Emily Watts's Blog, page 3

Editor's Hint #7: Children's Books

Several people have asked for some hints about writing children's books. So here goes:

Writing a book for children is not as easy as it might appear. For one thing, it's really difficult to get objective feedback. I had a fellow editor tell me a person's children would love it if she read the phone book to them! It's not what you read, it's the fact that you're spending the time with them that matters most. Anyway, we get tons of manuscripts that are prefaced with the comment, "My kids beg me ...

And the Panic Sets In

A couple of weeks ago, my husband was out of town for several days, so I declared it "Eating Out Week" for myself and our one son left at home. On Monday we went to Souper Salad. On Tuesday we went to Kentucky Fried Chicken. When we got home from dinner on Tuesday, I was basking in the luxury of an uncommitted evening and suggested we watch a movie. I saw a message flashing on the answering machine, so I suggested that my son get the movie set up while I quickly checked to see which annoying ...

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

So I thought I'd actually try this the other day: a true physical experiment of what happens when you take two steps forward and one step back. I will report that I felt a bit silly carrying out this experiment on the streets of downtown Salt Lake City, but that's where I was walking when the impulse seized me, so I just did it.

Of course, I knew intellectually what would happen. I'm not THAT hopeless at math. I knew the overall trend would be forward. For some reason, though, I just wanted...

Prayer Possibilities

So, I've just found out that my biggest project of the year, perhaps of the decade, at work goes to press the week after girls camp. Which means all the running-around-last-minute details that always accompany the sending of a book to press will be falling in the week I am purportedly going to be gone.

This seems like a problem to me. It is a problem compounded by the fact that neither of my counselors can go to girls camp this year. (Yeah, like having a newborn baby is any kind of an...