Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 103

Setting Sets the Mood

I’ve been noodling over how to use setting in my story, so it was only natural that the real estate ad that a friend posted had me wondering – who would live here? Not only is the main body of the house octagonal, but the whole house is black. The siding. The roof. The floors. … Continue reading Setting Sets the Mood →

Memoir, Autobiography, or Biography?

Recently, the book club I attend was discussing what types of books we like to read.  One member panned memoir.  She prefers autobiography.  Another member didn’t want to read either autobiography or memoir.  She only like biographies.  To understand why certain readers prefer each, you have to know what they are. Biography If I write … Continue reading Memoir, Autobiography, or Biography? →

American Indian Stories Differ from Euro-American Narratives

Whether we are reading stories or working with writers or students from other traditions, cultural sensitivity demands that we remember that how we think is cultural. It isn’t right where someone else is wrong. It is learned. But how do other traditions differ? Trying to find information on this isn’t always easy so I love … Continue reading American Indian Stories Differ from Euro-American Narratives →

Rewriting after Critique

Early in 2022, I will be running a middle grade novel past my critique group. I am going to ask people to read it as a whole, cover to cover so-to-speak. Why? Because I want to know how the story works as a whole and the larger structure is easier to evaluate if you read … Continue reading Rewriting after Critique →

Lessons in Designing a Web Page

Yesterday I set to work updating the “Books” page on my site. I’d long wanted to fix it so that every cover was approximately the same size. I say approximately because the books are different sizes. But if every photo was the same height, the page would look more consistent. WordPress also offers a “Masonry” … Continue reading Lessons in Designing a Web Page →

Skip Past the Default Explanations

I had to laugh when I read this Arthur C. Clarke quote. It sounds so much like something a young reader would say. It seems like often the difference between a child and an adult is that adults take for granted the “logic” behind how we do things and what we call things. A child? … Continue reading Skip Past the Default Explanations →

Writer Beware: Not All Advice Is Good Advice

Recently, I met a woman who works on industrial sewing machines. She is expanding her trade to household machines and has been amazed at how inconsistent the advice is that the finds online. Sadly, looking for advide on how to do something as a writer is just as problematic for several reasons. Anyone and Everyone … Continue reading Writer Beware: Not All Advice Is Good Advice →

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? →