Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 108

3 Things to Know about Hi-Lo

Look what arrived on Saturday! Robotics in Health Care is my second hi-lo from BrightPoint Press. This means that although it is for middle schoolers, it is written at a 4th grade reading level. I just signed a contract to write two more hi-lo titles for Brightpoint. I’m really enjoying writing for this market. If … Continue reading 3 Things to Know about Hi-Lo →

3 Things to Consider When Basing a Picture Book on a Song

I love it when I find a picture book that mirrors a song. My friend Donna Bateman did this when she wrote Deep in the Swamp, a swamp animal counting book that mirrors “Over in the Meadow.” Last week I checked out The Rice in the Pot Goes Round and Roundy by Wendy Wan-Long Shan. … Continue reading 3 Things to Consider When Basing a Picture Book on a Song →

4 Reasons to Draw Your First Picture Book Draft

About three weeks ago, I wrote a post about drafting your picture book. Among the things I discussed was Marla Frazee’s technique for writers. She recommends that we draw our first draft. Yesterday I was feeling antsy in spite of a monstrous to-do list. I just didn’t want to do any of that. I wanted … Continue reading 4 Reasons to Draw Your First Picture Book Draft →

Cover Reveal!

I am so excited to get to share this with you! Abdo Publishing just released the cover for my January 2022 book, The Who. Click through to see an interior spread. Books have multiple birthdays. There’s the cover reveal. Check. There’s the day you get your author copies. Waiting . . . waiting . . … Continue reading Cover Reveal! →

3 Reasons to Take Part in #PitMad

In case you are unfamiliar with Twitter, #PitMad is a Twitter pitch party.  During pitch parties, writers tweet pitches that are up to 280 characters long. Agents and editors make requests by liking the tweeted pitch.  Some are pretty specific. For example, #PBPitch is only for picture books. But in #PitMad, all writing categories are … Continue reading 3 Reasons to Take Part in #PitMad →

4 Tips for Writing a Cumulative Tale

Some types of stories come and go but others stick around because they are just so much fun. One of those ever-green story types is the cumulative tale. Young readers love them because, to a point, they can predict what is going to happen next. Not sure what a cumulative picture book is? Do you … Continue reading 4 Tips for Writing a Cumulative Tale →

3 Things Writers Learn by Reading

This week, one of the writer’s I follow on Twitter asked how many books we had read so far in 2021. Now, I know that my book total is unrealistic if all you read are novels. I’ve read 154 books so far this year but that number includes novels, young adult and middle grade novels, … Continue reading 3 Things Writers Learn by Reading →

4 Tips When You Need to “Kill Your Darlings”

This week, I had to get two chapters out to my critique group. We generally only share 10 pages at a time so that we can fit in work from everyone. My two chapters came in at 12 pages. Time to tighten things up! Some writers refer to this as “killing their darlings.” The idea … Continue reading 4 Tips When You Need to “Kill Your Darlings” →

Why Writers Should Write vs Going Outside

Leaving the house is hazardous when you are a writer. I’m just over 25% of the way through my middle grade science fiction novel. But this weekend was our anniversary so we went for a drive. Bad, bad undisciplined writer. Even those of you who live in the St. Louis area probably won’t recognize this … Continue reading Why Writers Should Write vs Going Outside →

Pinterest: 3 Ways to Use This Tool if You are a Writer

Yesterday someone on Twitter stated that he just didn’t get Pinterest. Why would a writer care? It is stupid. It makes no sense. I use Pinterest almost every day but how I use it as a writer has changed over time. Research Trends When I was writing up 30 or so crafts, activities or science … Continue reading Pinterest: 3 Ways to Use This Tool if You are a Writer →