Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 101

When You Can’t Think of What to Write

I’m doing a NaNoWriMo-esque personal challenge this month. Last month I had deadlines. This month I don’t. Since I needed to write approximately another 12,700 words to finish my middle grade science fiction novel, I decided to figure out how many words I needed to write per day. The answer? 403. So what happens when … Continue reading When You Can’t Think of What to Write →

Surprise! How to Use Surprises to Keep Your Reader Reading

Most writers understand that we need to hook our readers. Grab ’em and keep ’em reading! I know that there are times that I’ve done it wrong – starting my story with a chase when it isn’t all about pursuit. When I read the work of new writers, I’m given a lot of shocking first … Continue reading Surprise! How to Use Surprises to Keep Your Reader Reading →

Do You Research As You Write?

Today I stumbled on an interesting discussion among a group of writers. When you are working on a manuscript and realize that you have to research something, do you stop writing and look it up? Or do you keep writing and look it up later? For me, it depends. If it is something small that … Continue reading Do You Research As You Write? →

Finding Your Voice as a Writer

Writer’s voice is one of those topics that many writers find confusing. And that isn’t surprising because it is fairly abstract. It is easy to see if your sentence has a subject and verb. But how can you tell if your writing reflects your voice? The first step is understanding what voice is. Voice is … Continue reading Finding Your Voice as a Writer →

Pick and Choose: Or Deciding What Info to Ignore

My name is Sue and I have a bad habit. I save e-mails with links to webinars that look interesting because I might some day decide to write a picture book biography or a chapter book series or . . . You probably get the point. The other day I was talking to a new … Continue reading Pick and Choose: Or Deciding What Info to Ignore →

How to Know When to Put Something Aside

The horrible reality is that not everything you write is going to be published. For example, this is not my first post written for Thursday. The first one is languishing in my drafts file here on WordPress. There are 3 times that I find myself have to put a piece of writing aside. The Tone … Continue reading How to Know When to Put Something Aside →

3 Things to Know Before Including a Sidebar

Recently I was writing about the Kent State Massacre. It wasn’t the main focus of the project, and as I polished the chapter about this incident, I had to cut several fascinating points. The chapter was about 150 words too long so something had to go. One of these things was the information that I … Continue reading 3 Things to Know Before Including a Sidebar →

Accountability: Making Commitment Work for You

December is just around the corner. No, really. It starts tomorrow. And if you are anything like me you are looking around at everything that you meant to accomplish but didn’t. The reality is pretty simple – most of us are best at getting things done if we are held accountable. That’s why NaNoWriMo works … Continue reading Accountability: Making Commitment Work for You →

Transitioning to a New Project

This weekend, my brother-in-law asked what I’m working on. Friday, I had a book due. It doesn’t help that it was a contracted confidential job. Sometimes when nonwriters ask what I’m working on, I blank. I just don’t know what to say. “That wasn’t a trick question, Sue.” But it was. Because I had just … Continue reading Transitioning to a New Project →

Happy Thanksgiving

For those of you who celebrate, I’d like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Take this time to recharge your creative battery. I have a lot to be thankful for in my writing life.  This week book #36 is due tomorrow. Once I get this done, I’ll be back to my middle grade science fiction … Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving →