contests

My latest book, Trouble in Troublesome Creek, has just been released. Dead fish floating in the swimming hole spell trouble for the kids who like to swim in Troublesome Creek. Stinnnnky! Along with dead fish, they find a cave with flapping, fluttering bats and strange, metal rocks. Later, they discover the rocks are Minnie balls, old bullets left by soldiers from the Civil War, about 150 years ago. Follow the adventure of the Troublesome Creek kids as they help clean up the environment and so...

Small Publishers/Biography/Contest

Entering contests can pay off. I'm living proof. This weekend, I won a contest in which I had the golden opportunity to talk with literary agent Mark McVeigh. McVeigh had sage advice for writers trying to break into the publishing world. Here are the highlights of our conversation:

*Picture books are not top priority with large publishers but these books will make a comeback.
*Pitch to smaller, regional publishers. They produce top quality picture and chapter books and they keep books in print...

Happy Birthday book/ Contest

My latest book, Happy Birthday: The Story of the World's Most Popular Song, is hot off the presses. The story takes us back to the late 1800s. In the days when candles flickered the night with light, Mildred and Patty Hill pierced the quiet with music and song. Mildred tickled the ivories as Patty strung words, one after the other. Together, they wrote the little ditty, Good Morning to You, for the kindergarten students where Mildred taught and Patty was the principal in Louisville, Kentucky....

Omit the Boring Parts, No-Fee Writing Contests

Award-winning author Elmore Leonard gives this advice: I try to leave out the parts that people skip. How can we determine what parts of our writing to leave out of a story? Of course, figuring out the boring parts is difficult, but these ideas will help:

1. Begin a story is with action. Start where the character's world is beginning to change.
2. Eliminate unnecessary words. I recently wrote in a manuscript, he frowned his forehead. I only needed two words: he frowned. A member of my critique ...